Could the Pittsburgh Steelers Find Another Pitt Gem in Back-to-Back Drafts?

There is an abundance of prospects the Pittsburgh Steelers could select in the 2023 NFL Draft coming up in April. Trading away Chase Claypool gave Pittsburgh two high picks this year: 17 and 32. After finding their franchise quarterback in the first round last year, could the Steelers take a trip to Pitt in back-to-back years?

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Panthers Calijah Kancey named unanimous All-American

Calijah Kancey

The Steelers could address possibly their number one need by drafting defensive lineman Calijah Kancey from Pitt. The six-foot, 280-pound defensive tackle had a great three years at Pitt. Kancey got to the quarterback often in the last two years, even when facing frequent double teams. On top of 14 sacks in his two years as a full-time starter, Kancey also racked up 27 tackles for loss. He has an elite first step and explodes immediately at the snap. He gets off the ball faster than most offensive linemen. He loves getting his hands inside and shedding off anybody who tries to block him.  

His biggest weakness is his size, which could correlate to some not-so-good run defense. While athletic and quick, that could be a recipe for disaster when trying to clog up running lanes in the NFL. He gets pushed around sometimes solely based on his lesser frame. Kancey’s size could also hurt him sometimes when rushing against bigger guards. While rare, if Kancey is slower off the ball, guards can get their hands inside of him first, ending any chance he had on that play.  

How Would Kancey Help the Steelers?

Adding Kancey to the Steelers' current defensive line group would give any offensive line problems. He would be an immediate problem for centers and guards on pass plays in the NFL. His quickness on pass rush reps is too much to handle for offensive linemen. Generating pressure is where Kancey could improve the Steelers' defense. That was a huge problem for Pittsburgh last year, being the third lowest in pressure percentage. Kancey would immediately improve that statistic.

Pittsburgh Defensive End Calijah Kancey (8) celebrates a sack against North Carolina at Heinz Field in 2021

Matt Freed Pittsburgh Post Gazette

The Steelers' run defense got much better from 2021 to 2022, going from dead last to ninth-best in yards per game. Using this knowledge makes drafting Kancey sound worth it. While letting him play in obvious run spots would help him improve, the Steelers could elect to rotate him based on the down and distance. The hope would be for him to turn into an every-down player, but if not, you at least get one of the best pass rushers in the entire draft.

Draft Projection

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Pitt’s Calijah Kancey named to PFF’s team of the week

Kancey is a hard player to pick out a draft spot. Maybe a team is blown away by his explosiveness and snags him before Pittsburgh gets up at pick number 17. If picked early, Kancey would be the first Pitt DT selected in the first round since Aaron Donald. Kancey could also fall like we see time and time again, especially given his smaller size compared to other defensive linemen. It would be hard to imagine because of his speed and pass-rush ability, but Kancey could stay on the board until the middle of the second round. Most mock drafts have him going late in the first round, where the Steelers could select him at 32nd overall.  

Would Calijah Kancey be a good pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers? Let us know in the comments below. 

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