Steelers Draft Dupree
Bud Dupree
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
With the 22nd pick in the 1st round of the 2015 NFL Draft the Steelers chose to fill a need at pass rusher. Their choice from the University of Kentucky was Bud Dupree.
With retirements on defense during the offseason the Steelers need to fill multiple voids. Obviously the biggest needs are in the secondary but that is not where the Steelers went first. James Harrison will be 37 years old on Monday so his pro career is going to end sooner rather than later. Jarvis Jones, who was drafted in the 1st round 2 years ago, has yet to turn into the all powerful rusher they anticipated. Jones was supposed to be the reincarnation of Blitzburgh but has fallen tragically short. However, Jones was injured for the majority of last season so there is still room for improvement and with Dupree added to the roster there is hope for more success.
Dupree is 6'4" and 269 pounds and his vertical jump maxes out at 42". According to NFL.com's Mike Mayock Dupree is, "a freakish athlete." Having a big, strong and fast athlete in your defensive core is a plus but his football skills need to be freakish as well. A football player maybe an impressive athlete but if his football intelligence is not strong then he is of no use. According to NFL.com Dupree is inconsistent but that might have to do with the different systems he played in at Kentucky. Head Coach Mike Tomlin said the Dupree is comparable to James Harrison as far as his tenacity goes. The Steelers need their defense to play angry and have the ability to get after opposing offenses quickly.
Dupree may have tenacity but "he's a little slow to diagnose, which causes him to get a late start on plays. I would ask him to drop into space in zone dog looks and that's about it. To me, he's a pure see 'em, get 'em 3-4 rush end --NFC East Regional Scout" (http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/bud-dupree?id=2552289). Dupree's inability to diagnose a play quickly might be a result of his experience at Kentucky and the different defenses he played in. It will take time for Dupree to learn the Steelers new system but that is what training camp and the pre season is for. The newest addiditon to the Steelers defense will hopefully help the Steelers become dominant once again but only time will tell.
