By the numbers: Defensive back is not the Steelers’ forte, but there is hope
How do Steelers compare to the rest of the NFL?
But I digress. It’s a difficult position to evaluate. So how have the Steelers done compared to the rest of the league? Here’s a visual.
| NFL Draft Rounds 2 Through 5 (2010 through 2018) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers Pick Breakdown | # selected by Steelers | Steelers Avg Score | League Avg Score | Steelers vs NFL |
| QB | 3 | 1.00 | 1.17 | -0.17 |
| RB | 4 | 1.75 | 1.46 | 0.29 |
| WR | 6 | 2.17 | 1.40 | 0.77 |
| T | 5 | 1.40 | 1.54 | -0.14 |
| G | 0 | NA | 1.37 | NA |
| C | 1 | 1.00 | 1.76 | -0.76 |
| DE | 0 | NA | 1.30 | NA |
| DT | 3 | 2.00 | 1.55 | 0.45 |
| OLB | 0 | NA | 1.44 | NA |
| LB | 5 | 0.80 | 1.46 | -0.66 |
| ILB | 0 | NA | 2.00 | NA |
| CB | 5 | 0.40 | 1.34 | -0.94 |
| DB | 5 | 0.20 | 0.98 | -0.78 |
| SS | 1 | 1.00 | 1.58 | -0.58 |
| FS | 0 | NA | 1.46 | NA |
| SAF | 1 | 2.00 | 1.60 | 0.40 |
| K | 0 | NA | 1.67 | NA |
| P | 0 | NA | 1.88 | NA |
The above chart details every pick a team might make in the NFL draft, the number of selections the Steelers have made at each position and the delta between the team’s average score and the league’s. You can learn more about the scoring system here.
If I were to look at these numbers without knowing anything else about the team, I would guess that the Steelers are a bad football team and that they’ve failed to make the playoffs most of the past 10 years. But that’s not the case. Why?
Well, the Steelers have done very well selecting talent in the first round. That’s a good start. Beyond that, they’ve been strong at selecting skill positions on offense (tight end notwithstanding, as they only chose one in the middle rounds between 2010 and 2018) and have been solid at selecting players in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
They’ve also coached up what they have to a level that has allowed them to compete, year in and year out until they inevitably run into a buzz saw in the playoffs that exposes the deficient talent in the secondary (I’m looking at you, Mr. Brady).
All that said, they seem to be self-aware. In 2019, the Steelers signed CB Steve Nelson as the highest-paid free agent in the history of the club. They then sent their 2020 first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Combine those two moves with a defense comprised mostly of 1st round picks, a street free agent in Mike Hilton, and one of the rare CB picks to make progress in Cam Sutton, and you have a top ten defense on your hands.
But the Steelers still need to draft this year. If we think about this by the numbers in the above chart, what should they do?