Two of the top five sack leaders from the 2015 draft will be on the field together Sunday at Heinz Field when the Steelers host the Falcons.
For many people, figuring out that Atlanta's Vic Beasley is one of those two players is reasonably easy. After all, he had a league-best 15.5 sacks in 2016 -- though he has just 10 in his other three seasons. He ranks second from the 2015 draft.
The other? The Steelers' Bud Dupree.
While Beasley, the eighth-overall pick in 2015, tops that list, Dupree, picked 22nd by the Steelers, is fourth with 17.5.
That's more than any other player selected in the first round that year, including third-overall pick Dante Fowler (13) or 23rd pick Shane Ray (14), two other players to which he can be compared.
The only other players selected in that draft that have more sacks than Dupree in addition to Beasley are Washington linebacker Preston Smith, who was taken 38th and has 20.5 sacks in 51 career games — nine more games than Dupree — Seattle defensive end Frank Clark (25) and Minnesota defensive end Danielle Hunter (29.5).
Dupree has recorded 11 tackles, three sacks, an interception, forced a fumble, has six quarterback hits and has defended three passes thus far in 2018. That puts him on pace -- 44 tackles, 12 sacks, four interceptions -- to match or better the numbers of some of the Steelers' outside linebackers who have come before him in their best seasons.
Yet following every game, the response seems to be the same from Steelers fans. A quick search for him on Twitter produces such thoughtful statements such as this hot take, "How long we gonna keep trotting Bud Dupree out?" Or "I hate Bud Dupree, sorry, not sorry."
And those are some of the more mellow comments.
It reached a point following a 42-37 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, one "fan" got under Dupree's skin to the point where he responded. The fan sent a direct message to Dupree asking -- crudely -- where he was during the game. Dupree simply replied that he was at the home of the guy's girlfriend, then asked what he was going to do about it.
Such is the pressure of being a first-round pick in Pittsburgh, where if the player isn't a star right away, he's a bust and people aren't going to change their minds about it, no matter what.
But Dupree is OK with it. He's been one of the few players on this defense actually doing his part, whether fans recognize it or not.
"People really don't know football. They just say, 'Bud, he's an outside linebacker. He's supposed to make all the plays.'" Dupree told me. "You look back at the sacks when it was (Joey Porter) or James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, how often were they asked to drop? That was what, seven or eight years ago? You look at Deebo, you look at Woodley, they don't look like me and TJ. We're two different type of athletes. We can cover people. We can rush the passer. They were not asked to do what we do. They were asked to just rush the passer. They were not asked to drop into coverage."
That has been the case, much as it was a year ago. Despite that, Dupree has a sack in three of the team's first four games this season and is already halfway to his total of six last season, a total that disappointed both he and the team.
His .42 sacks per game played are more than Jason Worilds (.35) averaged in his career before retiring suddenly in 2014, prompting the Steelers to take Dupree in the first round of the 2015 draft, 22nd overall.
That's also more than Greg Lloyd (.41) and in the ballpark with Harrison, the team's all-time sack leader, who averaged .45 sacks in his career in Pittsburgh -- though he was mainly a special teams player in his first couple of years.
Porter was at .49, while Woodley was at .60.
Point is, Dupree is a lot closer to those guys than he is Jarvis Jones, who had six sacks in 50 career games with the Steelers. Yet it is Jones to whom many Steelers fans compare him to the most.
Dupree, however, compares himself with the other players selected in the 2015 draft.
"I keep up with my whole draft class," he said. "It depends on the scheme you're in and the things you're asked to do. Some people got drafted to play defensive end. They're considered the same -- edge rusher -- as me. They might rush 60 plays a game and rush all 60 plays. Me, how I play, if we got 40 plays, 10 or 15 are rushes. Another 10 are controlling a gap. Ten more are dropping back into coverage. Maybe I'm covering a tight end or a back. It depends on the scheme and how you're used."
So you can continue to dismiss Dupree as a failed draft pick. He uses it to fuel his fire. And the Steelers have already picked up his fifth-year option, which would pay him $9.2 million in 2019 -- though they could rescind the offer if he doesn't have a good season.
Given his start, however, it looks like the Steelers will stick with that plan.
"Just let them talk, do whatever they want to do," Dupree said of his dissenters. "At the end of the day, it's all good with me."
