Steelers place rookie defender on IR

The Steelers placed Logan Lee on IR.

According to the NFL transaction report, per NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Pittsburgh Steelers have placed a rookie defender on injured reserve. Pittsburgh elevated wide receiver Ben Skowronek to the active roster to replace rookie defensive lineman Logan Lee.

The Steelers selected Lee in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft out of Iowa. Depending on the severity of Lee’s injury, he could be one of the eight opportunities to activate players in-season from the IR.

Skowronek was a seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. In three seasons, Skowroneck has 58 career receptions for 575 yards.

The Steelers are preparing to take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, With Lee headed to IR, the Steelers will count on veteran free agent addition Dean Lowry to rotate in on the defensive line.

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Predicting the role for Steelers rookie DE Logan Lee

Logan Lee signed his rookie contract on Saturday.

On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially announced they had signed rookie sixth-round pick Logan Lee to a four-year contract. Lee was one of the Steelers two sixth-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft and the first of the Steelers draft class to sign.

Physically, Lee passes the eyeball test for what the Steelers want in a versatile defensive lineman.  At 6-foot-5, Lee has the length Pittsburgh loves in 3-4 defensive ends but he will need to put on some quality weight to hold up inside and rush the passer from the interior.

Looking over the defensive linemen on the roster currently, Lee has an opportunity to have something of a rookie impact. Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi and Keeanu Benton will be the starting three but the Steelers love to rotate five or six players up front. Lee will compete with Montravius Adams, DeMarvin Leal and Isaiahh Loudermilk for reps.

Prediction: We expect Lee to make the final 53-man roster and bounce back and forth from the gameday roster among the inactives. Lee has a higher ceiling than Loudermilk and Leal but their experience will give them an edge early in the season.

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Pittsburgh Steelers select Iowa DT Logan Lee in sixth round of 2024 NFL draft

Get those Terrible Towels out. Logan Lee is headed to the Steel City.

From one set of black and gold to another.

Iowa defensive tackle Logan Lee was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft. Pittsburgh chose Lee with the No. 178 overall selection.

During his Hawkeye career, Lee racked up 158 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks and seven pass breakups. The 6-foot-5, 281 pound defensive lineman appeared in 43 games with the Hawkeyes and started all 41 over the past three seasons.

Lee registered nearly 50 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks in each of the past three seasons for the Hawkeyes.

Lee heads to a Steelers defense that ranked 21st in total defense last season, surrendering 342.1 yards of total offense to opponents per game. Pittsburgh ranked 17th in passing defense and 19th in rushing defense, allowing 227.1 and 115.1 yards per game, respectively.

“Just came with an unusual maturity. He’s been a good guy that way. He’s like a lot of guys, going through the hardships. He’s had injuries, surgeries, which again people forget about what these guys go through physically. The hard work involved coming back from rehab. He’s done all that. Always had a great attitude, and it continues to grow, great leader.

“To your point, like when he came out, we weren’t sure what he was. We knew he was a football player, we just didn’t know what. It’s been fun to watch him go from a guy who’s a little bit robotic and mechanical early in his career to being a really good football player and a really good defensive lineman. You can’t do it if you’re not on the field. He missed a lot of time and playing catch-up. But, boy, he’s played really well now for a couple of years. We’ll miss him on a lot of levels, his leadership, besides being a great player,” Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said of Lee back in November.

Lee joins a Steelers squad that also drafted Washington offensive guard Troy Fautanu in the first round, West Virginia center Zach Frazier in the second, Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson and North Carolina State linebacker Payton Wilson in the third, South Dakota State offensive guard Mason McCormick in the fourth and Texas cornerback Ryan Watts in the sixth.

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Steelers select DL Logan Lee in the 6th round of the 2024 NFL draft

The Steelers draft defense with their first pick of the sixth round.

After going offense with four of their first five picks in the 2024 NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned to defense for their first pick in the sixth round with Iowa defensive lineman Logan Lee.

Lee is the type of player the Steelers love. He’s got elite length and height to line up in that five-technique end in the base 3-4 but showed at Iowa he can slide inside and rush the passer from the interior.

