The idea of the Steelers going back into the well for a Pitt player for the second year in a row and for the 48th time in franchise history seems at least attainable with 14 Panthers eligible for the NFL Draft.
And it is not just about those 14 players; it is about the variety of positions which those 14 players span.
One, however, stands out above the rest.
His traits, his personality, his position versatility, and his perceived draft value come April 27 could be of a tremendous benefit to the Steelers, and the way which the Steelers could utilize his skills could, in turn, be a win-win situation for the organization and this player.
This player is ...
Pitt Athletics
... Linebacker SirVocea Dennis.
Once a two-star prospect out of Syracuse, N.Y., Dennis was heralded as a quarterback and a linebacker but caught Pat Narduzzi's eye as an athlete during his scouting visit to see two of Dennis' teammates at Christian Brothers Academy in late January of 2019. As the story goes, the athletic director of Dennis' high school recommended Narduzzi meet the third prospect. One of the questions which Narduzzi presented the 6-foot-1 Dennis with was whether he could dunk a basketball.
Dennis pulled out his phone and showed Narduzzi this video:
Good story from SirVocea Dennis & Pat Narduzzi. Pat was recruiting 2 of his teammates but AD convinced him to meet with Dennis, too. Pat asked a few Qs including "Can you dunk?"
— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) July 22, 2022
"Yeah, I've got a few videos on my phone," SirVocea says.
Here's what got him an offer: pic.twitter.com/VUPKDihE43
"Everyone has a different path to get where they are," Narduzzi said after Pitt's pro day. "That was one I was telling some of the coaches from the Steelers, just that last visit, not even looking for him and found him by accident. That was a good day. Probably should go back and look at my notes and find out what day that was and put it on my calendar for the rest of my life. He's special, just like they all are.
"... So I watch the tape on my phone, I'm watching his Hudl tape, and I'm like, 'oh, this guy's pretty good. Let me see him.' Then, I met him and we were able to talk at that time in January. I said, 'can you dunk,' and he said 'yes,' and he goes, 'let me send it to you.' Then he texted me the pictures and I was like, 'Do you have a scholarship? We'll bring you up this weekend (for a visit).' That was it. Couple hours later, Syracuse offered him after we did."
Dennis ended up having a prolific four-year career at Pitt and turned into a developmental NFL prospect with potential because of his wit and versatility on defense and special teams.
He improved with each season. As a sophomore in 2020, Dennis posted 14.5 tackles for loss to finish third in the ACC to go with four sacks en route to being named a third-team All-ACC pick in his first full season of college football.
His junior year resulted in a second-team All-ACC nod, as he led Pitt with 87 tackles and added 9.5 TFLs, four sacks, a blocked field goal, a fumble recovery, and an interception returned for a touchdown to his resume. He racked up a season-high 12 tackles and a career-high two sacks in Pitt's ACC Championship Game victory over Wake Forest.
He put a capstone on his college career as a team captain in his senior season in 2022 by leading Pitt with 94 total tackles while adding 12 TFLs and seven sacks on his way to becoming a first-team All-ACC selection. He played the "money" linebacker spot in the middle and wore the green dot as the defense's signal caller.
Pitt LB SirVocea Dennis last season:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 7, 2023
🔷 90.6 PFF Grade
🔷 92.1 Run Defense Grade
🔷 32 QB Pressures
🔷 49 Defensive Stops pic.twitter.com/Ax4yjhiFUq
Dennis did not participate in the NFL Combine because of an ankle injury sustained in the Senior Bowl, but his pro day undoubtedly turned the heads of all 32 NFL teams and their scouts on the South Side. Dennis jumped a 41.5-inch vertical, which would have tied for the third-highest overall at the NFL Combine and would have beaten the top linebacker by three inches. His 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump would have tied for fifth among Combine linebackers.
