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2017 Steelers Player Evaluation – DL Tyson Alualu

2017 Player Stats:

Combined Total  Assists  Sacks  Forced Fumbles  Ints
2017 Regular Season  39 25 14 4.0 0 0
2017 Postseason 1 1 0 0.0 0 0

Player Overview:

If Tyson Alualu was looking to re-invent himself after seven less-than-memorable seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he succeeded in doing just that. For a player that had to deal with the pressures and expectations of living up to his first-round pick status, Alualu played great in his complimentary role on the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line.

Alualu ended this past season with a career-best in sacks and posted a very respectable Pro Football Focus overall score, which was an indication that he played his role better than expected. Going forward, the question with him will not only be about his ability to pick up where he left off, but whether is he able to become a consistent player. Every so often this season, we saw shades of his first-round prowess on field, but at times he had issues maintaining his ground and stopping the run.

Pros and Cons:

Alualu isn’t the type of player that jumps out at you from the screen. He’s likely not going to overwhelm an opponent with speed and finesse, but he has the right amount of strength that makes him effective, and he has a good command of fundamentals. In this particular clip against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17, Alualu takes advantage of a mismatch against the Browns running back and was able to get his first of two sacks in this game. To his credit, he seems to always take advantage of opportunities when presented, as he did so in this case.

Because Alualu comes with a relatively basic skillset, there are not very many weaknesses to point out, other than the fact that he is too basic. One of the noted weaknesses in his draft profile was his inability to locate the ball effectively. When positioned against opposing linemen, Alualu is generally able to win that battle; however when it comes to finishing a play, Alualu seems to be always a step too late. In this example taken from their week 3 defeat against the Chicago Bears, he misses an opportunity to make what could have been a big play. Alualu in this clip is seen positioned as an interior lineman next to fellow lineman Cameron Heyward. From the snap, Alualu successfully beats his lineman and gets in the backfield. If this play had been with a quicker-twitched lineman, running back Jordan Howard have likely been stopped for a loss. Since Alualu does not have this type of speed, he’s unable to get to Howard on time before he makes his cut to the outside. In his defense, the downblock on cornerback Joe Haden obstructed his path.

As noted before, Alualu did not make many errors during the season. He was more or less a complimentary lineman, aware of his limitations and played to his strengths.

Future With The Steelers:

There is no reason to think that Alualu won’t return with the Steelers for the 2018 season. The question pending is if his skillset will improve with newly signed defensive line coach Karl Dunbar. Though he is noted as a defensive end, Alualu is more effective as an interior lineman. Depending on the type of scheme defensive coordinator Keith Butler decided to run, he is best in a hybrid 3-4/4-3 scheme when they rush four lineman. If they were to go to a traditional 3-4, he would not be nearly as effective at holding the line and stopping the run. With all this noted, Alualu is as reliable a complimentary lineman that the Steelers have had in a while, and there is reason to believe that he can get better next season.

Born and raised Ottawa, Ontario Canada, Kelly is a Steelers contributor to The Point of Pittsburgh. Formerly a contributor for SBNation's 'Behind the Steel Curtain'. Kelly can be reached via the Twitter handle @kanozie80