Although it is not an urgent need, the Pittsburgh Steelers have to prepare for the future along the defensive line. To help with that they drafted Iowa DL Logan Lee in the sixth round. Given who the Steelers have right now with Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, and Keeanu Benton, Lee won’t be called on immediately to perform and will be able to sit back and grow.
Lee, who grew up a Steelers fan, is very excited to have the opportunity to learn from Heyward.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Lee on a conference call via 93.7 The Fan. “It’s gonna be a great opportunity for me to be able to have a guy to look up to, a guy to try to learn some tips from. He’s been doing it at an extremely high level for such a long time. I look forward to being able to work with him.”
Lee could be following in Heyward’s footsteps in more than just being a Steelers drafted out of the Big Ten. Heyward, despite being a first-round pick in 2011, did not see much playing time in his first couple of seasons as he sat behind Steelers legends like Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel. Barring an injury, Lee will likely also see limited playing time in his first season as he matures and develops.
Being able to sit behind Heyward should be able to help Lee like sitting behind Smith and Keisel helped Heyward. Lee did not put up incredible numbers at Iowa, only tallying 55 tackles and three sacks last season, but for a 3-4 defensive end that isn’t a huge deal.
If he learns to perfect his technique and is sound in the run game and his gaps, he could develop into a good player for Pittsburgh. Having Heyward will only help Lee as Heyward has never been one to shy away from mentoring younger teammates.
