If the Steelers want to bolster their defensive line, one recent pre-draft visitor is the way to go, analyst Ryan Wilson believes. Recently appearing on 93.7 The Fan, he talked about Darrell Jackson Jr., who was recently in Pittsburgh at the facility. With four Day 2 draft picks, they have resources in the right range to land him. Not to mention two picks in the fourth round, should he fall that far.
Jackson, a Florida State product, is far from a perfect prospect, but he offers enough for the Steelers to be intrigued by the 315-pound defensive lineman. While they addressed d-line depth in free agency, the Steelers could use more there through the draft.
“He played three-technique a lot, which is 63 percent of his snaps. He did play zero-technique, over the center, a quarter of the time, so he has that versatility. But he played either between the guard and the tackle or all the way inside over the center”, Wilson said of Jackson on 93.7 The Fan recently.
“That was sort of where they moved him. He’s 6-5, 316. He looks the part of Yahya Black in terms of getting off the bus”, he added, Black being one of two d-line selections by the Steelers in last year’s draft. “I think he’s a better player than Yahya was coming out of Iowa last year, and I think defensive tackle’s a need, so it makes sense to me that they would have him in for a visit”.
Defensive line depth has been a concern for the Steelers, which is why they took two in last year’s draft. While Yahya Black was a fifth-round pick, they also selected Derrick Harmon in the first round. Harmon was an immediate starter, at least once he was healthy. As the second progressed, Black grew into a solid rotational contributor.
So far this offseason, the Steelers have extended Cam Heyward and added to the defensive line with free agent signee Sebastian Joseph-Day, but this could still be a key target area in the draft. Maybe not in the first round, unless a premium prospect falls into their laps. But somebody like Darrell Jackson could be an intriguing option, say, with one of their three third-round selections.
And it wouldn’t exactly come out of nowhere, even before Jackson’s pre-draft visit. Analysts were already connecting the dots between Jackson and the Steelers in multi-round mock drafts. And now that we know that they brought him in for a visit, the interest seems obvious.
As far as Yahya Black, he played over 400 snaps as a rookie, which is probably more than he needed to or was prepared for. He had to play early, and more, which Derrick Harmon’s multiple injuries being one factor. The Steelers also suffered numerous defensive line injuries to veterans, placing greater burden on their rookie draft picks. The hope is that they’ll be better off for it, but could they add Darrell Jackson to the mix as well? And would he be an upgrade over what they already have in Black?
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