Today I wanted to look at linebacker prospects in the upcoming draft, a position that the Pittsburgh Steelers could be looking to upgrade. The graph below uses their 2022 PFF Grade and their current rank on PFF’s Big Board that updates through the draft process:
The top overall player on PFF’s current board at the position is Washington State’s Daiyan Henley at number 38, meaning no linebackers currently in the first round. He had 650+ snaps the last two seasons and 360 in 2020, mostly in the box along with a bit of experience in slot and defensive line alignments particularly the last two years. In 2022, he had a low 70 overall grade, mid 70 pass rush grade, upper 60 run defense and coverage grades, along with a 3.5 average depth of run tackle and great 5.2% missed tackle rate. Henley had 20 coverage stops (T-seventh), allowed two touchdowns along with one interception, a 101.8 passer rating against (T-435th), 20 run stops (T-351st), a 73.9% completion rate (T-283rd), and forced one incompletion (T-293rd). He had the most tackles in 2021 (79, 19 assisted) compared to 74 and 18 on slightly fewer snaps last year. Henley was a Senior Bowl participant with Dave Bryan and Alex Kozora enjoying the prospect, along with our own Ross McCorkle highlighting him as a hybrid safety type, and Jonathan Heitritter seeing him as a day two candidate that is the best in the class with good speed and coverage ability, a captain and leader with a strong athletic profile. He littered my game notes with positive plays, making several tackles in the run and pass game, forced a scramble along with tracking a couple to run them out of bounds, and also provided a good zone coverage snap.
Wisconsin’s Nick Herbig played the most snaps in 2021 (647) compared to 343 the previous season, and followed it up with 520 last year playing mostly outside the tackle along with a bit of off ball experience, where I see him fitting with Pittsburgh if they were interested given his size (6’2”, 240 at the combine). He graded strong as an edge defender in 2022 with an 87.4 overall grade, 90+pass rush and excellent true pass set grades, a mid 70 run defense grade, along with an excellent 23.9% pass rush win rate and above average 6.5 run stop rate. Herbig had 11 sacks and 17 hurries last season, compared to nine sacks and a whopping 26 hurries in 2021, a big jump from one sack and two hurries in 2020 on less opportunity.
Trenton Simpson of Clemson saw increased opportunities each of the last three years (622, 569, 283), aligning the most in the box and moved around the formation quite a bit, most notably with 100+ defensive line snaps each year and 200+ slot snaps in 2021. Last season, he had a high 60 overall grade, 70+ run defense grade, mid 60 pass rush and coverage grade, along with a 4.4 average depth of run tackle and above average 11.7% missed tackle rate. Simpson had 14 coverage stops (T-60th), allowed two touchdowns with no interceptions, a 96.5 passer rating against (T-363rd), 15 run stops (T-487th), a 63.9% completion rate (T-88th) and forced four incompletions (T-21st). He had 52 tackles with four assisted in 2021, compared to 51 and 17 last season on a bit more opportunity.
Iowa’s Jack Campbell played a lot of snaps the last two seasons with 972 in 2021 and 873 last year compared to 141 in 2020, playing mostly in the box along with a fair number of snaps in the slot and a bit of time on the defensive line. In 2022, he had 90+ overall and coverage grades, a mid 80 run defense grade, but slightly below average mid 60 pass rush grade, along with a 3.3 average depth of run tackle and good 9% missed tackle rate. Campbell had a strong 19 coverage stops (T-10th), did not allow a touchdown along with two interceptions, a nice 70.2 passer rating against (86th) and 32 run stops (T-75th), but a 92.9% completion rate (T-685th), and forced one incompletion (T-293rd). He had the most tackles in 2021 when he played the most (95, 44 assisted) compared to 83 and 12 last year. Campbell was a Senior Bowl invite but did not participate.
DeMarvion Overshown of Texas had the most opportunity his last three years in 2022 (712) compared to 500+ the previous season and nearly 700 in 2020, playing in the box primarily along with 100+ slot snaps in 2020 and 2022, with 100+ defensive line snaps last year as well. He had a low 70 overall grade, mid 70 pass rush and run defense grades, a mid 60 coverage grade, along with a good 2.8 average depth of run tackle but slightly above average 13.2% missed tackle rate. Overshown had 16 coverage stops (T-34th), allowed no touchdowns but zero picks either, a 93.7 passer rating against (319th), 30 run stops (T-110th), a 78.8% completion rate (T-423rd), and two forced incompletions (T-129th). He had the most tackles last season (67, 14 assisted), improving from 50+ solo the prior two years with more assists (18, 20), and Heitritter mentioned his plus athletic profile as a positive.
