Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t looking to draft James Conner’s replacement
The Pittsburgh Steelers will likely take a running back during the 2018 NFL Draft, but not for reasons many believe.
Despite a low rep rookie season, James Conner isn’t on his way down the depth chart in Pittsburgh. His 32 rushes for 144 yards and no touchdowns compares to an average week for Le’Veon Bell, but even with little playing time in 2017, Conner is on the high road to a long Steelers career.
He’s a hometown hero. No one wants to get rid of the guy who beat all odds and then got to stay in the city that made him. Conner may not be the superstar running back for the Steelers that he was for the Panthers, but he’s young and sitting behind the NFL’s best runner.
During the 2018 NFL Draft, his team will more than likely add another running back to the mix. Fitzgerald Toussaint and Stevan Ridley already crowd the depth chart, but Pittsburgh looks like they’re about to make their options even bigger before August.
This isn’t to replace Conner. A new running back isn’t meant to be the second-string option or move Conner into fighting for a roster spot. His place on this team is secure, he just doesn’t meet the needs of an NFL backfield.
Conner is a power back with a ton of short yardage potential. He has the ability to turn runs into major yardage, but right now, he’s a four to five yard runner with the possibility of turning nothing into something.
Behind Le’Veon Bell, that’s perfect. The Steelers already have their do-it-all back in No. 26. Conner providing the bull rusher mentality, this duo is set to take off in year two. But Pittsburgh doesn’t want to give Bell that much workload, again.
He’s not aging, and by no means does Le’Veon Bell appear to be slowing down. 400 touches a season, though, is a lot. Pittsburgh knows this and are looking to make sure he doesn’t need to do it again if he’s sticking around this season.
So, they’ll look through a draft class with bulk at the position and pick someone who doesn’t meet the skill set of Conner. Instead, they’ll draft a running back with strong pass catching ability out of the backfield.
This would eliminate a ton of the reps from Bell, and add a third element to their backfield. Now, while Bell gets a majority of the reps, Conner can handle short yardage situations and their new rookie can get reps in the passing game.
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The objective is to round out the backfield, not force anyone’s hand. Bell, Conner and a rookie will great the perfect trio in Pittsburgh. Something this team loves to have and will secure at some time in the 2018 NFL Draft.