When it comes to the Super Bowl Champs, who needs free agency

“Photo courtesy of UCLA Athletic Program”

| Height: 6-3, Weight: 252 lbs |

| Age: 23 | POS: OLB |

A player the Steelers are expecting to make great strides when mini camp begins is 2008 3rd round pick Bruce Davis. Davis is a player Steelers fans seem to forget about after the Steelers received minimal production from their entire 2008 draft class.

When the Steelers drafted Davis, he was seen as a projection player who wouldn’t have much impact his rookie season. That was obviously the case and in year two the Steelers expect Davis to develop into the situational pass rushing specialist they drafted him for.

In his junior year (2006) at UCLA, Davis recorded 12.5 quarterback sacks and recorded 17.5 tackles for loss. In his senior season (2007), Davis showed the ability to be a force on passing downs, finishing the season with 45 tackles, including 15.5 for losses, 12 sacks. In the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl against BYU, Davis recorded 7 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

Davis has 4.71 forty speed and believes he is ready to make a contribution to the Steelers in 2009. Davis is one of many young players who are currently participating in the Steelers off-season workouts.

The Steelers who haven’t signed any free agents so far, don’t need too. A healthy Rashard Mendenhall makes them a better team right off the bat, along with a healthy Daniel Sepulveda. The team also has two wildcards in

Limas Sweed and Bruce Davis from their 2008 draft class.

Sweed will move into the #3 receiver spot and has a ton of potential. Whether he reaches that potential in year two remains to be seen but the Steelers are confident in his abilities as Sweed was regarded as a top 20 pick prior to his wrist injuries which hindered him last season.

A strong draft in April along with contributions from their top three picks from 2008, puts the Steelers in great position to have a better squad than they had in 2008.

When it comes to the Super Bowl champs, who needs free agency

Scouting Report on Davis

Davis has excellent speed off the edge but the biggest issue with him in training camp was his strength which is why the coaching staff wants Davis to bulk up in the 262 lbs range.

Davis struggles in pass coverage, and only expect him to be a factor on passing downs rushing the quarterback in 09. He has the potential to be a very good one in that area and his pass coverage skills will improve.