Arkansas’ Drew Sanders had his most snaps of the last three years by far last season (846) playing mostly in the box along with 100+ on the defensive line, compared to 300+ in the last two years combined when he primarily played on the defensive line. In 2022, he had a high 70 overall grade, mid 70 pass rush and coverage grades, a low 70 run defense grade, along with a 3.7 average depth of run tackle but poor 19.6% missed tackle rate. Sanders had 17 coverage stops (T-27th), no touchdowns allowed and one interception, 88 passer rating against (T-249th), 26 run stops (T-194th), an 81.5% completion rate (T-494th), two forced incompletions (T-129th), and 63 tackles with 27 assisted last year.
Dorian Williams of Tulane saw an increased workload each of the last three seasons (849, 577, 527) playing primarily in the box with a bit of time in the slot and defensive line alignments. He had a low 80 overall grade, high 80 coverage grade, mid 70 pass rush grade, upper 60 run defense grade, along with a 3.7 average depth of run tackle and good 8.3% missed tackle rate. Williams had a good 18 coverage stops (T-17th), one touchdown allowed and two interceptions, a nice 67.1 passer rating against (T-73rd) and 36 run stops (T-40th), a 70.4% completion rate (T-201st), and provided four forced incompletions (T-21st). He had good tackling production overall, with 97 and 36 assists in 2022 compared to 54 and 23 the previous year, and 61/12 in 2020. Williams was a Senior Bowl invite but was dealing with an injury.
Cincinnati’s Ivan Pace played over 800 snaps in each of the last two seasons, with the most snaps last year (897) compared to only 181 in 2020. Last season he had the highest 93.2 overall grade of the group, 90+ pass rush and run defense grades, but low 70 coverage grade, along with a 3.3 average depth of run tackle, and slightly above average 13.1% missed tackle rate. Pace had 19 coverage stops (T-10th), two touchdowns allowed and no interceptions, a poor 140.2 passer rating against (683rd), a whopping 50 run stops that impressively tied for second, an 85.7% completion rate (T-585th), and three forced incompletions (T-63rd). He had good tackling production with 92 tackles and 34 assists last season, compared to 85 and 33 in 2021. Pace was a Senior Bowl participant with Bryan and Kozora enjoying the prospect, but noting him on the small side for the position. He repetitively made my game notes particularly showing up as a tackler, with several in the run game early on as well as a play pushing his blocker into the running back, then showcasing his tackling in the pass game on dump offs and short passes later in the game.
Now for players outside PFF’s top 100, starting with Oregon’s Noah Sewell who had the most snaps in 2021 (879), compared to 350+ in 2020 and just over 600 last season, playing primarily in the box along with time on the defensive line especially the last two seasons (100+ in 2021) and a bit of time in the slot. In 2022, he had low 70 overall and coverage grades, a mid 70 pass rush grade, but low 60 run defense grade, along with an average depth of run tackle of four, and a slightly above average 12.5% missed tackle rate. Sewell had 11 coverage stops (T-155th), two touchdowns allowed and one interception, a 105.6 passer rating against (468th), 12 run stops (T-584th), an 80.6% completion rate (T-477th), and two forced incompletions (T-129th). His highest tackling season was 2021 when he played the most (72, 15 assisted), compared to 40 and 16 last season and 34/8 in 2020.
Cam Jones of Indiana had the most snaps in 2021 (633), compared to 350+ in 2020 and his fewest (313) last season, primarily playing in the box and a bit of time in the slot. Last year he had a high 70 overall grade, upper 80 run defense grade, low 70 pass rush grade, but mid 60 coverage grade, along with a 3.2 average depth of run tackle and great 7.1% missed tackle rate. Jones had only three coverage stops (T-608th), no touchdowns allowed or interceptions, an 86.6 passer rating against (233rd), 21 run stops (T-321st), a 77.8% completion rate, and no forced incompletions. He had the most tackles in 2021 when he saw the most opportunity (57, 17 assisted), compared to 27 and six in 2020, and improving his production on less playing time last year (37/15). Jones was a Senior Bowl participant and made my notes positively, really enjoying a nice coverage play including a pass deflection, making several tackles including a quarterback keeper, but did have a missed tackle as well.
