If the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking for defensive line help in this year’s draft, Florida’s defensive lineman Gervon Dexter is on their radar. Appearing on the Stadium and Gale podcast Friday, Dexter said he has a pre-draft visit with the Steelers.
“Right now, we’ve got I think five or six Top 30 visits…right now, we’re meeting with for sure, Philly, the Bills, the Steelers, New York [Giants], the Browns, the Titans,” Dexter told the show. “I believe that’s it for now for Top 30 visits.”
Dexter is one of the most intriguing defensive linemen in this year’s class. Big and athletic, he lacks ideal length for Pittsburgh’s front but can play up and down the line. Last season for the Gators, he recorded 55 tackles (four for a loss) with two sacks. In his college career, he racked up 125 tackles (10.5 for a loss) with five sacks.
Dexter is considered a Day Two pick. He’s currently being projected to go in the third round, though it’s possible he works his way into the second round. Dexter was in my latest Steelers’ mock draft at #49 overall. He has a Steelers’ connection from Florida. Karmichael Dunbar, son of Steelers’ DL Coach Karl Dunbar, is the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach, hired for the 2022 season, creating inside insight into the player and person Dexter is.
Each team gets up to 30 non-local pre-draft visits where prospects meet with a team at their facility. In Pittsburgh, there has been a strong correlation between those visits and who the team actually selects during draft weekend. Ohio State OT Dawand Jones also reportedly has a pre-draft visit with the team.
In our pre-draft profile on him, our Jonathan Heitritter praised Dexter’s raw tools and traits, a combination of strength and athleticism. However, he noted a need to improve on his explosiveness and rawness with his hand use. Here’s how he concluded Dexter’s game.
“Overall, Gervon Dexter Sr. is an athletically gifted yet raw defensive lineman that needs some seasoning and refinement to capitalize on his rare physical traits. His body type is in short supply in the NFL, having the size, height, and length you look for along the interior. His play makes him a great fit as a 4-3 DT or 3-4 DE, having the pure strength and power to rag doll single blockers as well as the close-area athleticism and burst to track down the ball carrier. Still, Dexter needs to improve his get-off and leverage issues to become a more consistent player, along with developing a pass-rush plan outside of winning with brute strength.”
Heitritter compared him to Christian Barmore and put a third round grade on him, a report filed prior to the Combine. He is one of several Day One/Day Two defensive line candidates who would fit in Pittsburgh, joining Clemson’s Bryan Bresee, Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton, and Michigan’s Mazi Smith.
Check out our full report on Dexter below.
