A scouting report on Pittsburgh Steelers sixth-round selection, Notre Dame defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio.
N0. 97 Gabriel Rubio/DL Notre Dame – 6051, 321 pounds (Senior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Gabriel Rubio | 6051/321 | 10 | 33 5/8 | 81 1/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 5.26 | 1.86 | 4.87 | 7.62 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 8’9″ | 26 | 26 |
*All results from Pro Day
THE GOOD
– NFL frame with broad shoulders, thick lower half, and good length
– Strong at point of attack
– Holds his gap and hard to move, flashing high-caliber run-defense reps
– Able to two-gap, stacking blockers and keying ball to close running lanes
– Plays with effort and gusto, working hard to finish plays and be involved
– Aware enough to get hands up in throwing lanes
– Doesn’t quit as a rusher and creates pressure through his effort
The Bad
– Limited athlete with poor testing
– Lacks foot speed to close gap on zone/perimeter runs
– Energetic pass rusher but too often “dances” with blockers and has trouble consistently slipping past them
– Struggles to change direction and often loses balance and footing when he needs to versus zone schemes
– Wasn’t used on passing downs
– Injuries limited his reps the past two seasons and he’s already had two lower-body surgeries with multiple elbow injuries
– Ceiling appears limited and low
– Meager college production and underwhelming amount of career snaps
Stats
– Career: 66 tackles (7 TFL) with 3 PDs, 1.5 sacks, and 1 FF across 39 games (8 starts)
– 2025: 13 tackles (0.5 TFL) with 1 PD, 0.5 sacks across 6 games (5 starts)
– Career: 799 defensive snaps (700 B-gap, 54 A-gap, 42 over tackle)
– 173 defensive snaps in 2025 (149 B-gap, 13 A-gap, 10 over tackle)
– Pro Football Focus’ No. 51 DL in 2025 among 2026 draft-eligible players (259 total); No. 38 run defender, No. 146 pass rusher
– 117 tackles (46 TFL), 18 sacks during junior season of HS (40 tackles, 2 sacks senior year)
Injury History
– 2020: possible nagging knee injury as HS senior
– 2021: missed spring game with hyperextended elbow
– 2023: arthroscopic knee surgery after being hurt in season opener against Navy; returned one month later against Ohio State
– 2024: fractured foot July 31 (second metatarsal) and had surgery, returning to the lineup Oct. 12
– 2025: missed final six games of 2025 due to left elbow injury sustained versus NC State
Bio
– Turns 23 in July 2026
– Four-star recruit from St. Louis, Missouri
– Chose Notre Dame over Georgia, Iowa, Ohio State, Missouri, and several other major programs
– Father, Angel, was drafted by Steelers in seventh round of 1998 NFL Draft as star player at SE Missouri (330 tackles, 21.5 sacks, inducted into school’s HOF in 2014) and later traded to 49ers; played in two games for Cardinals in 1999, making six tackles
– Father became a fireman after his football career (currently fire captain in Wentzville, Missouri) and served as Gabriel’s high school d-line coach, saying he coached his son since he first began playing football (“I told him his freshman year that he was better than I was at his age and he uses that as motivation to continue to work hard for his dreams,” he once said)
– Gabriel wants to become fireman after his football career, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father
– Mother, Theresa, was a middle hitter volleyball for SE Missouri (over 1,000 career kills) and now runs highly successful cookie shop started by her grandmother
– High school HC was Arlen Harris, who had 34-carry, 81-yard, 3-TD game against Steelers in 2003
– Played LT and DL in high school
– Regarded for high work ethic and toughness, Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman once calling him “high motor, high energy”
– Earned first start in 2024 College Football Playoffs, replacing the injured Rylie Mills
– Has several siblings who play(ed) sports; sister in soccer, brother who is a DT at Southwest Baptist, another brother who wrestled in high school
Tape Breakdown
Pittsburgh’s selection of Notre Dame DL Gabriel Rubio in the sixth round, No. 210 overall, of Saturday’s draft came as a surprise. Few had him on their draft radar and candidly I didn’t have any information on him. It’s rare for a Steelers pick to surprise in such a way, but Rubio did.
However, it’s not hard to understand why Pittsburgh thought highly of him. On profile, he has a build that’s increasingly difficult for the Steelers to find. A defensive lineman who is at least 6-5, 300 pounds, with 33-plus inch arms. Just not many of those dudes, and those who meet those benchmarks stand out.
Rubio doesn’t just look the part. He plays the role well, too. He’s a run-stuffing defensive lineman who holds the point of attack and is hard to move off his spot. I was eager to watch his 2024 matchup against Penn State OG Vega Ioane, a 2026 first round pick, and Rubio held his own in their reps (Ioane is the LG below).
He showed it in 2025, too. More clips of him stopping the run. Watch the last one of him decleating fourth-round RB Mike Washington Jr. against Arkansas.
Rubio plays with energy and a good motor. He chases hard after the ball, though his poor foot speed means he often can’t make the play. Still, his demeanor and attitude, instilled in him by a hard-working family who takes pride in their last name, is easy to feel on tape.
He doesn’t offer much as a rusher, but his motor allows him to clean up reps and finish, like this sack against Purdue (going against No. 55). I added a second clip of the game that shows a Rubio swipe to get A-gap pressure.
He was effective on stunts and can generate pressure up the middle.
Still, Rubio was taken off the field on passing downs for good reason. He fights hard to win but doesn’t do so quickly enough and too often “dances” with his blocker, unable to slip past them. He’s stiff-hipped and struggles to change directions or close gaps on zone/perimeter runs. Some of these holes were open and it would’ve been tough for anyone to make the play, but Rubio’s lack of closing speed is still clear.
Example of an unsuccessful pass rush rep. Good effort but not a lot of productivity.
His medical history is checkered, and it’s one reason why he feels so unknown. A left elbow injury knocked him out of the last six games of 2025. He missed the first half of the 2024 season after breaking his foot in camp. He missed a month in 2023 with a knee injury.
One report even cited knee trouble as a high school senior, which would explain the massive drop in production from having more tackles for a loss as a junior than he had total tackles as a senior (I assume he also started receiving much more attention from opponents, but the contrast is sharp).
Rubio had less than 800 defensive snaps in five years at Notre Dame. That’s underwhelming.
Conclusion
Overall, Gabriel Rubio is a strong and throwback defensive lineman who is hard to find these days. Stout against the run, he works hard and showed consistently plus-level run defense reps. His pass rush is minimal though his motor gives him a little bit of value on extended plays.
Like several other of Pittsburgh’s Day 3 selections, his floor is higher than his ceiling. He could become a rotational base defensive end in the Steelers’ 3-4 system. If anything, the most notable part of this pick is recognition that despite a new coaching staff, the organization has the same profile it wants in its defensive linemen.
Rubio’s game reminds me a little bit of Lawrence Guy’s.