Auburn’s Owen Pappoe had 700+ snaps in 2020, following that up with just 200+, and had his most opportunity last season with 806 snaps, playing mostly in the box along with time in the slot particularly last season (nearly 100 snaps) and a bit of time on the defensive line especially in 2020. In 2022, he had high overall and pass rush grades, mid 70 coverage grade, but upper 50 run defense grade, along with a 5.4 average depth of run tackle and great 6.9% missed tackle rate. Pappoe had seven coverage stops (T-359th), no touchdowns allowed and one interception, a 77 passer rating allowed (136th), 18 run stops (T-395th), a 73.5% completion rate (T-273rd), and provided three forced incompletions (T-63rd). He had his best tackling production last year when he played the most (75, 19 assists), compared to 62 and 16 assisted on nearly 100 less snaps. Pappoe was a Senior Bowl invite but did not play due to injury, but was able to workout at the combine, particularly impressing with his 4.39 40-yard dash.
Yasir Abdullah of Louisville had 700+ snaps each of the last two years, with the most coming in 2021 (780) and 350+ snaps in 2020, playing primarily outside the tackle and some time off ball as well, where I see him fitting with Pittsburgh if they are interested given his size (6’0”, 237 pounds). Last year, he had a mid 80 overall grade as an edge rusher, 90+ pass rush and excellent true pass set grades, a low 70 run defense grade, along with an excellent 21.2% pass rush win rate but below average 5.2% run stop rate. Abdullah increased his sack and hurry production each year (11, nine, and four sacks) and improved from 11 and 15 hurries to a whopping 33 last season. He also played on the edge in the Shrine Bowl, with our own Josh Carney noting he held up well despite his size, and made my game notes a few times, with positives including an immediate pressure along with another coming free off the line, had a good run tackle, but was penalized for roughing the passer.
Alabama’s Henry To’o To’o had the most snaps in 2021 (923) after having nearly 700 the previous season and 850 in 2022, playing primarily in the box. He had low 70 overall and run defense grades, a mid 60 coverage grade, but low 60 pass rush grade, along with a nice 2.5 average depth of run tackle but slightly below average 14.4% missed tackle rate. To’o To’o had 13 coverage stops (T-83rd), no touchdowns allowed or interceptions, and 89.3 passer rating against (T-266th), provided 36 run stops (T-40th), a 74.4% completion rate (T-295th), and no forced incompletions. He had good tackling production in the span, staring with 2021 when he played the most (75, 33 assists), 70 tackles and 25 assisted last season, and 59/22 in 2020 on over 150 less snaps than last year. To’o To’o was a Senior Bowl invite but was also dealing with injury, and was able to work out at the combine.
Ventrell Miller of Florida played minimally in 2021 (46 snaps) compared to 550+ snaps previously and last year (586), playing primarily in the box. He had a high 60 overall grade, mid 70 run defense grade, mid 60 pass rush grade, but mid 50 coverage grade, along with a solid 2.4 average depth of run tackle, but below average 16.3% missed tackle rate. Miller had seven coverage stops (T-359th), two touchdowns allowed and no interceptions, a poor 125.8 passer rating against (624th), provided 33 run stops (T-67th), a 74.1% completion rate (T-288th), and two forced incompletions (T-129th). He had the most tackles in 2020 (74, 20 assisted) compared to 64 and 18 last season on slightly more snaps. Miller is also on the long list of players that had to decline their Senior Bowl invite due to injury, and only weighed in at the combine.
Next, I would like to highlight some other players that are day three options on PFF’s current big board that had above the mean grades. SirVocea Dennis of Pittsburgh had 483 snaps in 2020, following that up with his most the next season (675) and 635 last year, playing the box mostly along with 100+ in the slot in 2020. Last year, he had 90+ overall and run defense grades, a high 70 coverage grade, mid 70 pass rush grade, along with a solid 2.4 average depth of run tackle and great 4.9% missed tackle rate. Dennis provided a nice 20 coverage stops (T-7th), allowed a touchdown along with one interception, an 85 passer rating against (215th), 29 run stops (T-125th), a 66.7% completion rate (T-120th), and two forced incompletions (T-129th). He provided his highest solo tackle number on his second most snaps (59) along with 18 assists, compared to 51 and 27 previously, and 42/9 on less opportunity in 2020. Dennis was a Senior Bowl participant, with McCorkle discussing his plus athleticism but on the small side, a good coverage player that is good at positioning.
