Mizzou Football: Nick Bolton linked to Steelers in NFL.com mock draft

Could Mizzou football linebacker Nick Bolton be a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft? Bucky Brooks of NFL.com thinks so. 

After an impressive three-year career with the Missouri Tigers, Nick Bolton made the decision to forego his senior season and enter the 2021 NFL Draft. He ended his Tigers tenure with 220 tackles (17.5 for loss), 12 defended passes, four sacks, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and one recovered fumble.

This past season was yet another tremendous one for Bolton, who finished the tumultuous 2020 college football season with a whopping 95 tackles (eight for loss), five defended passes, two sacks, and one recovered fumble. He was one of the best players not just on the Mizzou defense, but on the entire team, so it makes sense that he’s leaving college before his eligibility is up to go pro.

There will be a lot of teams coveting Bolton in the 2021 NFL Draft and Bucky Brooks of NFL.com has him going in the first round in his latest mock draft. Brooks has the Steelers selecting Bolton with the No. 24 pick and had this to say,

"The heat-seeking missile from Missouri is the perfect partner for Devin Bush between the tackles."

Nick Bolton of Mizzou football would fit in beautifully with the Steelers defense.

This would be an absolute match made in heaven for both the Steelers and for Bolton. He’d get to go to one of the most prominent franchises in all of sports and would join arguably the best defense in the NFL.

Bolton hasn’t been listed as a first-round starter in a lot of mock drafts but it wouldn’t be shocking if he did go late in the first round. He’s going to be a starter for whatever team takes him and that’s why being a first-round pick wouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever.

The Missouri Tigers are certainly going to miss having Bolton on their defense in 2021, but he won’t be the only player leaving. MU will also be losing Josuah Bledsoe and Tyree Gillespie on defense and Larry Rountree is departing from the offense.

Will Nick Bolton end up being a first-round pick? If so, how do you think he’d fare with the Steelers? It’d sure be fun watching him join that dominant Steel Curtain, plus he won’t even have to change jersey colors if he ended up in Pittsburgh.