When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted DL Gabriel Rubio in the sixth round, the general thought was confusion. He was off the radar and not projected to be drafted after dealing with injuries throughout his career at Notre Dame, but Rubio is a name to get familiar with. In Pittsburgh’s 28-9 win over the Green Bay Packers to open the preseason, Rubio was hard to ignore. In 21 defensive snaps, he had six total tackles and was one of the Steelers’ most impactful players.
After his performance, I was eager to dive into the tape and came away even more impressed.
We’ll start with the negatives, though there really weren’t many. The biggest thing Rubio has to work on is his pass-rush. Right now, he just doesn’t have much in the way of a pass-rushing bag. He’s pretty much purely a bull-rush player when it comes to getting after the passer.
One thing he does well when rushing the passer, dating back to college, is getting his hand in the passing lane. That’s one trait that the Steelers have traditionally liked in their defensive linemen, and it’s something Rubio does well. In his first pass-rush rep, he was able to collapse the pocket and get his hand up to nearly deflect the pass.
His first rep of the game was really one of the only negative reps he had. He fires out low and doesn’t have his hands in a good position and gets taken to the ground almost immediately, though he was on the backside of a toss and was unlikely to influence the play much regardless.
The biggest thing on tape that stood out to me was Rubio’s motor. He is relentless. A great example of the Steelers as a team flying to the ball, but Rubio comes all the way to the sideline to help finish the play.
His timing against the run is also impressive. Multiple times, he’s able to shed his blocker right as the running back thinks he has the hole and makes a play.
Another great example of his motor. This play would’ve been made regardless, but Rubio fights through two blockers and a chip to get to the back.
It’s hard to pick just one play that encompasses just how hard he plays, but this one might be my favorite from Thursday. Rubio initially gets pushed back, fights through to knock the lineman down, goes down with him, and still makes the tackle from the ground.
At 6051 and 321 pounds with 33 5/8″ arms, Rubio is really sound when it comes to occupying his gaps. Here, he takes up space to allow room for Sebastian Castro to fly in and then sheds to finish the play.
Here, he takes up space to force Damien Martinez to stop and cut back.
Another fun rep that shows his motor. Dropping back into coverage, Rubio then flies to the receiver and helps make the tackle 14 yards downfield.
Right now, Rubio is raw as a pass-rusher, and that’s an area of his game that will need development. But he looks NFL-ready against the run. After losing Isaiahh Loudermilk this offseason, Rubio looks to be a perfect replacement as a big, run-plugging lineman who still has room to grow.
While the selection of Rubio was initially met with confusion, it looks like the Steelers might’ve found a diamond in the rough. It’s only one game, but if Rubio can string performances like this together, it’s not only going to be hard to keep him off the 53-man roster, it’s going to be hard to keep him off the field.