Aubrey Miller of Jackson State had the most snaps in 2021 (744), following that up with 645 last year and had 340 in 2020, playing mostly in the box along with some time aligning on the defensive line that decreased each season. In 2022, he had a mid 80 overall grade, a 90+ coverage grade, low 70 run defense grade, upper 60 pass rush grade, along with an average depth of run tackle of four and a below average 15.5% missed tackle rate. Miller had 14 coverage stops (T-60th), allowed a touchdown with no interceptions, an 87.3 passer rating against (T-239th), provided 34 run stops (T-59th), a nice 58.3% completion rate (T-40th), and two forced incompletions (T-129th). His tackling production improved each season despite a snap decrease last year, when he had 67 and 26 assists, compared to 65 and 24 the prior season and 34/8 in 2020. Miller had a great week at the Senior Bowl, with Kozora raving positively, Heitritter highlighting his big hit ability, McCorkle enjoying his physicality and discussing his ability to fill the hole and rarely being pushed back, but pointed to coverage as a weakness. In the game I enjoyed seeing his communication/leadership qualities on display for the defense, provided a nice stack and shed to free up on a run play, along with a couple nice tackles against the run, but did miss a run tackle.
Appalachian State’s Nick Hampton had the most snaps in 2021 (621), compared to nearly 400 in 2020 and last season (392), playing primarily outside the tackle and a bit of time off ball, fitting the bill of lacking size to play on the edge for Pittsburgh in my opinion (6’2”, 236 pounds). Last season he had mid 80 overall and pass rush grades on the edge, mid 70 run defense and good true pass set grades, a great 19% pass rush win rate but slightly below average 5.7% run stop win rate. Hampton had his best production as expected in 2021 when he played the most, with 12 sacks and a whopping 35 hurries, compared to three sacks and 18 hurries in 2020, and nine sacks but only nine hurries last season. Hampton was a Senior Bowl participant but seemed to have a quiet week and game, only making my notes once with poor run defense on the edge.
Isaiah Moore of NC State had the most snaps in 2020 (754), following that up with only 300+ and 660 in 2022, playing almost exclusively in the box. He had an 80+ overall grade, an excellent 94.4 run defense grade, mid 60 pass rush grade, but poor mid 40 coverage grade, along with an excellent 1.2 average depth of run tackle and good 10% missed tackle rate. Moore had 12 coverage stops (T-121st), no touchdowns allowed or interceptions, a 107.2 passer rating against (T-485th), provided 35 run stops (T-46th), a 78.9% completion rate (T-428th), and two forced incompletions (T-129th). 2020 was his best season in tackling production (70, 21 assists), compared to 55 and 17 assists last year on nearly 100 less snaps. Moore was a Shrine Bowl participant, with our team highlighting his leadership, play recognition particularly in the run game, with good block shed ability as a possible thumper for Pittsburgh. In the game I noted nice coverage downfield for a pass break up, and good recognition to recover off play action and make a tackle.
NC State teammate Drake Thomas saw his workload increase each of the last three years (815, 758, 576), playing mostly in the box along with some snap versatility, with 100+ snaps aligned on the defensive line in 2020 and last year, along with slot experience each year and 100+ last season. He had a low 80 overall grade, a great 90+ run defense grade, mid 70 pass rush grade, and mid 60 coverage grade, along with a 3.4 average depth of run tackle but a below average 16.4% missed tackle rate. Thomas had a great 19 coverage stops (T-10th), no touchdowns allowed or interceptions, an 88.8 passer rating against (T-261st), 33 run stops (T-67th), an 85% completion rate (T-572nd), and two forced incompletions (T-129th). His tackling production improved each season with more opportunities, starting with 38 tackles and 17 assists in 2020, then jumping to 65 and 23 the following year, and 66/26 last season. Thomas was a Shrine Bowl participant, with Carney stating he looked good in practice most notably with interceptions, but was on the other side of the coin in my game notes dropping an easy interception, and made a couple good run tackles as positives.
Fordham’s Ryan Greenhagen’s opportunities increased each of the last three seasons (856, 363, 138) playing mostly in the box. In 2022, he had a low 80 overall grade, a great upper 80 run defense grade, a mid 70 pass rush grade, but low 60 coverage grade, along with an average depth of run tackle of five and above average 11.3% missed tackle rate. Greenhagen had a solid 18 coverage stops (T-17th), one touchdown allowed and one interception, a 97.6 passer rating against (T-381st), a nice 36 run stops (T-40th), an 83.9% completion rate ((T-554th), and forced four incompletions for a strong rank that tied for 21st. His tackling production improved each year with increased playing time, with 90 tackles and 28 assists last season when his playing time more than doubled.
