NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said Monday he thinks Boise State inside linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (6-feet-4, 240 pounds) “is a great fit” for the Steelers in the April draft.
Maycock thinks Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds and Georgia’s Roquan Smith will be gone when the Steelers pick at No. 28 overall. Mayock said Vander Esch is the type of available linebacker who could best fill the void created by Ryan Shazier, who sustained a spinal chord injury in December.
“If you put his tape on against Oregon, it’s as good an off-the-ball tape I’ve seen in years,” Mayock said Monday on a conference call.