Steelers did not stray from their obvious draft needs
By Tommy Jaggi
The Steelers had some glaring holes to fill on their team as they entered the 2019 NFL Draft. Linebacker – arguably the weakest position on the team since the loss of Ryan Shazier – was a must. Pittsburgh showed just how big of a need this was as the Steelers traded into the top 10 to draft Michigan linebacker, Devin Bush.
Like other teams, the Steelers aren’t the greatest at disguising their needs and the players they like in the draft. Here’s how things turned out for the Steelers in the 2019 draft:
| Position | PD visits | Drafted | Player | Player visited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 7 | Yes | Benny Snell Jr. | Yes |
| CB | 6 | Yes | Justin Layne | Yes |
| WR | 4 | Yes | Diontae Johnson | Yes |
| ILB | 4 | Yes (2) | Devin Bush/Ulysees Gilbert | Yes (Gilbert) |
| EDGE/OLB | 4 | Yes | Sutton Smith | No |
| TE | 3 | Yes | Zach Gentry | No |
| S | 3 | No | N/A | N/A |
| OL | 1 | Yes | Derwin Gary | No |
| DL | 0 | Yes | Isaiah Buggs | No |
As you can see, the Steelers apparently fell in love with their pre-draft visits. In fact, Pittsburgh drafted eight of the nine positions they visited. From those, six of the players they drafted were pre-draft visits or pro day visits from Mike Tomlin/Kevin Colbert.
Pittsburgh has a way of doing things, and apparently, they don’t care if everyone else knows it to. The Steelers had a mission on draft day, and they did not stray far from the plan.