The Steelers selected defensive end Corey Trice Jr. with the 241st overall pick in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
“He played a lot of press coverage, which was huge,” secondary coach Grady Brown said. “The way he plays the press, he can’t go down and play a motor technique, can’t back up, really use that frame to take up a lot of space and make guys work at the line of scrimmage.
“Really excited to get him here. He’s got some toughness. He started his career as a guard. High school basketball player. So we’re looking forward to a lot of good things to work on from a coaching standpoint. Getting him here.”
Dries played in Purdue, where he appeared in 24 of 34 games.
“Emotions… they’re everywhere right now,” Dries said. “I’m really excited to be here and in this position.
“When I talked to the Steelers, we had a good conversation. I understand the things they want with their players in terms of technique. I’m excited to be there and be a Steeler.”
He was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection by the coaches and media in 2022. He was also a third-team All-Big Ten selection by Pro Football Focus.
Trice started 13 games in 2022, recording 34 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high 10 passes.
“We want to take what he does best and make it even better,” Brown said. “Continue to develop him from that standpoint. When you’re dealing with long defensive backs, there can be some issues with space and coverage. A lot of times in college, you really do what you do best. As much as you can, we’ll find exactly what he needs to do well, but with what we have We want to focus.”
