The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of needs this offseason, but one that sticks out is inside linebacker. It’s further down the list, sure. Still, with Cole Holcomb recovering from a severe injury and Elandon Roberts listed as the only true starter returning without a major injury, it is a priority to at least explore the linebacker market.
CBS Sports conducted a mock draft but with the impending free agents. The Steelers landed Panthers linebacker Franke Luvu in the mock draft, and it was ordered by order to cap space, so Pittsburgh picked 25th to land Luvu.
“A QB like Ryan Tannehill would make sense here, but the Steelers have been swinging at linebackers for years. Luvu finally gives them a fast, physical, ascending playmaker whose blitzing skills should pair nicely with those of T.J. Watt,” they wrote.
Want to know what Luvu is? Imagine Nick Herbig, who plays off-ball full-time. That’s the type of player that Luvu is, and he can come down on the edge and rush at a high level. He moves in space well and has become an incredibly productive off-ball linebacker in his time with the Panthers. But his bend and burst as a pass rusher stand out at a high level. In fact, Herbig earned a lot of comparisons to Luvu coming out of Wisconsin in 2023.
In other words, Luvu makes a lot of sense to add to the Steelers. He would add more pass-rush juice while moving in space and making plays in coverage. Given how much the team loves versatility, it would be easy to see them explore adding him, though there was no pre-draft indication of interest like with many of their past signings.
For what it’s worth, if the Steelers explore this, Luvu would cost around $10 million per year. Again, he is a productive player on multiple levels and can add notable versatility, so that’s not too out there. If they wanted to make a splash at the spot but not go for the top guy like a Patrick Queen, Luvu makes a lot of sense if they identified that position as one they were to pursue in free agency.
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