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The only good thing to come of the COVID-19 pandemic was it allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to re-sign defensive tackle Tyson Alualu. Alualu had already committed to signing back with the Jacksonville Jaguars but after testing positive for COVID-19 was unable to travel. This allowed his Steelers teammates to talk him into coming back to Pittsburgh for 2021.
This was great news for the Steelers who were ill-prepared to replace Alualu in the starting lineup. Not to mention the problem is compounded by the fact this is a weak defensive tackle class in the 2021 NFL draft.
Alualu saw a career resurgence last season and at 33 years old proved to be one of the most reliable defensive linemen on the roster. The team saw a noticeable dip in run defense when Alualu was out with injury.
Getting back to the draft, there are a couple of guys the Steelers could target who would give them a true nose tackle to plug up the middle of the defense. LSU’s Tyler Shelvin, Florida’s Tedarrelle Slaton and BYU’s Khiyris Tonga are all huge human beings who just swallow up blockers.
Meanwhile, the Steelers still have a long list of guys including Isaiah Buggs, Carlos Davis and Calvin Taylor who will spend the offseason fighting for those final few spots on the final 53-man roster.
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