The Pittsburgh Steelers trading up for and selecting Wisconsin DL Isaiahh Loudermilk may have been the biggest surprise of the draft. It’s still hard to completely understand why the team thought Loudermilk was worth that investment.
But there is one part of the pick that makes plenty of sense. Loudermilk might have been the easiest selection for them to evaluate. He came from a well-coached Wisconsin defense. DC Jim Leonard is one of the best in college football and his Badgers’ defensive line coach was Inoke Breckterfield, who coached Aaron Donald at Pitt.
The 3-4 defense Loudermilk played in at college was very similar to the system the Steelers run.