The Steelers were wise to bring in some competition on the outside considering Cam Heyward can’t play forever and DeMarvin Leal took a step back last season.

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Social media reacts as Iowa’s Logan Lee skyrockets draft stock with strong NFL combine

Logan Lee is shooting up draft boards. Social media reacted as the Iowa Hawkeyes’ defensive lineman lit up the NFL Combine.

Among the many things Iowa Hawkeyes players do well is test at the NFL combine. Last year, Lukas Van Ness and Jack Campbell put on a show on their way to being first-round draft picks.

Appearing in 43 games for the Hawkeyes, Lee totaled 158 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 9 sacks and 7 pass deflections. Of those 43 appearances, he started 41 games, which provides invaluable experience to NFL teams.

This year’s first standout performer is defensive lineman Logan Lee. An often unsung hero for the Hawkeyes who ate double teams and cleared the way for Iowa’s always stout linebackers, Lee had his time to shine and made the most of it at the NFL combine.

Lee was one of the winners of the day at the NFL combine. Check out how social media reacted:

Meet the four Hawkeyes headed to the 2024 NFL combine

Make way for the next wave of professional black and gold standouts. Four Iowa Hawkeyes are headed to the 2024 NFL draft combine.

With the Super Bowl officially in the rearview mirror, we have entered the football offseason. Specifically, we can say it’s NFL draft season.

While fans of some teams have been there for a few months, February is when it really starts to set in. It’s time for fans to try to cram an entire scouting process’s worth of research into two months, and there’s no better place to start than the good ol’ underwear Olympics.

The NFL scouting combine is one of the more divisive events in football. Some see it as a necessary tool to gauge just how athletic these prospects are because it’s hard to tell while going up against college athletes. Others find it completely useless, an underwear Olympics where some players undeservedly shoot up draft boards in one day. Don’t forget the folks out there who will constantly remind you that the interviews are the most important part of the week.

For me, I’ve always loved the combine. The spectacle of it always brings me in, and it helps that Iowa players have been killing it in Indianapolis in recent years.

This year, four Hawkeyes are scheduled to make their way to the 2024 NFL scouting combine. Here’s a look at the four Iowa players descending upon Indy.

Logan Lee a standout at East-West Shrine Bowl, named to All-West Practice Team

Logan Lee made the Iowa Hawkeyes happy during his tenure and likely will in the NFL. He has been a standout at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

One player who did not get enough credit during his tenure with the Iowa Hawkeyes for doing the dirty work in the trenches is Logan Lee.

He constantly took on Big Ten linemen and was more than willing to clog up the middle and help the likes of Jack Campbell and Jay Higgins succeed from the linebacker spot.

Logan Lee is currently at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas, and put on a show for NFL scouts this week. His practice reps and effort have him named to the All-West Practice team.

During his four years with Iowa, Logan Lee appeared in 43 games for the Hawkeyes. He registered 158 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, and 7 pass deflections. Lee ended his career by being named an honorable mention to the All-Big Ten team in 2023 by both the coaches and the media.

The East-West Shrine Bowl kicks off tonight, February 1 at 7:00 p.m. CT at The Star in Frisco, part of the Dallas Cowboys’ facilities. The game can be watched on NFL Network.

Lee is currently trending as a late-round draft pick or undrafted free agent. That said, he will get a shot to impress an NFL team during training camp. The odds are that his performance this week at the East-West Shrine Bowl already has put him on at least a few teams’ radars and will only help his cause with a strong showing in the draft process.

Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7

2024 NFL draft: 6 defensive players for Chargers to watch at East-West Shrine Bowl

Here are six defensive players to keep an eye on for the Chargers at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Draft season kicks into high gear next week, with both the East-West Shrine Bowl and Reese’s Senior Bowl scheduled to be played in the following days. These events are widely regarded as the official beginning of draft season for NFL teams and media.

Here are six defensive players to keep an eye on for the Chargers in Frisco, TX.