Carlton Martial of Troy saw similar snap counts each of the last three seasons (724, 699, 713) playing primarily in the box. In 2022, he had a mid 70 overall grade, a good mid 80 run defense grade, but low 60 pass rush and coverage grades, along with a 3.5 average depth of run tackle and good 9.9% missed tackle rate. Martial had 11 coverage stops (T-155th), no touchdowns allowed and one interception, an 82.3 passer rating against, 33 run stops (T-67th), a 72.4% completion rate (T-284th), and two forced incompletions (T-129th). His tackling production was strong each year with 80+ solo and 20+ assists, finishing with his strongest totals of 86/32 last season. Seems to have good instincts and was a Senior Bowl invite, but is small for the position which may lead Pittsburgh to look elsewhere.
Now for some more late round prospects on PFF’s current big board with below average grades, and I will discuss some of them. Florida’s Isaiah Land did not play in 2020, following that up with his most snaps (586) the following year and 350+ in 2022, playing primarily outside the tackle, but is a bit small to be an edge in Pittsburgh in my opinion (6’4”, 236 pounds). In 2022, he had a mid 70 overall grade, upper 70 pass rush grade, low 70 run defense and above average true pass set grades, along with an excellent 24.2% pass rush win rate and good 7.6% run stop rate. Land’s best production came in 2021 on more opportunity, with a whopping 19 sacks and 30 hurries compared to seven sacks and 26 hurries last year. He participated in the Senior Bowl, with Kozora intrigued by him but noted his tall lanky build, with our own Tyler Wise and McCorkle noting his position versatility at edge and off ball. In the game, he had a sack around the edge, along with a good run fit/tackle and another run tackle both near the goal line.
Mohamoud Diabate of Utah saw his snaps increase each of the last three years (563, 561, 448), playing mostly in the box along with aligning on the defensive line (100+ in 2020) and a bit of time in the slot. Last season, he had a mid 60 overall grade, a great mid 80 pass rush grade, an upper 60 run defense grade, but a poor low 40 coverage grade, along with a 5.4 average depth of run tackle and poor 19.7% missed tackle rate. Diabate had seven coverage stops (T-359th), no touchdowns allowed or interceptions, a low 110.7 passer rating against (522nd), 24 run stops (T-230th), an 83.3% completion rate (T-534th), and one forced incompletion (T-293rd). His best tackling production came in 2021 (56, 26 assists) compared to 42 and 13 the previous year and his lowest totals of 38/11 in 2022. He made my Shrine Bowl game notes with a tackle for loss in the run game, tracking the play to the sideline.
TCU’s Dee Winters saw increased opportunities each of the last three years (984, 781, 673) playing mostly in the box, but had some versatility with 100+ slot snaps in 2020 and last season, and 100+ aligning on the defensive line after seldomly doing so the previous two years. In 2022, he had a low 50 overall grade, a low 60 pass rush grade, mid 50 coverage grade, and poor 49.9 run defense grade, along with a 3.8 average depth of run tackle and below average 16% missed tackle rate. Winters had a good 18 coverage stops (T-17th), no touchdowns allowed and one interception, an 86.8 passer rating against (235th), 22 run stops (T-300th), a 79.5% completion rate (T-438th), and one forced incompletion (T-293rd). After having 46 tackles and 18 assists in 2020, he had similar tackling production the last two seasons at 65 and one additional assist last season (14,13), not providing the expected uptick given his increased opportunity. Winters was a Senior Bowl participant and earned practice player of the week.
Charlie Thomas of Georgia Tech had a snap increase each season (766, 614, 246) playing the most in the box, and also played quite a bit in the slot (300+ snaps the last two years) along with time aligning on the defensive line. Last season, he had a mid 60 overall grade, mid 70 pass rush grade, a low 70 coverage grade, but poor 58.8 run defense grade, along with a 4.2 average depth of run tackle and above average 11.5% missed tackle rate. Thomas had a great 21 coverage stops (T-4th), two touchdowns allowed and two interceptions, an 88.2 passer rating against (T-252nd), a good 35 run stops (T-46th), a 70.5% completion rate (T-206th), and one forced incompletion (T-293rd). His tackling production improved each season, going from 46 and 18 assists in 2021 and providing a big jump to 92/24 last year. Thomas was a Shrine Bowl participant, with Carney noting him as a defensive back turned linebacker, highlighted by his combine measurables (6’3”, 216 pounds) which may steer Pittsburgh elsewhere or view him more in a hybrid role.
