The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Iowa DL Logan Lee with the 178th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, adding a depth piece to their defensive line after prioritizing other positions like offensive line, wide receiver, and inside linebacker earlier in the draft. Lee has been brought in to provide depth behind starters including Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, and Keeanu Benton, joining the likes of Montravius Adams, Dean Lowry, Isaiahh Loudermilk, and DeMarvin Leal rounding out the team’s depth chart.
In Tom Mead’s scouting report on Logan Lee, Mead concluded that Lee is a high-effort player who profiles well as a prototypical two-down run defender at the next level but lacks the upside as a pass rusher to become a reliable full-time starter:
Overall, Lee has very good starting experience and a very good motor. He plays with solid snap quickness and good pad level. Good hands and play strength allow him to yank blockers out of the way, and he displays flashes to rush the passer. He played a lot of 2-gap defense with the ability to shed blockers. He has quickness to get in gaps, high effort, and good chase, which gets him around the ball often.
Lee produced only nine sacks in 43 career games, but as Mead mentions in his scouting report, there are plenty of flashes that suggest that he can contribute in some role as a pass rusher at the NFL level.
When you pop in the tape on Lee, you see a player whose motor is always running hot. He does a great job playing chase of the ball, whether it be as a pass rusher or run defender. When rushing the quarterback, Lee’s effort in pursuit shows up on extended plays as he is able to chase down the passer, like on this play below against Purdue where Lee rushes to the outside of the left guard, fighting across his face to get into the pocket and manages to run down the passer in the backfield as he attempts to scramble from the pocket, getting a hand on him to swing him down to the ground as the quarterback tosses the ball out of bounds.
Lee is effective at shooting gaps as a pass rusher as well, having the quickness at his size to penetrate through blocks into the lap of the quarterback. Here are a couple of examples below of Lee firing into the backfield quickly after the snap, getting past the blocker’s shoulder to get in on the sack in the first clip while managing to pressure the quarterback in the second clip, forcing him to scramble from the pocket and throw the ball away.
When it comes to executing moves as a pass rusher, Logan Lee has a couple of tools in this toolbox that he likes to go to. He’s a big fan of the club/rip and club/swim to counteract the blocker’s initial punch after the snap, using those combos to knock the offensive lineman off his frame to continue his pursuit of the quarterback like on the clips below against the Cyclones.
When Lee gets a full head of steam off the snap and executes with his hands, he can get home in a hurry. Check out this rep against Michigan in the Big Ten Championship Game this past fall. He hits the club/swim combo on LG Trevor Keegan for the Wolverines, clearing the block with ease into the backfield and wrapping up QB J.J. McCarthy for the sack.
Still, Logan Lee needs to be more consistent executing with his hands as a pass rusher as well as play with better pad level overall as he can get high on his rushes, giving blockers a nice target to punch. Watch the rep below against Wisconsin, where Lee runs to the outside shoulder of the left guard right into his teammate and the left tackle, playing high with his hands at his sides rather than attempting to get penetration and utilize his hands to fight off the block, giving the quarterback a huge hole to scamper for positive yardage in the middle of the field.
Lee also lacks the ideal size and arm length Pittsburgh looks for in the 4i/5-technique defensive linemen, allowing blockers into his chest where they can control him throughout the duration of the rep. He needs to continue to add strength and size to his frame as well as play quicker in order to counteract this disadvantage, which you can see in the clip below against the Badgers, getting neutralized by the left guard on the snap of the ball as the blocker extends Lee away from his frame and Lee is unable to push him back into the pocket or fight off the block.
Overall, Logan Lee has limited upside as a pass rusher and is best suited for more of a rotational role at the next level. His effort and motor make him a capable early down run defender, and his flashes suggest he could become a rotational defensive lineman that can chip in 2-3 sacks a season, but the lack of ideal arm length and need for refinement in his hand usage suggests that it would be best that he play in a limited basis until his technique is more squared away to earn a higher snap count.
When it comes to the depth chart, Logan Lee finds himself on the bubble behind Pittsburgh’s entrenched starters, likely fighting for a roster spot or a place on the practice squad with the likes of Loudermilk, Lowry, Adams, and Leal. His status as a rookie and contributions as a run defender may help his case, but his outlook to contribute as a meaningful pass rusher in 2024 is likely limited, barring a breakout performance during the preseason.
