A pair of NFL.com analysts recently broke down each teams’ 2019 draft class, and ranked all 32 drafts from best to worst. They were not very kind to the Steelers.
According to Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr of NFL.com, the Steelers had the 26th best draft class in 2019.
Here is what they had to say about Pittsburgh’s selections:
"This draft started with a bang for Pittsburgh and kind of petered out after that, with some interesting swings along the way. I like the idea of identifying a massive need, finding a fit and then doing whatever it takes to land your target. That’s exactly what Kevin Colbert did by trading up 10 spots for Bush. There was such a dramatic dropoff at the position after Devin White (the fifth overall pick) and Bush that the team felt the Michigan Man was the guy they had to get. Good call. They turned the picks they acquired in the Antonio Brown trade into Johnson and Gentry. I’m not feeling super great right now about the payoff for one of the greatest receivers of our time, but given Colbert’s track record, it won’t be surprising if he’s found another gem or two between the two of them. Zierlein’s comp for Johnson is former Steeler Emmanuel Sanders. Gentry’s an intriguing player due to his combination of size (6-8) and athleticism, but drops have been an issue for him. Now, there’s plenty to like about the Layne and Snell picks. Layne was a great value in Round 3, and Snell is a perfect fit for the Steel City as a power back who can pound the rock between the tackles. The defenders they took flyers on in Round 6 don’t have athletic traits that are going to generate a lot of excitement, but they were highly productive college players."
Though the words of Filice and Parr seemed mainly positive, there obviously isn’t a lot of love for the Steelers draft, as they have them ranked 26th out of 32 NFL teams.
In the case of Devin Bush, the Steelers did have to sacrifice quite a bit to be able to land him. Pittsburgh gave up pick 20, pick 52, and a 2020 3rd round pick to move up 10 spots in the draft.
There is an argument to be made that when you trade into the top 10, it should be for one of the ‘high money’ positions like quarterback, pass rusher, or offensive tackle. The truth is, there are a lot of ‘good’ NFL linebackers, but the Steelers are hoping Bush is great.
When it comes to the Steelers return on shipping Antonio Brown to the Raiders, I agree with Filice and Parr. The return was underwhelming. The Steelers received a 3rd round pick and a 5th round pick from trading Antonio Brown, which they ultimately turned into Diontae Johnson and Zach Gentry. That hardly seems like a win for Pittsburgh (at least not right now).
I don’t, however, agree that teams like the Saints or Dolphins had a better draft than the Steelers. New Orleans, in my opinion, had a very underwhelming draft with Eric McCoy, Chauncey Gardener-Johnson, Saquon Hampton, Elize Mack and Kaden Elliss. Of those picks, Gardener-Johnson was the only player drafted above value, according to my board, but has some major off the field concerns.
In the same way, Miami doesn’t have a player worth noting outside of Clemson DT, Christian Wilkins, who they took with the 13th overall pick. There were also a handful of teams that failed to land any true ‘first round’ talent this year.
The truth is, it doesn’t matter what Filice or Parr have to say about the Steelers draft right now. Everybody has their own opinion about how they feel Kevin Colbert and company did with their nine draft choices.
All that really matters is how these players are performing a few years down the road. Hopefully at that time we can reevaluate the Steelers draft and say with confidence that they did a whole lot better in 2019 than just the 26th best draft in the league.