Logan Lee named a 2023 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee

Logan Lee is a terrific ambassador for the Iowa Hawkeyes. As such, he was just named as a nominee to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

If you look at the mission statement of the University of Iowa Athletics page, you will see the phrase, “Win. Graduate. Do it right.”

To do things right is a foundational piece of Iowa Athletics. It is described as such:

To live with integrity, having a principled moral compass, and showing respect, humility, and gratitude for others. This is the foundation of our department. – University of Iowa.

While looking for sustained success on the field, the University places a high priority on athletes’ actions off the field. The role of sports isn’t just to play a game and win. It’s also to help their athletes become better men and women.

This is the Hawkeye way, and few are a better representation of that than fifth-year senior defensive lineman Logan Lee. Lee was recently named a nominee for the 2023 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team was established in 1992 by the College Football Association to recognize the extra efforts made by college football players and student support staff off the field. AFCA became the governing body of the award in 1997 and continues to honor college football players who go the extra mile for those in need.

“These bright young athletes are role models,” said Troy Hawkes, executive vice president and general manager, Allstate Sales and Distribution. “We’ve celebrated thousands of college football players around the country for years, and they’ve had a huge impact on their communities and on society.”

Logan Lee has been extremely active in the community since coming to Iowa City in 2023 as described in the Hawkeyes’ official news release.

He has spent time volunteering with the Book Story Hour at the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Camp Courageous, CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Back, UI DeGowin Blood Drive, UI Dance Marathon, Operation Christmas Child – Wrapping Party, Hawk the Vote (encouraging all student-athletes and all students to vote), Corner Stone Retreat, HawkID Mental Health Panel, Viola Gibson Class reading and as a track meet volunteer at Iowa City West High School.

Lee was also a member of the Big Ten Conference student-athlete group who visited Montgomery and Selma, Alabama, as part of the conference Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative in 2022. He also traveled to Ecuador with Filter of Hope. – Hawkeye Sports.

Logan Lee joins a group of Big Ten nominees that also includes Indiana offensive lineman Khalil Benson, Michigan State wide receiver Tre Mosley, Northwestern defensive lineman Jaylen Pate, Penn State defensive tackle Dvon Ellies, Illinois wide receiver Isaiah Williams, Michigan running back Blake Corum, Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich, Nebraska offensive lineman Ethan Piper and Wisconsin cornerback Alexander Smith.

The Allstate AFCA Good Works Team is one of the most prestigious awards in college football. From the 135 nominees, the final roster of 23 award recipients will include 11 from the Football Bowl Subdivision. The final 22-member team and honorary coach are selected by a voting panel of former Allstate AFCA Good Works Team members, current and former head coaches and journalists.

Lee registered 54 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks and three passes defensed in 2022. Over the course of his Hawkeye career, Lee has tallied 103 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, six sacks and four passes defensed.

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Iowa Hawkeyes 2023 Snapshot Profile: No. 85 Logan Lee

Logan Lee returns for the Hawkeyes, helping to form one of the Big Ten’s stingiest defensive line units. HIs 2023 snapshot profile.

Noah Shannon isn’t the only impact defensive lineman returning to Iowa City this year. Leading an embarrassment of riches in the trenches, Logan Lee is returning to the Hawkeyes for his senior season as well.

Lee was a player many hoped would return for another year to help anchor one of the best defensive units in football. Last year, Lee impressed with eight tackles for loss and three sacks. He led the defensive line in total tackles with 53. Lee was a Big Ten honorable mention choice alongside his partner Noah Shannon.

Lee is a player who has improved his game with each passing week, but it’s not just his on-the-field play that is his ultimate contribution to the program. Ahead of last season, Lee emerged as one of the key leaders on the defense.

After losing some high-impact upperclassmen in Jack Campbell and Riley Moss, Lee’s voice will be one of the most impactful in the locker room. Even while missing spring practice due to a shoulder injury, he has left a massive impression on his teammates as a leader.

Logan Lee understands the standard Iowa football demands of its players as both athletes and as men and has embraced the team mentality. Here is a look at Logan Lee ahead of the 2023 season.

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