Learn more about defensive end Gabriel Rubio in this edition of Five Fast Facts.
1. The Steelers selected Notre Dame defensive end Gabriel Rubio with the 210th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
2. Rubio played in six games in 2025, with five starts, but missed the final six due to injury. He appeared in 39 career games for the Fighting Irish, with eight starts.
He recorded 66 tackles, 27 of them solo stops. He also recorded seven tackles for a loss, one and a half sacks, three passes defensed and one forced fumble.
3. Rubio's father, Angel Rubio, was drafted by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL Draft.
"He's ecstatic," said Gabriel of his father. "He's so excited for me. He's given me all the pointers right now about living in Pittsburgh and what's going to go on, what's going to happen, so I'm really counting on his guidance."
4. His father has shared plenty of advice with his son, from playing in the NFL overall to what to expect in Pittsburgh.
"Having a person who has been through it and who has done all the hard things, and has been through all the hardships, and has been at the high of highs and lows of lows," said Rubio. "Having him there as not only a role model, but also a father, and a person that I see every day, someone who I can talk to every day about the things that are going on in my game is something very special, and I can't explain it unless you have it."
5. Was a college teammate of Jerome Bettis Jr. and Elijah Burress, whose fathers, Jerome Bettis and Plaxico Burress, played for the Steelers.