Michigan State’s Ben VanSumeren had 626 snaps last season after playing a minimal 122 and 77 the prior two years, with most of his opportunity coming in the box along with nearly 100 slot snaps in 2022. He had a mid 60 overall grade, 70+ run defense grade, but upper 50 pass rush grade and mid 50 coverage grade, along with a 4.8 average depth of run tackle and good 10.1% missed tackle rate. VanSumeren had 10 coverage stops (T-202nd), one touchdown allowed and no interceptions, a 102.7 passer rating against (T-441st), 16 run stops (T-458th), a 75% completion rate (T-299th), and one forced incompletion (T-293rd). He had 50 solo tackles and 21 assists last season, and was a Shrine Bowl participant. VanSumeren mad my game notes with a handful of positive plays, including a sack along with being in on another one, tackling a scramble, a strong run defense snap, along with a combined tackle.
Jeremy Banks of Tennessee had the most snaps in 2021 (747) compared to 225 the previous season, and nearly 500 in 2022, playing primarily in the box along with some slot experience and a bit of time in defensive line alignments the last two years. In 2022, he had an upper 50 overall grade, mid 70 run defense grade, mid 60 pass rush grade, but poor coverage grade in the mid 40’s, along with a 3.1 average depth of run tackle and slightly above average 12.1% missed tackle rate. Banks had only three coverage stops (T-608th), allowed two touchdowns with no interceptions, a 104.3 passer rating against, 19 run stops (T-375th), a good 63.6% completion rate (T-88th) and provided four forced incompletions (T-21st). As expected, his best tackling production came in 2021 (86, 35 assists) and had 40 solo tackles with 18 assists last year on much less opportunity. Banks was a Shrine Bowl participant, with Bryan noting there are character concerns with him, and Carney sharing he had an early interception in the practice week, but underwhelmed otherwise. He made my game notes a couple times, both in run defense with a tackle for loss and an impressive hard hit on another.
The final player at the position on PFF’s current big board is Jalen Graham of Purdue, who had the most snaps in 2021 (851) compared to 328 the year before and 567 last season with great snap variety, playing the most in the slot in 2020 (141 snaps), 300+ at defensive line and slot in 2021 along with 200+ in the box, where he played the most last season (249) along with nearly 200 in the slot and 100+ on the defensive line. He had mid 60 overall, pass rush, and coverage grades, a low 60 run defense grade, along with a 5.5 average depth of run tackle and above average 10.6% missed tackle rate. Graham had seven coverage stops (T-359th), no touchdowns allowed and one interception, a good 71.7 passer rating against (94th), 12 run stops (T-584th), a good 64.1% completion rate (T-91st), and strong five forced incompletions (T-12th). His best tackle totals came in 2021 as expected (55, 17 assists), compared to 45 and 14 last season, highlighting a tackle rate improvement (recalling he had nearly 300 less snaps in 2022). He participated in the Shrine Bowl, made my game notes once with a run tackle, and is also smaller for the position (6’1”, 220) which may point to a hybrid role given his experience.
There were some names that were left off of PFF’s current draft board I wanted to mention. Anfernee Orji of Vanderbilt is a player Bryan has mentioned several times, a prospect that switched positions to linebacker, with Carney noting him as a player many were high on early in the process but struggled in Shrine Bowl practices, and made my game notes with a half sack along with a couple tackles. Florida’s Amari Burney also made my Shrine Bowl game notes with a nice block shed for a run tackle, had another run tackle, and had a nice play in coverage as well. We know Pittsburgh loves their bloodline players, with Duke’s Shaka Heyward fitting the bill as a distant cousin with Cameron and Connor Heyward, and was a Shrine Bowl participant, only making my game notes once with a poor run fit.
An upgrade to the position would definitely be welcomed (and needed in my opinion), and hopefully Pittsburgh will bolster the position room with a selection in the 2023 draft. While the ranks on PFF’s board will certainly change, and surely some names missing from this list, I hope you enjoyed and learned something from the grade data and notes from the all-star games.
What are your thoughts on this year’s prospects and the data? Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
