Steelers: 3 Bud Dupree replacements in 2021 NFL Draft
By Cory Kinnan
Day-one option: Joseph Ossai, Texas
Should the Steelers look to take a pass rusher with the 24th pick in the upcoming draft, the explosive Texas pass rusher Joseph Ossai may be staring them down the barrel. While Ossai lacks the overall refinement of the position and needs work on sharpening his hand usage and nuance off the edge, there is no doubting his athletic ceiling and functional play-strength.
Ossai is coming off of a career year with the Longhorns in 2020, racking up a massive 15.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and five and a half sacks in just nine games. Additionally, Ossai knocked down two passes at the line of scrimmage and forced three fumbles off the edge of the defense.
Then came the pro day for Ossai, where he absolutely wowed, proving to be a dynamic athlete. Measuring in at over 6-foot-3 and 256 pounds, Ossai lept to a whopping 41.5 inches in his vertical jump, and nearly 11 feet in his broad jump. This placed him in the 99th percentile of pass rushers all-time respectively. He made light work for the rest of the day as well, blazing a 4.63 40 yard dash and hitting 19 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press as well.
He looks like a first round pick, but the questions the Steelers have to ask are: will he be on the board, and is he worth passing over an offensive tackle for?