By the time the Pittsburgh Steelers were finally on the clock with the 22nd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Kentucky outside linebacker Bud Dupree was not a name experts anticipated to be still available. When Thursday night proved otherwise, the six-time Super Bowl champions wasted no time in making Dupree the newest member of their storied franchise.”It’s a great experience right now,” Dupree said. “I’m so blessed to be in this situation. I can’t wait to get to Pittsburgh and get to work.”Riding high off the momentum of 7.5 sacks in a first team All-SEC senior season, Dupree became a household name among NFL general managers following his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. The 6-foot-4 former Georgia high school basketball state champion recorded a remarkable 4.56-second 40-yard dash and 42-inch vertical leap.”This young man has some measurables,” said ESPN analyst and Super Bowl winning head coach Jon Gruden. “He can jump right out of the gym. … I like the way he competes.”Dupree joins a once-historical Steelers defense in desperate need of youthful rejuvenation. Pittsburgh saw longtime defensive standouts Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor, as well as 27-year-old Jason Worilds, retire this offseason. The Steelers ranked 18th in total defense in 2014.”He has position versatility,” Gruden said. “Keith Butler, the new defensive coordinator, has to be happy that Bud Dupree fell this far down the board. Hard to find a young man with this type of strength, speed, and power.”Dupree becomes UK’s 14th first round selection in program history, and the first since 2003. The one-time tight end joins Danny Trevathan, Wesley Woodyard, and Avery Williamson as the fourth Kentucky linebacker in the NFL.”They expect me to come in and have an impact right away,” Dupree said. “I just have to prove them right and go in, work hard, listen to the older guys and the coaches and I’ll be good.”While it was no secret that the Steelers would be looking toward the defensive side of the ball when making their first round selection, Pittsburgh GM Kevin Colbert shed light on the situation shortly before Thursday’s big night.”I think the cornerback group is good,” Colbert said. “The outside linebacker types, which for us is a 4-3 defensive end for some 4-3 teams, this is probably as good a group at that position as I’ve seen in 10 to 15 years. It’s really an exceptional group with a lot of impact-type guys.”Combined with the college statistics and the athletic measurements to back it up, Dupree’s work ethic has football fans excited for the possibilities he brings to the table.”He said he wore No. 2 (at Kentucky) because ‘I’m trying to be No. 1, but I’m working like I’m No. 2,'” said ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. “You’ve got to like that attitude, you’ve got to like that approach of Alvin ‘Bud’ Dupree.”