Countdown to Camp: Anthony Chickillo

by Christina "Tina" Rivers (3Rivers_Writer) on July 20, 2017

Countdown to Camp is a series aimed at preparing fans for the Pittsburgh Steelers upcoming training camp by focusing on players who were on the 2016 roster. Each profile will include basic statistics and a hand selected highlight from last year.

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Anthony Chickillo	56
Position	Linebacker
Date of birth	December 10, 1992 (age 24)
Place of birth	Tampa, Florida
Height	6-3
Weight	253
High school	Tampa (FL) Alonso
College	Miami (FL)
NFL Draft	2015 / Round 6 / Pick 212
Career	Pittsburgh Steelers (2015-present)

Florida-native Anthony Chickillo exited college projected as the 13th best defensive end by NFLDraftScout.com and several scouts felt he was a linebacker/end hybrid, or ‘tweener’, receiving mixed reviews at the NFL Scouting Combine. That didn’t prevent Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin from attending Chickillo’s pro day or the team grabbing him in the sixth round (212 overall) in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Chickillo spent his rookie season mainly on special teams but saw action in seven games; he recorded a season-high two tackles and a forced fumble against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17.

2016 saw Chickillo move to third on the outside linebacker depth chart behind Bud Dupree and Arthur Moats, play numerous special teams snaps and have an opportunity to move up when Dupree was forced onto injured-reserved for the first ten games of the season.

Pittsburgh has a tradition of molding linebackers and Chickillo has worked on his consistency and ability to generate leverage at the point of attack. He isn’t afraid of power blocks and has a natural feel for reading opposing offenses. He hasn’t set speed records but has shown glimpses of nice burst off the line, an ability to press into the offensive backfield and decent play against the run.

Training camp should give Chickillo an opportunity to take his play up a notch – something the Steelers would be encouraged by. By being a piece of the new, younger Steelers defense, Chickillo could use camp to improve his stock and depth-chart placement if he can get the engine clicking on all cylinders.