Twenty-eight years after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected his father, Notre Dame defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio became a second-generation NFL Draft pick by the franchise.
The Steelers drafted the 6-foot-5, 321-pound senior in the sixth round Saturday, one round earlier than his father, Angel, who was a seventh rounder in 1998.
“He was ecstatic. He was so happy for me,” Rubio said. “He was giving me all the pointers right now about living in Pittsburgh and what’s going to go on and what’s going to happen. I’m really counting on his guidance.”
Rubio wasn’t invited to the NFL combine and played only six games last season because of an arm injury. He first connected with the Steelers at the Hula Bowl all-star game in Daytona but seemed rather surprised by their call Saturday.
“I was sitting in our living room. We were just watching the TV, and I get a call on my phone,” Rubio said. “I’m sitting here, and I’m like, ‘oh, what the heck, why does it say spam risk?’ I go and answer it, and I had to call them back. They asked me, ‘do you want to be a Steeler?’ I was like, ‘absolutely yes, 100%.’
“This is by far the greatest moment of my life.”
Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham credited “one of my buddies” at Notre Dame for helping them identify Rubio. Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Chris Ash spent two seasons as the defensive backs under Graham with the Raiders.
“No matter how many years … we’ve been having this game of football, if you’re really big, you’re really long, somebody’s going to find out about you,” Graham said. “That’s usually the case.”
Rubio was taken with pick 210 overall. It was the first of three picks the Steelers had in the seventh round.
“Anytime you’re talking about a stout, big, long man playing on the interior D-line, I think that fits the mold of what we’re looking for here with the Steelers,” Patrick said.
Rubio had 37 tackles over the past two seasons. He played 17 games with eight starts. But he missed the final six games of last season with a broken elbow and torn ulnar collateral ligament that required surgery.
He said that’s no longer an issue.
“It was a quick recovery,” Rubio said. “It only took me about six weeks to get back to playing condition. I’m 100% right now. There are no limitations.”
Rubio’s father was traded away by the Steelers four months after they drafted the defensive end, but the younger Rubio’s versatility could keep him around longer. He said he played snaps at various positions along the Notre Dame line from nose tackle to defensive end.
“I believe I came out of high school as a versatile guy, and then that versatility led me to be of a greater use to Notre Dame,” Rubio said. “I feel like that was an attracting factor to the Steelers.”