2020 NFL Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers 7-round mock draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers may get the biggest steal in the 2020 NFL Draft if they can get Leki Fotu this late in the draft. His physical tools and dominating style of play had many draft experts expecting Fotu to be an early Day Two draft. But in recent months, the Utah Utes senior has seen his draft stock slipping as we get closer to the draft.

It doesn’t help that, for all his size and athleticism, Fotu wasn’t particularly productive in college. Only playing nine games last season, Fotu had just 25 combined tackles and half a sack, per Sports Reference. At 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, Fotu is a great nose tackle prospect with a lot of potential. But with just 13 tackles for a loss in two years, many wonder how good Fotu actually is.

Fotu’s college stats are disappointing considering his potential to be a game-changing defensive tackle. While an above-average run-stopper, it doesn’t appear that Fotu served very well as a pass-rusher. The Pittsburgh Steelers recently lost their nose tackle Javon Hargrave to free agency and will need to address the position in the 2020 NFL Draft. While they have quality defensive tackles on the roster, the nose tackle role requires a certain skill set and cannot be played by every defensive tackle.

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While his college production isn’t particularly impressive, there is plenty to like about Fotu. Besides his size and nearly 6-foot wingspan, Fotu can make plays across the line of scrimmage against runners, having shown his ability to move quickly and purposefully on film. While never the best pass-rusher in college football, it is not impossible to see him improving that in the NFL.

Fotu moves fast for a player of his size and has the physical traits NFL general managers are looking for as an A-gap nose tackle that lines up over the center. With Hargrave gone and the Steelers defensive line looking to change significantly over the next few seasons, taking a chance on Fotu’s potential is worth the draft pick.

At the very least, they will have a run-stopping space filler on the defensive line. Ideally, Fotu could become an all-purpose defensive tackle if he works on getting more pressure on pass-rushing situations.