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Steelers take Virginia Tech linebacker in second round
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Virginia Tech's Jason Worilds -- whom the Steelers selected in the second round of the NFL Draft -- celebrates with the crowd in the final moments of the fourth quarter of the NCAA college Chick-fil-A Bowl football against Tennessee Dec. 31 in Atlanta. Virginia Tech won 37-14. -
Jason Worilds of Virginia Tech poses for a headshot during the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Feb. 27, 2010.
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The Steelers drafted outside linebacker Jason Worilds of Virginia Tech in the second round.
Worilds is 6-1, 257 pounds and played defensive end in college.
In drafting Worilds, the Steelers bypassed linebacker Sean Lee, who played at Upper St. Clair and Penn State.
The Steelers have two Pro Bowl outside linebackers in LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison, but as linebackers coach Keith Butler noted, it usually takes a few years for one to become a starter.
"We have two pretty good outside linebackers who are starters right now," Butlers said. "We think this kid can come in and help us in terms of depth and on special teams as he learns the defense.
"In the eight years I've been here, we've never had a rookie linebacker start in our system. We like to groom them for a couple years."
Worilds played defensive end for the Hokies, where he had 15.5 sacks in 41 games, 25 of them starts. He is the latest in a long list of defensive ends converted to OLBs by the Steelers.
A native of Carteret, N.J., he was a special teams ace and Steelers are counting on him to help upgrade that unit.
Follow the draft with Jerry Micco's live blog:
First Published April 23, 2010 7:49 pm
