Steelers take Kentucky OLB Dupree with 1st-round pick in draft

Alvin “Bud” Dupree used to be a big fan of mock drafts.

And you really can't blame him.

The Kentucky outside linebacker was one of the rapid risers on nearly every expert's mock draft board over the past couple of weeks leading up to Thursday's NFL Draft.

The mock drafts — all of them — said Dupree wasn't going to make it past the first 10 picks.

The draft said otherwise, and the Steelers can't be more thrilled.

With the top three cornerbacks already off the board, the Steelers were happy to scoop up Dupree with the 22nd overall pick, making him the third linebacker the Steelers have selected in the first round over the past three years. He joins Jarvis Jones (2013) and Ryan Shazier ('14).

“That is something that we didn't expect,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said of Dupree falling to them. “We didn't expect Bud Dupree to be there. It was a very easy decision. We believe we got an impact player in Bud Dupree. This is a gift for us to get him at No. 22.”

Dupree was the highest-rated player left on the Steelers' draft board, and they wasted no time making the selection. They used only two of the allotted 10 minutes to turn in the pick.

“We had some other options,” said Colbert, who hinted that the Steelers were contemplating moving up to draft Dupree. “He kept coming to us, so the odds of us getting him increased, so we kept waiting. We didn't think that this could happen at the beginning of the day.”

Neither did Dupree.

Dupree, who just turned 22, didn't expect to spend 2½ hours waiting for his name to be called.

“It was horrible,” Dupree said. “It was a horrible wait … anytime you go lower than you are supposed to it is always difficult, (but) I think it is going to be a great fit.”

Dupree, who will play on the left side, was on the Steelers' radar from the outset.

Tomlin and Colbert attended Kentucky's Pro Day and had dinner with Dupree and a teammate afterward. Dupree did not have a pre-draft visit with the Steelers.

“We are real excited,” Colbert said. “We feel that we got an impact player.”

The Steelers surely needed an impact player on defense, especially when it comes to pressuring the quarterback.

The Steelers lost leading sacker Jason Worilds to retirement right before the start of free agency. They brought back James Harrison in March, but he'll be 37 next week and questions still surround Jones.

The Steelers have struggled recently at pressuring the quarterback.

For the second consecutive year, the Steelers finished in the bottom third in the NFL in sacks with 33, which were also their fewest in 26 years. But unlike 2013, the quarterback hurries/pressures took a significant downward turn that has become a cause for concern.

Hurries/pressures — a stat compiled by the Steelers coaching staff — dipped 32 percent, from 151 in 2013 to 103.

Without pressure, it allowed quarterbacks to pick on a banged-up secondary. The Steelers allowed 30 touchdown passes, had six opposing quarterbacks throw for more than 300 yards, including Andrew Luck's 400, and allowed 15 passes of at least 40 yards.

Dupree (6-4, 264) should help that with his ability to pressure the quarterback. He finished with 23 ¹⁄₂ sacks in 47 games at Kentucky including 7 ¹⁄₂ last year.

“I think versatility is something that should be highlighted,” Tomlin said. “He's been an edge rusher. He's played in space. He's played stack linebacker. This is a very versatile and smart athlete. He's really a unique animal. He's capable of playing in space. He's capable of rushing off the edge.”

And he's very capable of filling a huge hole at rush outside linebacker for the Steelers.

Mark Kaboly is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at mkaboly@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MarkKaboly_Trib.