With the 2017 NFL Draft now over and the bulk of the heavy lifting done with regard to the roster building process now out of the way, it is easier to begin to take stock of where the Pittsburgh Steelers stand at certain positions, and what the implications might be of a variety of moves for certain players.
And take stock is what we shall do, as every move has ramifications up and down the roster, so now we will take a look at some specific players and see how the team’s moves during the course of the offseason thus far, and more specifically since the draft, have sent their stock rising, falling, or breaking even.
Player: DL Tyson Alualu
Stock Value: Up
There is not exactly anything against which to compare for Tyson Alualu as a ‘before’ in a Steelers uniform, given that he has not worn a Steelers uniform prior to this season, so the flat value of his stock is yet to be determined as he develops a role and puts forth a baseline level of production.
But wherever that value might settle, it just went up a little after he was finally able to participate in drills during the Steelers’ mandatory minicamp, which is a not insignificant event for the new face in the locker room, regardless of how many years he might have already put in around the league.
Originally a first-round draft pick of the Jaguars in 2010, Alualu has spent the majority of his career serving as a primary starter, and he has done so in diverse defensive fronts. But he has not explicitly been placed in the role the Steelers are looking for him to fill this season.
As you might recall, the free agent signing told reporters that he suffered a calf injury prior to the initiation of offseason workouts while he was working out on his own. That prevented him from participating in practice beyond the stretch line for most of the offseason thus far.
But he told reporters a couple of weeks ago that he was hoping to make it back at least for mandatory minicamp, saying that whenever you are a new face in a new place, learning a new defense with new terminology, getting the reps is always going to be important, no matter how long you have been playing football.
Minicamp is the last bit of football activity for more than a month, so it is notable that Alualu was able to get some serious practice time in in advance of training camp, rather than starting from scratch at this point.
The Steelers are counting upon the former Jaguar to play a significant role this year in what they are hoping is going to be a strong defensive line rotation that is going to allow them to give their starting linemen more breaks to keep them fresher later in games, and later in the season.
