Pittsburgh Steelers: Trade-up targets in the 2021 NFL Draft

Pass Rusher

Some fairly big news from the Pittsburgh Steelers recently was they did not plan on putting the franchise tag on Bud Dupree.

Alex Highsmith is an exciting prospect, but there is not enough tape yet to see if he can be a full-time starter or more of a situational pass rusher. It could be in the Steelers’ best interest to potentially trade-up to pair up a young edge rusher with TJ Watt.

Joe Tryon out of Washington could be a nice pair to go alongside Watt to face off with left tackles on Sundays. Tryon has a similar build to Bud Dupree standing at 6-foot 5 and weighing 262 pounds, an inch taller and two pounds lighter than Dupree. Tryon is an athletic freak who will make any defense better and is great at tackling in the open field. It is a common saying amongst Yinzers that if you can’t tackle you can’t play for the Steelers.

Last season you saw both edge rushers for the Steelers drop in coverage and line up in many different parts of their defensive front. Tryon has enough athleticism to learn and master dropping in coverage when needed and has the size to be a problem at any position in the front seven. With Tryon’s build and game, he looks fitting to be wearing black and yellow on Sundays.

With Dupree most likely going elsewhere in free agency it leaves the question — will the Steelers try to get an edge rusher in the 2021 NFL Draft? With a similar build and play, Tryon is a nice trade-up target for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Potentially trading up in the first ten rounds of the second round if he falls or trading back in the first if the Steelers see value later in the draft.