MORE STEELERS
• The Steelers haven't used the dollar defensive package outside of one play in Cleveland this season — not because they haven't wanted to, but because they haven't had enough healthy defensive backs to do so. Most notably absent has been safety Morgan Burnett, who is expected to miss his third game Sunday against Atlanta with a groin injury. Sources have told me the Steelers had some interest in some other safeties in free agency, but the players in whom the Steelers showed interest were asking for more money than the Steelers were willing to pay. While that was happening, the agent for Burnett contacted the Steelers and sold them on his client, who was one of the top free agents available. Burnett had identified the Steelers as a team he wanted to join. That's how the three-year, $14.35-million deal -- which appeared to be below market value at the time -- came to pass. At this point, it doesn't appear Burnett will see the final two years of that deal. -- Lolley
• Receiver/return man Ryan Switzer got eight touches last week against the Ravens, with only James Conner (10) getting more. If you add in his four returns -- one on a punt and three on kickoffs -- only Ben Roethlisberger touched the ball more among the team's skill players. That's a lot for a player who the Steelers made a trade for just prior to the start of the season to be a return specialist. But the Steelers are trying to find ways to generate offense without Le'Veon Bell, and Switzer in the short passing game works like a glorified running play. He produced 32 yards on seven receptions against the Ravens. The Steelers are also doing some Bell-like things with Switzer, motioning him in and out of the backfield. "Yeah, I think so," he told me this week. "I'm not seeing linebackers, I'm seeing DBs in the slot. I know he's a real versatile player. He does a lot of things out of the backfield, too." -- Lolley
PENGUINS
• Mike Sullivan had a meeting with the entire team Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena, and I'm told he didn't mince words: The bar's set at the top. There are to be no more excuses, no fatigue entering into the equation, no Cup hangover. He expects the team to compete for the Stanley Cup, and he expects to see that in play from the outset. As one veteran told me, "That's how it should be." -- Dejan Kovacevic
• The Penguins spoke all the right words about Tom Wilson, at least in public. Away from the cameras and microphones, they despise everything the guy stands for and are delighted he finally got his due from the NHL. I'll respect stuff staying off the record, as ever, so you'll just have to trust me on that. -- DK
• Adding onto that, one veteran suggested to me that the NHL should adopt a standard for suspension lengths for repeat violators instead of arbitrarily assigning punishment based on whether an injury was inflicted. For example, one violation earns a three-game suspension, a second a five-game ban and so on. By this standard, the player said Wilson would be up to a 40-game suspension. — Chris Bradford at PPG Paints Arena
• Some of the scuttlebutt in the dressing room during Thursday's morning skate centered on events that happened a night earlier in Washington, when the Bruins' Brad Marchand tangled with the Capitals' Lars Eller who celebrated his goal -- the seventh in a 7-0 win -- a little too much and in front of the Boston bench. Marchand might not be the most popular player in the league but, to a man, the players I spoke to said Marchand was in the right. -- Bradford
• There's no chance Juuso Riikola will hang around long if he isn't playing. Although management was crowing, at least a little, that everyone knew he'd be this impressive in camp, the fact is there was zero intention of having him start the season in the NHL. And there are two reasons for that: There's no room, and there's still ample cause to believe he can benefit from more time on a North American-sized rink. The AHL is a much lesser brand of play, but it's arguably more consistently physical than the NHL, so his progress in that regard -- protecting himself, etc. -- could actually accelerate his maturation. -- DK
• Here's another summertime decision to mention, and this one might surprise: Management was always cautious regarding Zach Aston-Reese because of his recovery from jaw surgery, weight loss and, above all, a concussion. His style doesn't lend itself toward taking a guarded approach on the rink, so the only way he was going to convince anyone he could stick in the NHL right away would be to dominate in the preseason. When that didn't happen, his demotion became academic. Also, and this is important: Sullivan loves this kid. There is absolutely no loss of faith in him. If anything, he'd rather see Aston-Reese emerge as a top-six guy than a depth winger. -- DK
• Sergei Gonchar's enjoyed being behind the bench for the preseason, and he won't rule out that it might be a longer-term aspiration. But he's also told me he genuinely enjoys his current role as a specialist working with the defensemen, as well as monitoring from above, then descending to meet with the coaches between each period. The man's got quite the hockey mind. The Penguins have done well to keep him in the fold. -- DK
PIRATES
• There is real concern Joe Musgrove will require surgery to repair the abdominal injury that caused him to be shut down early. The Pirates, though, are trying to err on the side of caution first by having the starting pitcher rest for six weeks. He'll then be re-evaluated, however, Musgrove seems to be preparing himself for the worst. The injury is preventing Musgrove from traveling to Israel this offseason, where he planned to conduct youth baseball camps for two weeks and "be a tourist." -- Lance Lysowski
• Jordy Mercer would prefer to land a job as an everyday player instead of returning to the Pirates as a backup and mentor to Kevin Newman. However Mercer, 31, wouldn't rule that out. He just wants to see how the market plays out and believes he showed enough this season to merit a starting job somewhere. I also get the sense the Pirates would prefer a backup infielder who is a plus defender. -- Lysowski
• Josh Bell was challenged during his exit interview with Clint Hurdle and Neal Huntington to be the run producer the Pirates sorely missed this season. Bell took the message to heart. He's shouldered a great deal of responsibility for the offense's inconsistency in 2018. The 26-year-old also expressed confidence he found an answer and that a rebound is on the horizon. -- Lysowski
• There was a genuine excitement from Chris Archer hours before the season finale. Sure, he's disappointed with how his season went. Even asking about his August will elicit an angry response — someone made that mistake before our conversation — however, Archer is encouraged by how he finished and thrilled with what this roster could be capable of in 2019. Hey, he was even told the front office plans to address the team's weaknesses this offseason. -- Lysowski
PITT
• Jeff Capel was scheduled to meet with the media after the Pitt Studios unveiling Thursday, but his appearance was called off a couple hours beforehand. It’s certainly forgivable, after how busy he has been on the recruiting trail. Staten Island, N.Y. small forward Chris Ledlum, a 6-foot-6, four-star recruit who also holds offers from Florida, Notre Dame and Harvard, tweeted today that he recently received an in-home visit from coaches Jeff Capel, Jason Capel and Tim O’Toole. Another player Capel has been after for a while and is a top-30 national prospect, 6-10 big man Akok Akok from Putnam, Conn., is expected to make an official visit to Pittsburgh the last weekend of the month, coinciding with Pitt’s home football game against Duke. — Matt Grubba
• Heather Lyke tried to play coy, yet she seemed to all-but confirm Thursday the Panthers are poised to revert to their traditional colors on a full-time basis. If that isn’t enough to convince you, let me add another piece of circumstantial evidence: While talking to women’s basketball coach Lance White about settling in at Pitt, he mentioned to me how he’s adjusted well, but he joked about how, after only a year, he’ll have to get all new letterhead and updated Pitt gear. It was just an offhanded remark, but it carries more weight with the growing mountain of clues. — Grubba