Steelers sign six undrafted free agents to contracts

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed the first six of the 10 undrafted free agents they agreed to terms with Saturday upon conclusion of the NFL Draft.

Signing contracts Tuesday were linebackers Leo Lewis of Mississippi State and John Houston of USC, cornerbacks James Pierre of Florida Atlantic and Trajan Bandy of Miami (Fla), defensive end Calvin Taylor of Kentucky and punter Corliss Waitman of South Alabama and Mississippi State.

Lewis, a 6-foot-2, 245-pound senior, set a career-high with 5.5 tackles for loss in 2019. He added one sack, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Lewis entered Mississippi State as the nation’s top inside linebacker recruit out of Brookhaven (Miss.) and was a four-year contributor and played in 51 career games.

Lewis was named the SEC defensive freshman of the year in 2016.

Houston, a 6-3, 220-pound redshirt senior, had 271 career tackles at USC, including 104 as a senior. In 2019, he had seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and three passes defensed.

Pierre, a 6-0, 183-pound junior, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds at the NFL Combine. He originally signed with Syracuse in 2016 but did not qualify academically. He enrolled at Florida Atlantic the following year. As a junior, he had 44 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, three interceptions and four pass breakups. He had a team-high nine pass breakups as a sophomore.

Bandy, a 5-9, 186-pound junior, also was invited to the NFL Combine and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. He had 29 tackles, three sacks and eight pass breakups in 2019 after wearing the team’s Turnover Chain five times the previous year when he had three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

A 6-9, 310-pound redshirt senior defensive lineman, Taylor played end and tackle during his time at Kentucky. He made 22 consecutive starts and 40 appearances in his career. He had 8.5 of his 10.5 sacks in his senior year, the seventh-highest single-season total in school history. He finished with 85 tackles, including 16.5 for loss.

Waitman spent four years at South Alabama before enrolling at Mississippi State. He was denied a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA and never punted for the Bulldogs. He averaged 42.7 yards per punt in 38 games at South Alabama.

The four undrafted free agents that haven’t signed contracts yet are Auburn fullback Spencer Nigh, Tulane center Christian Montano, Baylor outside linebacker James Lockhart and Mississippi linebacker Josiah Coatney.