The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Thursday that Bud Dupree has been selected for the Joe Greene Great Performance Award. The award, given to a Steelers rookie, was given to Dupree after an impressive rookie season.
Dupree, who was selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Steelers, has had quite the rookie year. For starters, his first sack of the year came against one of the great quarterbacks in the game, Mr. Tom Brady. Dupree has had four sacks this season and is looking to add another to his tally against the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback, Austin Davis, this Sunday. Dupree also has 24 tackles this season in his role as a linebacker.
His sacks this season are tied with LaMarr Woodley for the third-most sacks by a rookie on the Steelers squad in a single season. Around the league, Dupree is tied for fifth among his fellow NFL rookies.
Last year, the award’s recipient was wide receiver Martavis Bryant. This is first time that a defensive player has won the award since 2008 when linebacker Patrick Bailey was the recipient. “It means a lot to win it,” said Dupree to the Steelers official website. “I am just trying to follow in those [Joe Greene’s] footsteps and get better each and every day.”
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