Welcome to the 32nd daily installment of the NFL Draft 1-through-32 series on DK Pittsburgh Sports, intended to introduce you, a prospect at a time, to the top 32 players in the class on a consensus basis, leading right up to the main event.
That, of course, will begin Thursday in Kansas City, Mo., though all 32 teams, including the Steelers on the South Side, will operate from their local headquarters.
NO. 32: FELIX ANUDIKE-UZOMAH
Kansas State defensive end
Anudike-Uzomah is the No. 32-rated player on Pro Football Focus' (updated) big board. Nearly a quarter of his pressures over the last two seasons resulted in sacks as he utilized a combination of power, speed, and flexibility to get to the quarterback.
COLLEGE BACKGROUND
The reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year was selected as a second-team All-American by four outlets and was deemed a third-team All-American by the Associated Press following a commanding 2022 season. He earned semifinalist nods for the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Rotary Lombardi Award after posting 46 total tackles, 11.0 for loss, 8.5 sacks, and forcing two fumbles.
Over his 32 career games, Anudike-Uzomah tied for the Kansas State program record with 20.5 sacks, while his eight forced fumbled puts him at a tie for fourth in program history. According to Pro Football Focus, Anudike-Uzomah totaled 89 pressures over his last two full seasons, which means 23.6% of his pressures resulted in sacks.
The Lee's Summit, Mo., native was a consensus three-star recruit who originally committed to Football Championship Subdivision powerhouse North Dakota State before withdrawing his commitment and choosing Kansas State in the class of 2020. He held six total offers out of high school, though Kansas State and Tulsa were the lone Football Bowl Subdivision schools to offer him.
The other four were from FCS programs North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, South Dakota, and Western Illinois.
NFL COMBINE, PRO DAY
Anudike-Uzomah measured at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds with a 33 1/2-inch arm length and a 9 5/8-inch hand width at the NFL Combine. He earned a 78 on the NFL Next Gen Stats' grading scale, eighth among edge rushers at the Combine. He did not test in Indianapolis because of a foot injury.
At his pro day, Anudike-Uzomah ran the three-cone at 6.94 seconds, which would have been the fastest among defensive ends at the Combine.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah at Kansas State Pro Day pic.twitter.com/k92QiA5HPP
— Derek Young (@DerekYoungKSO) March 31, 2023
MOCK DRAFT
The USA Today mock draft consensus tracker and our Chris Halicke's latest mock draft have Anudike-Uzomah mocked outside of the first round, while my own mock draft has Anudike-Uzomah picked at No. 31 by Kansas City.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE STEELERS' STANDPOINT
Anudike-Uzomah visited the Steelers on the same day Bud Dupree signed with Atlanta.
Coincidence?
Maybe, but he absolutely should be an option to begin Day 2 of the draft, provided the Steelers stay away from edge rusher in the first round.
COREY'S TAKE
Anudike-Uzomah is unique to his position, the production pops off of the paper, and the tape backs it up. This could be one of the more underrated players in the draft if he refines some of his weaknesses, like his conditioning and his work from the inside of the tackles.
THE REST
1. Alabama QB Bryce Young
2. Georgia DT Jalen Carter
3. Alabama DE Will Anderson Jr.
4. Kentucky QB Will Levis
5. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
6. Florida QB Anthony Richardson
7. Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
8. Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson
9. TCU WR Quentin Johnston
10. Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
11. Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski
12. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
13. Pitt DT Calijah Kancey
14. Iowa DE Lukas Van Ness
15. Utah TE Dalton Kincaid
16. Maryland CB Deonte Banks
17. Alabama S Brian Branch
18. Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
19. Ohio State OT Paris Johnson Jr.
20. Tennessee OT Darnell Wright
21. Clemson DT Bryan Bresee
22. Georgia DE Nolan Smith
23. Clemson DE Myles Murphy
24. Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison
25. Iowa State DE Will McDonald IV
26. Georgia OT Broderick Jones
27. Texas RB Bijan Robinson
28. Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer
29. Boston College WR Zay Flowers
30. USC/Pitt WR Jordan Addison
31. Ohio State OT Dawand Jones
