Steelers Mock Draft: Pittsburgh beefs up the trenches early
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of retooling to do this offseason. I have them adding depth to their offensive and defensive lines early in my latest mock draft.
This year, Pittsburgh’s first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft will be more up in the air than we have seen it in years. Based on Pro Day dinner meetings, in-house visits, and a variety of other factors, we can typically narrow down the Steelers first pick to just a handful of players. However, this year is different.
Something that may not be mocked to the Steelers enough is the trenches – both offensive and defensive. Pittsburgh could be looking to fill the void left by Javon Hargrave in the middle of the defensive line. Arguably, even more, pressing is their need to find young, quality offensive lineman to start retooling the league’s oldest unit from 2019.
In my latest Steelers mock draft, I have them building up their trenches early. Here’s a look at my updated seven-round mock:
2nd round: Neville Gallimore
Defensive tackle, Oklahoma
This is a player who could be popping up on Pittsburgh’s radar the closer we get to the draft. Though neither Mike Tomlin or Kevin Colbert was on hand at Oklahoma’s Pro Day before the pandemic in America, they were able to take a good look at Neville Gallimore at the 2020 Senior Bowl.
During that time, Gallimore owned most of the offensive lineman he was matched up against. Gallimore is very much in the mold of a Javon Hargrave – 6’2”, 304 pounds, with a burst off the ball and an array of pass rush moves.
Gallimore isn’t necessarily stout against the run, and this is an area he still needs to improve in. While his lack of production is a bit of a concern (6.5 tackles for a loss in 13 games as a redshirt senior) he constantly flashes on tape. Gallimore would slide into Hargrave’s role on Pittsburgh’s defense.