For the fourth year, we’re looking at the Pittsburgh Steelers draft history to determine who the best fits are for the current draft class. Using the measurables of the players they’ve drafted, we can attempt to predict who they’ll be most interested in for 2019. And also who they might not be interested in selecting.
An imperfect, inexact science of course but another piece of the puzzle we can add. Each year, we update it based on the selections made in the previous draft.
Before we start, some of the caveats I like to mention up front. For any timed event, 40 yard dash or shuttle time, I go only off Combine data. Pro Day numbers can be all over the place; the time announced often is different than what an individual organization clocks and we know these numbers are notoriously favorable to the players. For events with more clear-cut measurables, the bench, broad, and vertical, we’ll use the best number of the Combine or Pro Day.
Today, as by popular demand off the Twitter poll I ran, we’re starting with the inside linebackers. Let me know what position group you’d like to see next.
Without an inside linebacker selected the last two years, our list and criteria remains the same.
2016: Tyler Matakevich
Height: 6’0
Weight: 238
Arm Length: 31 1/4
Hand Size: 9 1/2
Bench Press: 22
40: 4.81
Vert: 31
Broad: 9’4″
Short Shuttle: 4.50
Three Cone: 7.19
2014: Ryan Shazier
Height: 6’1/1
Weight: 237
Arm Length: 32 3/8
Hand Size: 10
Bench Press: 25
40: N/A
Vert: 42
Broad: 10’10”
Short Shuttle: 4.21
Three Cone: 6.91
Jordan Zumwalt
Height: 6’4
Weight: 235
Arm Length: 31 1/4
Hand Size: 8 3/4
Bench Press: N/A
40: 4.76
Vert: 33
Broad: 9’8″
Short Shuttle: 4.25
Three Cone: 6.99
2013: Vince Williams
Height: 6’0/6
Weight: 233
Arm Length: N/A
Hand Size: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
40: N/A
Vert: 32.5
Broad: 9’3″
Short Shuttle: 4.67
Three Cone: 7.53
2012: Sean Spence
Height: 5’11/3
Weight: 231
Arm Length: 31 1/2
Hand Size: 9 1/4
Bench Press: 12
40: 4.71
Vert: 33.5
Broad: 9’11”
Short Shuttle: 4.28
Three Cone: 7.46
2010: Stevenson Sylvester
Height: 6’2/1
Weight: 231
Arm Length: 33 3/4
Hand Size: 10 1/8
Bench Press: 23
40: 4.78
Vert: 30.5
Broad: 8’9″
Short Shuttle: N/A
Three Cone: N/A
2008: Mike Humpal
Height: 6’2/4
Weight: 244
Arm Length: 31 1/4
Hand Size: 10
Bench Press: 20
40: 4.82
Vert: 38
Broad: 10’2″
Short Shuttle: 4.25
Three Cone: 7.07
2007: Lawrence Timmons
Height: 6’0/7
Weight: 234
Arm Length: 32 1/8
Hand Size: 9 5/8
Bench Press: 25
40: 4.7
Vert: 35
Broad: 10’3″
Short Shuttle: 4.32
Three Cone: 6.89
ILB Criteria
– Height: 6’0+ (7 of 8 drafted)
– Weight: 230+ pounds (8 of 8)
– Arm Length: 31+ inches (7 of 7)
– Hand Size: 9+ inches (6 of 7)
– Bench Press: 20+ reps (5 of 6)
– 40 Time: sub 4.85 seconds (5 of 6)
– Vert: 30+ inches (8 of 8)
– Short Shuttle: sub 4.5 seconds (5 of 6)
Here are the six linebackers who check every one of those boxes:
| Name/School | Height | Weight | Arm Length | Hand Size | 40 Time | Vertical | Short Shuttle | Bench |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Allen/TTU | 6’0/6 | 232 | 31 1/4 | 9 1/4 | 4.77 | 31.5 | 4.04 | 23 |
| Cody Barton/Utah | 6’2/4 | 237 | 31 7/8 | 9 1/4 | 4.64 | 32.5 | 4.03 | 30 |
| Emeke Egbule/UH | 6’2 | 245 | 33 | 9 1/4 | 4.65 | 33 | 4.38 | 20 |
| Jordan Jones/UK | 6’1/6 | 234 | 31 3/4 | 9 | 4.62 | 32.5 | 4.37 | 23 |
| Drue Tranquill/ND | 6’2 | 234 | 32 1/2 | 9 3/4 | 4.57 | 37.5 | 4.14 | 31 |
| Devin White/LSU | 6’0 | 237 | 32 1/8 | 9 3/4 | 4.42 | 39.5 | 4.17 | 22 |
And because obviously, the players the Steelers draft don’t always literally check every single box, here are the prospects who missed in just one category:
Otaro Alaka/Texas A&M: Short Shuttle
Ben Burr-Kirven/Washington: Hand Size
Devin Bush/Michigan: Height
Terez Hall/Missouri: 40 Time
Bobby Okereke/Stanford: Bench
Germaine Pratt/NC State: Short Shuttle
Cameron Smith/USC: Bench
Ty Summers/TCU: Short Shuttle
Some of those players missed by razor thin margins. Devin Bush missed the height requirement by an inch while Ben Burr-Kirven, who the team already brought in for a pre-draft visit, missed the hand size by 1/8 an inch. The Steelers are also reportedly interested in A&M’s Alaka, a potential Day Three selection.
Because we’re not an algorithm, we can predict how these things may change too. The Steelers have shown interest in several players under six-foot, Bush at the top of that list, so that requirement may change this time next year.
West Virginia’s David Long will be an interesting case study. An ankle injury hasn’t let him test in any events this year, though it’s fair to assume he would pass the benchmark in the 40 and shuttle. However, he also misses the height, weight, and bench press marks. Could be a name who throws a monkey wrench into this trend.
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s Blake Cashman missed in arm length, hand size, and bench too, and that could be the reason why the team hasn’t shown much visible interest in him (that obviously doesn’t guarantee he’s off their board, to be clear).
