PITTSBURGH — New Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Logan Lee will be an interior defensive lineman who will play anywhere from 5-technique to 0-technique, defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said on Saturday. Lee was a tweener who played primarily in the B-Gap at Iowa but also floated around to the edge.
“I think he’s a defensive end,” Dunbar said. “When I mean defensive end, I mean he can play anywhere from the 5-technique to the 0-technique. Because he’s that kind of guy. He has the girth at 295 pounds to play outside because he has a little speed but he mostly an interior guy in our 3-4 packages.”
Lee started 40 consecutive games over his final three seasons for the Hawkeyes, with remarkably consistent production.
He had 48 tackles, five tackles for a loss and three sacks in 2021; 54 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three sacks in 2022; and 55 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in 2023. He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection.
The Steelers brought Lee into Pittsburgh as one of their 30 pre-draft visitors. They also scouted Lee at the 2024 NFL Combine, where the Orion, Illinois native checked in at 6-foot-5 and 281 pounds, with 32 1/4-inch arms. He ran a 5.05-second 40-yard dash, 4.37-second shuttle and 7.16-second three-cone drill, and posted a vertical jump of 31.5 inches and a broad jump of 9-foot-6 inches. He has a total Relative Athletic Score of 9.20 out of 10. Lee grew up a Steelers fan.
“I grew up a huge Steelers fan my whole life. It was pretty neat being able to walk around the facility and start those relationships,” Lee said of his pre-draft visit.
The Steelers do not need bodies at defensive tackle, as they have lost just one player from their 2023 group, and replaced the departing Armon Watts with free agent signing Dean Lowry. But they do have a future need, as 35-year-old captain Cam Heyward is entering the final year of his contract and Lowry and Larry Ogunjobi will both be turning 30 this season.