It’s obvious that the Steelers knew what they were doing when they took LB Ryan Shazier in the first-round (15th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was given the starting job at ILB right out of the gate.
Per Tom Reed of Cleveland.com, no defender was given the starting job in their rookie year since LB Kendrell Bell (2001). That’s right. Not even Troy Polamalu, Casey Hampton or Lawrence Timmons started in their rookie campaigns.
Most defensive rookies for the Steelers would sit out their first year in order to learn (ex-defensive coordinator) Dick LeBeau’s ‘Good Will Hunting-like’ 3-4 scheme.