Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Watch: Michigan DE Chris Wormley

Let’s take a look at a Steelers Draft prospect who could provide Pittsburgh with some much needed D-Line depth: Michigan DE Chris Wormley.

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Currently the Steelers defensive line’s success revolves largely around the performance of two players: Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. Luckily for Pittsburgh, these are two All-Pro caliber players who perform at an exceptionally high level.

However, both Heyward and Tuitt play upwards of 80% of the snaps most games and it would be beneficial for the Steelers to find some help to lessen their snap loads and reduce their chances of injury. Heyward was injured in the Steelers Week 5 blowout of the New York Jets and now Pittsburgh must turn to Ricardo Mathews and Javon Hargrave to fill his role.

In our next edition of Steelers “Draft Watch” lets preview a possible solution to the Steelers D-line depth issues: Michigan’s Chris Wormley.

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DE Chris Wormley, Michigan

Strengths

One of Wormley’s most intriguing qualities is his all-around game. Wormley is stout both as a pass rusher and against the run. He is an ideal 5-tech, possessing an impressive combination of length and size, who can stop the run and rush the passer.

As a run defender, Wormley demonstrates the ability to hold his ground and maintain gap responsibility. This is attributed to the fantastic leverage that Wormley maintains while engaging blockers. Additionally, he showcases a swim move that allows him to slip blockers and make explosive plays in the backfield, with plenty of TFLs to his resume.

As a pass rusher, I envision Wormley kicking inside as a 3-tech in sub package nickel situations for Pittsburgh. Wormley flashes some burst and explosion in his play, resulting in 3.5 sacks and a plethora of pressures in 5 dominant outings for Michigan this season. While rushing from the interior Wormley demonstrates the ability to blow back blockers and disengage when around the quarterback. Off the edge, Wormley flashes an impressive first step to beat blockers off the snap.

Overall, Wormley’s game is based on power as he is often seen tossing around blockers in pursuit of the QB and blowing back the line of scrimmage in the run game.

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Weaknesses

In terms of weaknesses, Wormley’s stock will be negatively affected by his currently limited pass rushing arsenal. Sometimes Wormley wins initial contact but fails to find a way to get to the QB, failing to utilize any counter moves or changing his plan of attack. The Steelers need to draft players to help them drastically pick up their production in sacks, and Wormley may not be the man for the job. He is more likely to fill in as a 3 or 4 sacks per season player who will perform admirably against the run.

Also, there is certainly room for improvement in terms of Wormley’s hand usage. He rarely displays active hands at the point of attack and has issues shedding blocks in the pass game. As I noted above, he will often get stuck once his initial rush is stalled. However, Wormley still produces above average sack production for Michigan and has several traits, including his power and frame, that lead me to believe he can improve in this area with proper coaching.

Fit

One major issue I have with Wormley is that I don’t see any dominant traits. He isn’t the splashiest of players and doesn’t always jump off the tape like you would expect out of a possible early-round selection. While he may not be an early-round surefire star in the NFL, Wormley has plenty of traits that will excite NFL scouts and he will definitely carve out a role on an NFL team.

In my opinion, Wormley would be an ideal selection for Pittsburgh if he is still available in the middle rounds. I can easily envision him spelling Heyward and Tuitt for snaps and filling in as a starter when injuries occur, similar to the role Vince Williams has played in the linebacking core.