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NEW YORK -- In his three years at Ohio State, Ryan Shazier was comfortable playing inside linebacker and outside linebacker. Considering he was a defensive end in high school, his versatility -- and the theory that he'd be effective in either a 4-3 or a 3-4 defensive scheme -- was one of his most obvious attributes heading into the draft.
An ideal selection, per CBSSports.com senior writer Pete Prisco:
Shazier a speed pick for a team that needs it on defense. I like the player, but can he hold up inside? GRADE: B+ http://t.co/KPxAyHqyNs
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) May 9, 2014
Consider the Steelers, who drafted Shazier with the No. 15 overall pick, sold. And now that Shazier is a member of the Pittsburgh franchise, expect him to compete for a starting spot in the team's 3-4 scheme that's run by Hall of Famer Dick LeBeau.
There's little doubt the 6-foot-1, 237-pound Shazier had impressive workouts in the draft leadup, running a ridiculous 4.36 40 time to go with a 42-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot-10-inch broad jump.
Here are some of the fiscal details:
Ryan Shazier should sign a fully GTD 4-year, $9,507,201 deal with a $1,728,582 '14 cap number. His signing bonus should be $5,234,328.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) May 9, 2014
As for the immediate impact Shazier could have on his new team:
"I'm going to say Ryan Shazier from Ohio State is a player that could have an immediate impact from this draft class," NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said recently. " ... As the NFL game has evolved into a passing game, Shazier can blitz and he can cover. That's what he does really well and he'll be successful."
