Pittsburgh Steelers 7-Round Mock Draft: Replacing Antonio Brown becomes priority
By Edward Hunt
The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the offseason disappointed but there is always hope in the offseason for a good draft. Here is a look my first mock draft of the offseason.
Round 1, Pick 20: De’Andre Baker, CB, Georgia
De’Andre Baker is an excellent cover corner and that is becoming so important to the direction of the Steelers defense. The Steelers will need a number two corner early as Artie Burns is not doing the job and Coty Sensabaugh is nothing more than a stopgap.
Sensabaugh is also a free agent. They will need to go high at this position also because Joe Haden is getting older and they will need that top cover corner eventually.
Round 2, Pick 20: Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
The Steelers love to go receiver on day two and this draft should be no different. Reports are that the Steelers are expected to trade Antonio Brown and although JuJu Smith-Schuster is a legitimate #1 receiver, they will need more depth at the position, especially on the outside.
Samuel is an electric kick returner and a speedy receiver who can add help with the deep ball. He had a bad year in 2019 but was thought of as a first rounder a year ago.
Round 3, Pick 19: Austin Bryant, OLB, Clemson
Austin Bryant will probably be the last Clemson starting defensive lineman drafted but he is still a Day Two pick. He has a quick first step and gets regular pressure. The downside is that he is not as good as a run defender and he benefitted statistically from playing on a talented line.
Offensive lines were much more concerned with the other three members of the defensive line and that left him open in college. I could see him playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 because he was asked to drop into zone coverage at Clemson.
This is a risky pick because we don’t know he will do when he is more the focus on the offensive line, but he does show some potential.