Steelers Mock Draft: Pittsburgh lands a tight end in the second round

The Pittsburgh Steelers have several big areas of need this offseason. I have them going with tight end Cole Kmet in my first mock draft of 2020.

The start of the new year marks film study time for me. Though the Steelers surrendered their first-round draft choice during the season to land Minkah Fitzpatrick, I will be grinding the tape over the next four months to find out which NFL Draft prospects might be a good fit for Pittsburgh.

The Steelers clearly have several big areas of need, and we will get a much clearer view of their weaknesses after free agency. For my first mock draft of the new year, I have Pittsburgh going with Notre Dame tight end, Cole Kmet with the 49th overall pick in the second round.

There are a couple of solid tight end prospects in this year’s draft that could find themselves going high in the second round. Purdue’s Bryce Hopkins and Washington’s Hunter Bryant are a few other tight end prospects that will battle it out to be the first off the board this April.

Kmet is more in the mold of a traditional tight end. He can line up next to the tackle and is a capable blocker in the run game. Though he is a bit stiff in his lateral movements, he possesses the ability to get vertical down the seem and can box out defenders.

Kmet doesn’t create a lot of separation at the top of his routes, but he has natural, soft hands to pluck the ball out of the air. Listed at 6’5” and 250 pounds, the Notre Dame junior possesses ideal size for the position, and at just 20 years old, there is much room for improvement.

In 10 games this season for the Fighting Irish, Kmet collected 43 receptions, 515 yards (12.0 per catch), and 6 touchdowns. This was a significant uptick from the 162 yards he earned in 2018 as a sophomore.

The Steelers have some difficult choices to make at the tight end position. Nick Vannett, who Pittsburgh acquired from Seattle during the season, is set to be a free agent. Pittsburgh will likely look to extend his contract before he hits the market.

Vance McDonald still has two years remaining on his deal, but he is due over $14.2 million over the next two seasons. The Steelers can get out of his contract with limited dead money, so it’s possible McDonald could be a cap casualty this offseason.

Whether McDonald returns for another season or not, the Steelers could still use help at the position. Vannett is a solid number two or three option, and rookie Zach Gentry couldn’t find the field as a rookie. Cole Kmet could land as the second or third tight end from day one and eventually develop into a long-time starter as the team’s top tight end.

It’s still very early in the process, and a lot can change between now and April. A lot is riding on whether Vance McDonald will be sporting the black and gold next season. If he’s released, tight end immediately becomes the biggest position of need for the Steelers in 2020.