Steelers Mock Draft: Pittsburgh plugs every roster hole in pre-free agency mock

Steelers mock draft round 4: Cedric Gray, LB, North Carolina

The Steelers have been very open that they would like to add another contributor at linebacker, as it seems that Cole Holcomb may still need some time to heal from his leg injury. With that in mind, I wanted to find a more modern linebacker with some speed who can play in space to complement Elandon Roberts.

I landed on Cedric Gray, as he seems to have the tools to excel at the position but needs to work on his ability to read the play What stands out on tape instantly is his athleticism, as he is constantly running all over the field and chasing down runners. That athleticism showed up at the combine as well.

As we know from Devin Bush though, athleticism isn’t everything, but Gray seems to be a more aggressive player than Bush was. He can shoot through gaps in the run game and can make some plays in coverage. He has the makings of a three-down linebacker eventually because of this.

Where he struggles is when reading the play. He can be a tad slow and is more of a reactionary linebacker as opposed to anticipating what the offense is doing. As well, he struggles to take on blocks and shed them in the run game. He needs to work on those elements as a player, but he could settle into a starting role eventually given his strengths.