Steelers Hosting Bendy, Strong Edge Rusher on Pre-Draft Visit

The Steelers are hosting standout Kansas State edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah for a pre-draft visit on Friday, according to multiple reports.

This continues the trend of edge rushers that the Steelers are interested in the position. A number of players have come to the facility, including Robert Beal, Keion White, and Tuli Tuipulotu, bringing the number of players at outside linebacker to four to this point.

The 6-foot-3 edge rusher proved to be extremely productive over his career in Manhattan. Over his three years, he racked up 26.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks overall. That included this past season, where he posted 8.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. At the NFL Combine, he did not post testing numbers but did go through a number of interviews, including a formal interview with the Steelers there.

Earlier this week, the Steelers released Jamir Jones from his contract. Then, Bud Dupree, who had come to Pittsburgh for a visit, signed with the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. So, it now appears that the Steelers could look into the NFL Draft for the solution here. Meanwhile, Quincy Roche currently holds the top spot behind Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt. Last year, that spot belonged to Malik Reed, but he never was productive enough to warrant that role moving forward. He remains a free agent.

At this point, it seems likely the team should address the position in the mid-rounds. The earliest seems to be at some point in the second round, but they have looked at options all the way down through their fourth-round pick. That seems to track with the team’s want to add someone to that position. However, right now, that cupboard is so bare that they have to add some quality players for the depth at the position to feel truly stoned in during week one.