Pittsburgh Steelers seven-round 2020 NFL mock draft

In this timeline, the Pittsburgh Steelers move on from Bud Dupree, the team’s 2015 first-round draft pick. Dupree has had a good season so far in 2019, going into week 14 with 50 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles, according to NFL.com. Dupree has already surpassed his previous four seasons statistics by a wide margin and is having the best year of his career.

Too bad it took four years for him to start producing at such a high rate. Dupree has faced an inordinate amount of criticism from fans and the media, as it is supposed that Dupree should be producing significantly more for the Pittsburgh Steelers, given his status as a first-round draft pick.

Even if Dupree’s level of play could be continued going forward (which is questionable), the crippling effect it would have on the team’s cap going forward makes it illogical to retain Dupree’s services going into 2020. Carlos Basham Jr. of Wake Forest is an excellent candidate to replace Bud Dupree as one of the rushers on the defensive line.

Basham plays Defensive End for Wake Forest’s 4-2-5 base system but has shown enough on film to make me believe he would fit in nicely with Pittsburgh’s defensive line. He is agile and fast enough to translate into an Outside Linebacker role in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 system. Besides being agile as an end, Basham has shown an ability to drop in coverage if need be, making him another option at covering route-running tight ends and slot receivers.

Basham has been an excellent run defender and pass-rusher for Wake Forest this year. The 6-foot-5, 275-pound junior had 10 sacks this year, good enough to tie for 15th in college football, according to ESPN.

Basham has excellent hands and has the ability to throw back offensive tackles and blocking tight ends when rushing the quarterback. His ability to throw off Offensive blockers makes him a strong run defender as well. Basham does his best work when targeting the left side of the offensive line, which is where Dupree typically attacks as well.

He is hardly a finished product. He can drop into coverage, but I haven’t seen enough of it to think he could be a consistent pass defender in coverage.

While Basham is a brawler at the line of scrimmage, I haven’t seen much on his tape to convince me he would be an effective finesse defender, who could jump into the A or B gap and take advantage of weak interior offensive lines. But Dupree has not shown to be consistent at that either, and I imagine this draft pick will be more about controlling the cost of the defensive line and replacing Dupree’s production there when he departs in free agency.

Basham is in excellent physical condition, and he is a borderline late Day one to early Day two player in the draft. Whether he falls to the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick number 54 will be determined by how well he does at the combine. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a reputation as being opportunistic drafters though, and should Basham be available to them in the second round, expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to draft him.