2020 NFL Draft: Late-round sleepers the Pittsburgh Steelers should target

Nose Tackle

The Steelers secondary looks great heading into 2020. So does its edge rusher position, with TJ Watt looking great and Dupree likely returning for one more season. One of the few positions this team’s defense will need to address this offseason is the nose tackle.

Starting nose tackle Javon Hargrave is a free agent this offseason and is not expected to return in 2020. While he has played well for the Steelers in recent years, the NFL tends to value edge rushers far more than they do interior defensive players. Unless your name is Fletcher Cox or Aaron Donald, you can assume to be a perpetual free agent in the NFL.

The Steelers still have back-up Dan McCullers for one more season at the position. While he has improved since being drafted as a sixth-rounder in 2014, his 352-pound body does not lend itself to speed or athleticism the same way Hargrave’s does. Considering the team gave him back-to-back short-term contracts, we can assume they do not view him as the nose tackle of the future.

A sneaky good player likely to fall in the 2020 NFL Draft is Baylor defensive tackle Bravvion Roy. Listed as 6-foot-1, 333-pounds, he is bigger than Hargrave (305 pounds) but appears to be just as athletic. In Baylor’s defense, he found a variety of ways to get past his offensive blockers.

Not exactly the strongest guy on the defense, Roy used a variety of tricks to move opposing centers and guards in college. For 333 pounds, he could pull off a spin move that would have Dwight Freeny take notes. His unique way of getting pressure may not work out in the NFL, where offensive linemen are stronger and faster. But his divergent techniques will make him an interesting tackle in the NFL.

Roy was a key part of Baylor’s defensive success and was one of the most productive players on the defensive line. In 2019, he had 13 tackles for a loss, including 5.5 sacks, according to Sports-Reference. He played a large amount of the team’s defensive snaps, indicating the defense counted on him to be on the field. Roy was the defensive line leader in total tackles with 61, including seven QB hits, according to the team’s website.

Another tackle worth checking out is Ole Miss tackle Benito Jones. At 6-foot-1, 316-pounds, he is another nose tackle who plays a unique style of nose tackle. Another player who stayed on the field for most of the team’s snaps in 2019, Jones shows he is a reliable tackle who will likely hold up with an NFL workload.

Jones has also been a consistent presence on the Ole Miss defensive line, having played in every game since 2016. His statistics are consistent year-to-year, with 30 or more total tackles across the last four seasons. In 2019, he had 10 tackles for a loss, six sacks and even added an interception to his résumé.

To add another level on intensity to Jones’ scouting report, he underwent shoulder surgery during last year’s offseason. He returned in time for summer practices and showed no decrease in stats or play-time last season.

For a nose tackle, Jones was surprisingly effective as a pass-rusher and could find ways to get pressure against offensive lineman. Like Roy, Jones is faster than the average nose tackle and could find unique ways to throw off blockers. During run plays, he could be counted on to lay hands on the running back, described by NFL.com as a “disruptive when attacking the gaps”.

While perhaps not a Week 1 starter, Jones has the energy and unique athletic ability to intrigue NFL decision-makers. If the Steelers brought in a one-year, free agent nose tackle for Jones to train behind, he would likely compete well for the starting role, eventually taking over after a year of training.

The Steelers should also look for Leki Fotu from Utah during the 2020 NFL Draft. Ranked ninth on SI.com for this year’s interior defensive lineman prospects, Fotu seems like a long-shot to reach Day 3. But if Fotu falls into the fourth round, the Steelers would be foolish not to draft him.

Measuring in as 6-foot-5, 330-pounds at the Combine, he is another exceptionally athletic nose tackle that the NFL is searching for these days. Long gone are the days of the wide, bruising nose tackle that is only counted on as a space-eater and run defender. In recent years NFL defenses need every player on the defensive line to be a pass-rusher, to some degree.

With 13 sacks in the last two seasons, his pass-rushing skills are adequate but could use an upgrade once in the NFL. At Utah, he appeared to be used solely as an afterthought, and for a player of his physicality that is unacceptable. Fotu has so much more potential than he showed us in 2019, and he needs to find a team that will find a proper role for him in the NFL.

Considering Hargrave was an FCS third-rounder and the Steelers turned him into one of the best nose tackles in the NFL, Pittsburgh would make a fine destination for Fotu to reach his full potential.