Our friends over at Draft Wire have named edge rusher Quincy Roche the biggest steal of the 2021 NFL draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh selected Roche in the sixth round with the No. 216 pick overall.
Pundits didn’t talk much about how badly the Steelers needed to add depth at outside linebacker. The team had very little talent to back up T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. A case could be made that the Steelers waited far too long in this draft to address the need but the team caught a break with Roche falling to them in the sixth round.
Roche fits the mold of what the Steelers like in edge rushers quite fell. He’s got a squatty frame that can hold more muscle in his lower body where he needs it most. But he plays with aggression and has a strong rip at the snap.
A player like Roche would normally need a redshirt season to work on his game and get his body ready for the rigors of the NFL game. But unless the Steelers add a veteran edge rusher Roche is going to get thrown into the deep end from the very beginning and he will have to learn as he goes.
