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Pittsburgh Steelers mock draft: No pain, so much to gain

By Jake Bendrick

FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 22: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 22: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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BOULDER, CO – OCTOBER 25: Laviska Shenault Jr. #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes carries the ball for a 73-yard touchdown catch against the USC Trojans in the third quarter of a game at Folsom Field on October 25, 2019 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
BOULDER, CO – OCTOBER 25: Laviska Shenault Jr. #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes carries the ball for a 73-yard touchdown catch against the USC Trojans in the third quarter of a game at Folsom Field on October 25, 2019 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Round 2: Laviska Shenault JR., WR, Colorado University

Oh boy. This is a big one. This is the pick that will put the black and gold over the top and land them in Tampa next February. Yes, it’s no coincidence that the last time the Steelers brought home the Lombardi Trophy they did so in Tampa. This is about destiny, and it starts with round 2.

I think this pick is going to require a trade and the Steelers will sacrifice one of their round 4 picks to sneak in front of the Denver Broncos, but for now, let’s make-believe everything is normal and Shenault tumbles this far. If he does, the Steelers should sprint to the podium and make the announcement themselves before anything can happen to commissioner Goodell.

The WR from Colorado ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and then called it a day due to a core muscle injury for which he required surgery. I was so happy to see it happen I could barely keep from breaking with social distancing requirements in order to hug my neighbors, but I contained myself. The talk everywhere is that the injury will cause Shenault to fall, and if he does in an extremely deep receiver class, the Steelers will land a player who on tape reminds me of none other than Le’Veon Bell. Wait a minute. What? Bell is a running back. True. But three years ago, most experts agreed he would be a high-end WR2 on most any NFL roster.

Shenault is faster than Bell and possesses the same explosion when it comes to making cuts in traffic. Beyond that, his college tape is full of defensive players attempting to gang tackle the wide out, often without much success. At 6′ 1″ and 227 lbs, he’s a violent runner and rarely, if ever, falls backward.

Why am I so high on Shenault? Quite simply put, he’s the best WR in this draft and if he remains healthy during his NFL career he will make all of us forget the other names like Jeudy, Lamb, and Higgins. I’m putting my stake in the ground on this one. An offense featuring Roethlisberger, Conner, Ebron, Johnson, JuJu, and Shenault will be harder to stop than Antonio Brown set loose on an angry Twitter binge.

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