After the Pittsburgh Steelers selected seven players in the 2024 NFL draft, they continued adding to the roster by coming to terms with five undrafted free agents. With many draft profiles focusing on those players towards the top and middle of the NFL draft, it is time to get to take a look at these other members of the Pittsburgh Steelers who will have just as much opportunity to make the roster in 2024 as those who were selected in the draft, despite the more difficult path.

Remember, some draft profiles for these players are quite harsh as they are looking at them as a draftable prospect. Taking a flyer on an UDFA is a completely different story as many times the potential the player shows is what lands them on an NFL offseason roster.

Last up is linebacker Julius Welschof from Charlotte.

Julius Welschof

Linebacker
Senior
Charlotte
6’6″; 265 lbs.

Being a part of a college football program for six seasons Welschof is a 27 year-old rookie who was born in Germany and qualifies for NFL’s International Pathway Program. In his first five seasons at Michigan, Welschof appeared in 28 games where he had 25 tackles and 1.0 sacks. In his final collegiate season where he was a graduate student at Charlotte, Welschof only appeared in four games with four tackles before missing the rest of the season due to injury.

Current Steelers at the position:

Outside Linebackers

• T.J. Watt
• Alex Highsmith
• Nick Herbig
• Jeremiah Moon
• Kyron Johnson
• David Perales
• Julius Welschof

Draft Profile

Here is a breakdown from nfldraftbuzz.com:

Julius Welschof from Germany High School was rated a 3-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 4-star grade by 247 Sports. After high school, Welschof joined Michigan after being heavily recruited.

In 2020 as a freshman Welschof saw action in 6 games and played a total of 83 snaps for the Wolverines. He recorded only 4 tackles, no assists, while adding 6 stops. As a pass rusher, he added 7 total pressures, which included 4 QB hurries, one QB hit, and 2 sacks on the season.

As a sophomore for the Wolverines in 2021 Welschof played in 13 games and took part in 180 snaps for the Wolverines. He recorded only 7 tackles, 4 assists, while adding 4 stops. As a pass rusher, he chalked up 6 total pressures, and 4 QB hurries, one QB hit, and one sack during the year.

In 2022 as a junior Welschof played in 7 games and contributed on 39 snaps. He recorded only one tackle, 2 assists while making one stop.

After season’s end Welschof transferred to Charlotte where as a senior for the 49ers in 2023 Welschof played 4 games and took part in 111 snaps for the 49ers. He also added only 4 tackles, one assist, and 4 stops. As a pass rusher, he tallied 4 total pressures, which included 3 QB hurries, one QB hit, and no sacks on the season.
 
SCOUTING REPORT: STRENGTHS

• He’s very good in coverage when looking into the backfield in zone coverage.
• Greet feel in coverage. Often arrives at the receiver at the same time as the ball, giving up few yards after the catch.
• Possesses straight-line speed to stay with or chase down receivers in man.
• Made Bruce Feldman’s Freak’s List – ranked #7. He wrote “Welschof, who has leaned down 22 pounds to 268, broad-jumps 10-5 consistently and vertical-jumped 34 1/2 inches this offseason. His 40 was 4.66. The most amazing numbers posted by former Wolverine Freak Aidan Hutchinson were his shuttle times. Hutchinson did 6.73 in the 3-cone drill in Indy (sixth fastest among all players there). Hutchinson clocked a 6.54 last offseason in Ann Arbor. Herbert said Welschof ran a 6.76 this offseason. He’s also done a 4.19 in the 20-yard shuttle — only Hutchinson’s 4.15 was faster among D-linemen and linebackers in Indy. Hutchinson was the first athlete Herbert ever witnessed do a “Turkish Get-Up” with 135 pounds and no collars (to lock on the plates) in a quarter-century working in college weight rooms. This offseason, Welschof did it with a 160-pound dumbbell “like it was effortless.”
• He’s rangy and instinctive when he’s looking into the backfield as a zone defender.
  Combination of size, length, and agility makes him a secure tackler in space. Could succeed as a free blitzer.
• He’s a technically sound and consistent tackler, breaking down and wrapping up, with the length and power to swallow up ball carriers.
• Shows toughness to get under the pads of tackles to bull them, club them upfield to get the inside lane, or fight through blocks for secondary rush when the passer steps up.
• Flashes closing speed and agility to reach passers from the blind side or up the middle before they can escape.

SCOUTING REPORT: WEAKNESSES

• Welschof lacks the speed of a chase and- tackle guy. He lacks twitch as a pass rusher and lacks the feet and flexibility to threaten around the edge.
• He is slow to locate the ball and too often overruns plays, easily fooled by counters and misdirections. Welschof has limited experience in coverage, and his awareness when dropping into zone will likely be an issue.
• Needs to use his hands more violently to defeat blocks while coming after the quarterback at the next level.

Film

To finish things off, let’s take a look at the film (what little I could find)…