Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Countdown: Making the Case for OLB Eli Harold

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't in as severe a crisis at outside linebacker as they were when the league year kicked off last month. Still, with just three players on the roster who have experience playing significant snaps at the position in the Steelers' defense, they aren't in great shape.

James Harrison, Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones are a start, but they also aren't enough. There's little doubt that the Steelers will add to their pass rush in this year's draft. And a way to do it—potentially in Round 2, if not Round 1—is by selecting Virginia's Eli Harold.

Harold appeared in all 36 games in his three-year collegiate career, starting in all 24 in 2013 and 2014. He had a total 141 career tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks, with 54 combined tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2014.

Year	Games	Comb. T	TFL	Sacks
2012	12	36	7.0	2.0
2013	12	51	15.0	8.5
2014	12	54	14.5	7.0
Total	36	141	36.5	17.5

Harold, whom NFL.com's Lance Zierlein says possesses "surprising strength," "fires out of stance with forward lean, gaining ground quickly with his first two steps." As an edge-rusher, he "torques upper body around edge, giving tackles limited area to punch," and "also has efficient, quick inside move to pressure quarterback," with a "memorable closing burst."

CBS Sports' Dane Brugler says that with Harold, "the motor never quits, [he is] always going full-speed to the ball until the whistle," further noting that he "does a nice job re-setting his eyes after his initial rush doesn't work" and that "he is at his best when using his length to extend, lock out and drive blockers backwards."

Harold isn't perfect, of course. While he possesses "natural athleticism" according to Brugler, he has a "lean and lanky build with average bulk and needs to develop his upper and lower body strength" and "doesn't consistently marry his athleticism, power and technique together from snap-to-snap." Both Brugler and Zierlein also note that his rawness has led to a limited skill set, and as such, Harold "needs more experience in space and in coverage."

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

It will take some time for any pass-rusher to excel as a three-down starter in the Steelers' system—even Jones, the team's first-round draft pick in 2013, is still learning the nuances of the position. So while Harold may need to add to his skill set beyond rushing the passer, he will have time to do it. He can be plugged in situationally at first while he continues to develop into a well-rounded linebacker.

Pittsburgh cannot ignore its pass-rushing problem for long. To get it where they need it to be will require using a high-round draft pick this year and making sure that player warrants and gets enough playing time to be a starter in his second season. Harold fits the mold, as his impressive ability to disrupt quarterbacks trumps any gaps in his experience he presently has.