41.5-inches for SirVocea Dennis. #Pitt pic.twitter.com/MFFXuNSWfR
— Corey Crisan (@cdcrisan) March 29, 2023
SirVocea Dennis is a LB prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 7.27 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 714 out of 2608 LB from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/if7vC2JNsS #RAS pic.twitter.com/tmpU2LDzQk
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 7, 2023
"The jumps and all of things speak for themselves, but ... it's his instincts," Panthers defensive line coach Charlie Partridge said of Dennis. "That kid really had tremendous -- if you think about the pick-six against Clemson, there's a lot of plays like that, that maybe aren't as obvious as that. He has tremendous, tremendous instincts where he can put -- he's a kid that whether he even knows it or not, he's reading his keys and he can actually feel what all the 21 other guys on the field are doing around him. Tremendous instincts, and that will carry over well to the NFL."
Here is that interception which Partridge referred to, in which Dennis stepped in front of a DJ Uiagalelei shovel pass and returned it 50 yards to the house in 2021 against Clemson:
Pitt Athletics
SirVocea Dennis runs a drill during Pitt's pro day on the South Side.
Dennis checks off many boxes with the one exception of his size, which can come as a plus or a minus depending on the situation. He stands just above 6 feet tall and weighed a 226 pounds, which might not translate as far as a typical NFL linebacker might.
For context, the Steelers' offseason signings of Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts check in, respectively, at 6-1, 240 pounds and 6-1, 238 pounds. So, while Dennis is not considered too small for the linebacker spot in the sense of having to move positions, he still is regarded as "small" in comparison.
What he makes up for with a slight lack of size is something which Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin, and Teryl Austin can undoubtedly use within their defense, and he would unquestionably be an asset to Danny Smith and his special teams units.
Yes, Dennis would have to go from playing in a base 4-3 defense into a 3-4, but he has the wit to pick up a playbook and masterfully operate through it.
According to data from AIQ, Dennis posted the highest cognitive testing scores among all linebackers in the upcoming draft, as he scored in the 99th percentile.
#Pitt LB SirVocea Dennis has the highest cognitive testing score of any LB in this draft, according to @aiq_team, a data-driven company working with 10 NFL teams.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 6, 2023
Dennis also scored in the 99th percentile of learning efficiency. https://t.co/0pdNp3WT1P
Jordan Schultz, an NFL Insider for The Score who authored the above tweet, also added this in regards to Dennis:
In reference to #Pitt LB SirVocea Dennis, Dr. Scott Goldman of @aiq_team told me: “He could learn a really complicated playbook quickly, and then recall it efficiently. He would be a great green dot.”
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 6, 2023
It's worth noting here that Dennis was recruited out of high school by Ivy League programs Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Princeton. And, as mentioned, he was the captain and the green dot of Narduzzi's defense.
So, he checks off the boxes as a smart linebacker, he has the tape from a Power Five program to back it up, and while he is not the fastest player on the field, he still has the instincts to back it up.
Something to consider for Tomlin and Austin's defense, which could benefit tremendously from a rotational player like Dennis on and off the field, and where he can be immediately be plugged into the punt team on offense or defense.
The 23-year-old Dennis is the 247th-ranked player on Pro Football Focus' big board, though he ranked seventh among 789 linebackers with a 90.6 grade in its system last season.
A look at Dennis via the Mock Draft Database pens him as high as a fourth-round pick and as low as a seventh-round pick. So, if the Steelers have a linebacker to check off of their draft list and pick No. 17 in the first round or neither of the Day 2 picks net a linebacker, Dennis should very well be in play for the Steelers on Day 3 for the aforementioned reasons.
After his pro day, Dennis said he thinks he opened some NFL teams' eyes. He talked to teams at the NFL Combine but did not test because of the ankle injury.
"Today was amazing," Dennis said after the Pitt pro day. "I wish that I could've did it at the Combine, just to, you know, show that I can do it on that big stage as well. But, you know, I had to get healthy, and I'm glad I got healthy just to show you what I could do. ... (I showed) a lot. Definitely that I'm athletic. There were a lot of talks out there that I, you know, won't be athletic or a lot of things won't cover, but I think I showed a lot, and I'm very proud of what I did out here today."
He later added that he had not met with the Steelers, but ...
"I would love to," he said with a grin.
Considering the position need, the fit, and the draft value, the feeling could be mutual if the Steelers so choose.
