Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Players demanding attention vs. Lions in preseason

1. LB Buddy Johnson

Talk about an ideal fit for a team that had its problems against the run as the 2020 season wore on?

"“He meets power with power when taking on blockers and does a nice job of playing off and finding his way toward the runner. There is still room for improvement as a move tackler in the open field and he’s currently a coverage liability in the passing game. Johnson has the makeup of a two-down inside linebacker with special teams value.” – Lance Zierlein, NFL.com"

That would be Texas A&M’s Buddy Johnson’s pre-draft evaluation from Zierlein. And the Pittsburgh Steelers would grab this player in fourth round this spring. He joins a solid group of inside linebackers but a group that was basically plagued by injuries as 2020 wore on.

Former first-round pick Devin Bush was lost after five games and his replacement Robert Spillane would also go down as well. Veteran Vince Williams missed a couple of contests but also retired this offseason. Safety/turned inside linebacker Marcus Allen also missed time.

Earlier this month, the Steelers sent a sixth-round pick to the Jaguars for veteran Joe Schobert. He and Bush should make for a formidable duo. But keep an eye on Johnson went it comes to those obvious running downs.