2017 NFL Mock Draft: First-round projections after first bowl weekend

There aren’t too many linebackers with first-round potential this season, but Florida’s Jarrad Davis has impressed me in recent weeks. Breaking down his film, it’s obvious that he’s an aggressive linebacker who can make a big play and if he develops a little more patience, he can be an all-pro caliber player in the middle of the defense.

Davis hasn’t done much in terms of recording a ton of tackles this season, but the senior linebacker has played nine games, recording 60 total tackles with six for loss and two sacks.

Lawrence Timmons and Jarvis Jones are in the final year of their respective contracts, so adding a linebacker could be both a want and a need for the Steelers. Just in case they can’t retain both backers, adding Davis in the draft would be a wise move.

If Zach Cunningham was still available at this position, I would assume the Steelers would jump on him, but Davis is the next best thing. He does have a tendency to come up and fill the wrong lane in the run game, opening up a gap for running backs to blow right past him.

There’s a reason why Florida’s defense has been so good over the past few years, though, and it’s aggressive players like Davis.