Steelers drafting 3 linebackers in 2019 was an odd decision
By Tommy Jaggi
The Steelers filled their linebacker need and then some this year after using three of their nine draft choices on the position.
The Steelers made it quite obvious that linebacker was a big need this offseason. After signing Mark Barron to a 2-year $12M deal in free agency, Pittsburgh eventually traded up to the 10th spot in the draft to land Michigan LB, Devin Bush.
However, the Steelers didn’t stop there. On day three of the NFL Draft, Pittsburgh drafted linebackers Sutton Smith and Ulysees Gilbert III.
Though the Steelers clearly wanted to fill a need, did they go a little over-the-top with their decision to draft three linebackers and bring in a fourth in free agency?
There is no question that their linebacker play was pretty dismal last season. Vince Williams played north and south like he always has, and Jon Bostic was only a sure tackler at best. Both linebackers were awful in coverage, so it’s understandable that the front office would want to fix this position.
However, their decision to bring in four linebackers this offseason still baffles me for a number of reasons.
It’s highly unlikely that the Steelers will be able to roster all the guys they brought in. In fact, their two late round rookies (Smith and Gilbert) are far from roster locks this season, and it’s likely that at least one is a practice squad player.
Even more baffling is the fact that Pittsburgh elected to ignore the safety position with nine draft choices, only to triple-up on the linebacker position. The Steelers have some of the worst depth in the league at safety and are still in need of help.
Now out of money, and with positions like safety and tight end in need of improvement, Pittsburgh has backed themselves into a hole with their decision to focus too heavily on the linebacker position.
I give credit to the Steelers for electing to overhaul quite possible the worst positional grouping on the team, but with three picks spent on the linebacker position, Pittsburgh elected to ignore other areas of need. I think that was an odd move by the organization.