It didn’t take long for first-year Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott to become a fan-favorite. From his introductory press conference where he quickly became a meme, pointing to the team logo when asked what drew him to come to Pittsburgh.

“That logo,” Elliott said. “This is championship football. This is a culture. This is real smash-mouth, real gritty, cold-weather-game football.”

Elliott has taken that mentality and displayed it on the field through the first half of the year. leading the team with 51 tackles, adding two tackles for loss, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery to make up a tremendous stat line in his first seven games as a Steeler. He has more tackles than Kyle Hamilton and a higher run defense grade than the likes of Brian Branch, Hamilton, Julian Love, and Budda Baker. As a matter of fact, Elliott’s PFF grade against the run is the highest amongst all safeties in the NFL.

He has been a true do-it-all weapon in his first year in Pittsburgh. And while Patrick Queen was the big-name signing, Elliott has been the free-agent addition that has made the most impact for the Steelers and their defense. His numbers speak for themselves – he is playing at an All-Pro level, and should get that type of recognition if this translates for the full 17-game slate.