Steelers 2013 Draft Prospect Profiles: DE/OLB Dion Jordan – Oregon

On Monday we started our look at potential early round draft prospects for the Pittsburgh Steelers by breaking down LSU outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo and today we will look at Oregon defensive end/outside linebacker Dion Jordan, who you have probably seen associated elsewhere as a prospect for the Steelers.

Below is my quick profile on Jordan along with his college stats and a few videos on him. In the comments below please add the strengths and weaknesses that you feel that he has and why you think that he is or isn\’t a prospect for the Steelers.

Jordan is another defensive end/outside linebacker project that has an interesting build just like Mingo. At 6 foot 6, 243 pounds, the Oregon product is lengthy yet a little light in the britches. He looks more like an NBA draft prospect than an NFL prospect at first glance.

Jordan lined up on both sides of the Oregon defensive line, mostly as a standup edge rusher outside the tackle. He has a quick first step and his very athletic and pliable for a player of his size. He uses his long arms to get inside of the chest of blockers, but doesn\’t possess a very strong base underneath him. He does not have a wide variety of pass rush moves just yet and generally uses his speed and shoulder dip to gain the edge against tackles. He is not a strong bull-rusher as he lacks good overall strength and leg drive.

Because of his size, Jordan is very susceptible to cut blocks by running backs when he doesn\’t use his hands and arms properly and has shown some problems in his ability to keep his feet when blocked below the waist.

Jordan has showed that he can hold the edge fairly well and discards blockers with his long arms when defending the run and he also flows down the line well in backside pursuit, and has quick closing speed when doing so. He will tend to try to dance around blockers sometimes instead of taking them straight on.

As previously mentioned, Oregon used Jordan in a variety ways. At times he was used in the slot against a tight end or slot receiver and at other times was asked to drop into a zone outside for flat coverage. He turns and runs well, but will never be confused as a defensive back.

Jordan needs to fill out his frame and get stronger. In the long run I feel most teams will view him more as a 4-3 defensive end than an outside linebacker prospect. In my tape study I have a hard time envisioning him playing the 3, 4 or the 5 technique in a 3-4 defense. In my opinion he would best fit a team that uses a wide-9 defensive front.