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You didn’t have to be a specialist in NFL analytics to understand the goal of the Pittsburgh Steelers in this year’s draft. The Steelers have a talented roster but needed a big jolt of athleticism. And according to Next Gen Stats, this is what they did.
The Steelers were tied with one of the second-highest athleticism scores of all 32 draft classes. The only teams with a higher athleticism score were the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins.
Among the prospects who really stood out for the Steelers, wide receiver Chase Claypool and edge Alex Highsmith stood out. We aren’t sure how much either guy will play this season but there’s no doubt adding speed and agility is always a plus. The other guy who really stood out in terms of an athleticism score is defensive tackle Carlos Davis.
Pittsburgh took Davis in the seventh round but you can’t discount what he did. At the combine, Davis ran an official 4.82-second 40-yard dash at 313 pounds.
Final Top 5 Draft Classes by Average Athleticism Score
1. #Eagles 84
2. #Redskins 84
3. #Jets 81
4. #Steelers 81
5. #Patriots 81These teams prioritized athleticism throughout the 2020 #NFLDraft
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) April 25, 2020
Taking a look at the #RAS of the #Steelers 2020 draft class.
Their class averaged a RAS of 7.47.
They had 3 players score in elite range, over 8.00.
They had 1 players score below 5.00.
The rest fell inbetween. pic.twitter.com/iAOOOzfw3w— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 25, 2020
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