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Steelers May Have Used 6th-Round Pick For Mainly Special Teams

Originally posted on Steeler Nation
By Christopher Barbre | Last updated 4/29/24

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2024 NFL Draft with all kinds of holes that needed to be filled. They boosted the offensive line early, then they added to their receiving core and linebackers room' with supposed draft steals. It is much harder to find NFL-caliber talent in the sixth round, especially with the supposed lack of overall depth in this year's class. Despite that, the Steelers will always try to find a player that can contribute in any way, whether it's as a full-time starter or in just a small niche of the game.

The Steelers used their 178th pick in the draft on Logan Lee, a defensive tackle from the Iowa Hawkeyes. He will have to move around and find any way to stick on the team, as most late-round picks have to do. He will likely be on the special teams unit throughout the season, but unlike most draftees, the Steelers may have drafted him for that particular reason.

After the Steelers drafted Lee, Mike DeFabo pointed out a specific trait that he had in college. The Steelers won't outright say that special teams was the reasoning for selecting him, but it had an impact on their decision at the very least.

Logan Lee blocked a pair of field goals in his career, which could be valuable for a late-round guy who will have to earn his spot on special teams first.
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) April 27, 2024

Blocking anything will get you a job in the NFL, and Lee's ability to block field goals was likely a main reason why he was drafted in the first place. While blocking two field goals does not seem like a lot, most special team players in the NFL and in college have no blocked kicks in their career at all. It's one of the hardest things to do, but the Steelers know all about blocking kicks.

Steelers Thrive On Blocked Kicks

There is no team in the league that blocks kicks and punts more often than the Steelers. Patrick Peterson blocked an extra point against the Green Bay Packers in 2023, and that point became a key part of the game. The Packers could not settle for a field goal in the fourth quarter due to the fact that they were down four points as opposed to three. They made it to field goal range, but the Steelers shut them down from there to secure the win.

Miles Killebrew has more blocked punts in his time as a Steeler than nearly every team has. He had two in 2023, with the Steelers rallying around the first one in a comeback win against the Baltimore Ravens early in the 2023 campaign. The Steelers also had back-to-back weeks with a blocked punt in Weeks 14 and 15. Connor Heyward secured the last blocked punt of the 2023 season.

The Steelers even managed to block a field goal against the Buffalo Bills in the 2023/'24 playoffs to help swing momentum in their favor. The Steelers have always been one of the better teams at blocking kicks under Danny Smith, but they took it up a notch in 2023. Fans should expect the Steelers to continue wreaking havoc on special teams units across the league.

With the Steelers' being known for blocking kicks, it makes a ton of sense as to why they would go out and draft a defensive tackle with a pedigree for blocking kicks. Whether Lee sees any snaps on defense or not is to be determined, but if he can be a constant force on field goal attempts, the Steelers will happily keep him around and let him play on every field goal block/punt block scenario.

This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.

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