Steelers Sign 2019 Draft Pick, ILB Ulysees Gilbert III

The Pittsburgh Steelers annual rookie minicamp will get underway on Friday and ahead of that event happening, the team announced the signing of another one of their nine 2019 NFL Draft selections. Signed on Thursday to a four-year contract was linebacker Ulysees Gilbert III, the Steelers third of three six-round selections this year out of Akron, and the 207th overall pick in this year’s draft.

After not being invited to participate in this year’s scouting combine, Gilbert measured in art his pro day 6001, 224-pounds with 31 3/4-inch arms and 9 3/4-inch hands. He reportedly ran his 40-yard dash in 4.51-seconds, posted a vertical jump of 39 1/2-inches to go along with a 10’06” broad jump.

In the 51 total games that he played at Akron, Gilbert registered 358 total tackles of which 28.5 resulted in lost yardage with 9.5 of those being sacks. He also intercepted 3 passes during his college career, forced 2 fumbles, and had 8 total pass breakups.

“I’m glad we drafted Ulysees. We had him up for a visit. We saw a lot of good things on film and he runs well, plays out of the box, which is where today’s game is going,” Steelers linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky said not long after Gilbert was selected. “He was just really a genuine kid when he came up here. He likes to play the game, he likes to run around and hit people. I’m extremely pleased to have him.”

According to estimates by Over the Cap ahead of this year’s draft, Gilbert’s four-year contract that he signed on Thursday is expected to total out at around $2,647,832 and include a signing bonus of roughly $127,832. His 2019 salary cap charge is expected to be around $526,958, according to those estimated numbers.

As soon as Gilbert’s contract is officially filed with the NFLPA, we’ll pass along the exact numbers to you. The signing of Gilbert on Thursday now leaves the Steelers with just three unsigned draft picks in linebacker Devin Bush, cornerback Justin Layne, and tight end Zach Gentry.