Kyle Dugger
Cincinnati BengalsModel Score
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
Season Stats · 16 games
Draft & College
He went earlier than consensus.
Comps
STM Take
2023 tier 2 (#16) STTM peak as a Lenoir-Rhyne Division II 2nd-round pick puts Dugger in the rare outlier-positive Division II S class. The career STTM volatility confirms the structural ceiling is highly team-fit and scheme dependent. The 2026 question is whether Dugger returns to tier 4-5 territory with Pittsburgh or whether the structural mid-career instability closes the chapter.
Dugger came out of Lenoir-Rhyne (Division II) as the New England Patriots' 2nd-round pick (37th overall) in 2020. He delivered a tier 2 (#16) STTM peak in 2023 before signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025. His STTM career runs tier 3 (#20) in 2021, tier 7 (#49) in 2022, tier 2 (#16) peak in 2023, tier 8 (#75) in 2024, and tier 6 (#43) in 2025.
Strengths
- 2023 tier 2 (#16) STTM peak as a Lenoir-Rhyne Division II 2nd-round pick puts him in the rare outlier-positive Division II S class.
- Six years of NFL development across two systems gives him real journeyman veteran market value.
Concerns
- Career STTM volatility (tier 2 in 2023, tier 8 in 2024, tier 6 in 2025) confirms the ceiling is highly team-fit and scheme dependent.
- Pittsburgh's broader defensive identity around T.J. Watt's primary pass-rush priority puts continued Dugger production partly dependent on team-fit.
What to watch: Whether Dugger returns to tier 4 (top 30) in 2026 with Pittsburgh, the threshold for confirming the 2023 ceiling can be recaptured.