The Pittsburgh Steelers have made it through the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and they were able to select a top tier pass rusher with their first pick in Kentucky's Bud Dupree. Dupree will join a depleted outside linebacker corps who, under the tutelage of outside linebackers coach Joey Porter, could be drastically improved heading into the 2015 season.
Looking at the team's depth at outside linebacker there is no surprise the team decided to draft Dupree when he slid to them with the No. 22 pick. The Steelers have a lot of question marks along their outside linebacker depth, and not a lot of answers.
Jarvis Jones is still very much an unknown. His sub-par rookie campaign was followed by a season marred by injury in 2014. He showed signs of life before injuring his wrist last season, but if he can sustain that production is far from certain. Jones is nearing the end of his rookie contract and his play will certainly predict his future earnings. This is a big year for the third year linebacker.
Alongside Jones is Arthur Moats. The Steelers gave Moats a new contract before free agency began this year and are hoping he can turn his part-time role with 4.0 sacks in 2014 into a full-time 10 sacks to help replace the loss of Jason Worilds to retirement. Moats has yet to be a full-time starter in his career, so this is uncharted waters for Moats and the Steelers.
Want to talk about depth? How about a 37-year-old former defensive player of the year? Sure, the number looks bad, but James Harrison is the veteran depth the team needs. Harrison signed a new two-year deal this offseason, and declared he will be used as a part-time player to fill in when needed. If the team can hold Harrison to that by having capable bodies ahead of him it will help keep him healthy and fresh to make plays when he steps on the field. Can Harrison stay healthy? Will the team eventually force Harrison into the starting role again? Again those questions remain.
On the team's 2014 practice squad was Howard Jones, an athletic and raw pass rusher from Shepherd University. Joining Jones are the likes of Shawn Lemon from the CFL and you have some competition for outside linebacker depth heading into Spring workouts, minicamp and training camp.
Now add Dupree to this mix and you have some interesting story lines. Dupree is known to be raw and athletic, but will he be so raw at the NFL level he will be a detriment to be put on the field outside of special teams? Dupree has the intangibles coaches love, and the best-case scenario for fans of the black and gold would be Dupree being able to help the team in sub packages and obvious passing downs. Anything more is a bonus.
The team chose pass rusher in the first round and has helped their depth chart in the process. Will Dupree be the lone pass rusher selected by the team during the draft? I wouldn't be shocked if you see another OLB/DE prospect selected in the later rounds, but even if that doesn't happen the team has improved themselves in the pass rushing category literally overnight.