2020 NFL Draft: Steelers reactions to an insane day two

The 3rd round

Bengals open the third round with a good pick (unfortunately).

Logan Wilson is a great coverage option at LB and considering their deficiencies at the position last year, it makes sense to add guys there. Not a fan than he goes in-division, but a good pick for the Bengals.

Seattle grabbing some IOL early on. Damien Lewis has some really solid tape and would have been a sneaky good pick at 102. Hopefully, this doesn’t lead to a huge run at the position since it would be ideal to target this position for the Steelers.

Oh Miami, you’re breaking my heart.

I love Brandon Jones and he would have been a good player for the Steelers. He is solid depth and an intelligent player, he would have been a great backup with developmental upside.

And there goes Justin Madubuike to the Ravens. Another target for the Steelers, he knows how to get after the QB. If the Steelers wanted a replacement for Javon Hargrave, you are looking at him. Bad two picks early in the third.

Cardinals keep it going by grabbing Josh Jones to the Cardinals. A good developmental OT that would have been a good RT candidate. Like the pick for the Cardinals as they need to protect their QB, just wish he could have fallen a little farther.

The Jaguars add some beef on the defense.

Davon Hamilton is a great run stuffer with minimal pass rushing upside. I thought he was more of a fourth-rounder, but Jaguars pop on him earlier. Another potential Steelers target off the board.

Atlanta’s turn to crush my dreams.

Matt Hennessy is a mauler and a violent interior option. Would have made a lot of sense at 102 but this range makes sense for him. Falcons have invested a lot in rebuilding that OL the past few drafts.

This is where the draft gets difficult for me. I’m tired and the Steelers are still 20 picks away. Wake me up when something interesting happens.

Cowboys grab Neville Gallimore, and the worst part is my fiancé’s mom is a Cowboys fan who is celebrating hard right now. After Madubuike, Gallimore was the next logical NT option for the Steelers. Options are thinning out there, I wonder if the Steelers will reach at 102 for one or wait and address the position later.

There goes another.

The Broncos grab Cushenberry here, meaning another IOL goes before 102. That said, there are still a lot of good options on the board less than twenty picks out. Lucas Niang and Prince Tega-Wanogho still there and would be solid outside options if they make it.

Zach Moss was a fan favorite for a lot of Steelers fans as his ability to catch the ball and run with power made him attractive as a prospect. I really like his fit in Buffalo though and think he should find some success with the Bills.

Browns nab one of the final NT options.

Jordan Elliot was a sound player at Missouri and looked like a potential NT with the Steelers. I wasn’t a huge fan of him based on his film, but the cupboard is bare at NT now. Steelers fans may need to be looking at Daniel McCullers next year.

Patriots are really ignoring the QB position.

I can’t imagine they are going to add one now, but we will see. Like Devin Asiasi as a developmental guy, but not as the second best TE in the class. “Meh” pick that I’m sure will absolutely dominate since the Patriots took him.

Ravens are here to make the Steelers mad, I guess. Devin Duvernay is a speedy slot guy with good hands and decent route running. Would have been a good option had the Steelers not gone Claypool at 49.

Chiefs get a great add here.

Niang was one of the best OL prospects in this draft, but he had some serious injury concerns that caused him to fall. Really wanted him to make it to 102, but the board has honestly been kind for the Steelers.

Browns get some LB help. I honestly don’t know much about Jacob Phillips, but the Browns needed some major help on defense. It’ll be interesting to see how he does in Cleveland.

Board is looking pretty solid right now.

A lot of OL depth and some edge options are still available. Pulling for Prince out of Auburn or Amik Robertson right now. Trautman would put a smile on my face as well.

Ravens make the better move than Cleveland here grabbing Malik Harrison. A good, sturdy LB who can play the run really well. They get their every-down guy in Queen and add a solid option in Harrison who can start in a pinch.

Woah, and there goes Tanner Muse earlier than expected. He is uber-athletic but will have to move to LB instead of staying in the secondary. Heck, at this point the Raiders may play him at WR…

Patriots traded up in front of the Steelers. They took… Dalton Keene? I mean I liked him as a prospect but as a late-round or UDFA guy, not this high. Not sure what the Patriots are doing, but I’m sure they will look like geniuses this time next year.

Here we go Steelers! Hoping for some OL help.

They go with Alex Highsmith. Not surprising honestly, considering the need at OLB both with depth this year and potentially as a starter if Bud Dupree doesn’t stay long-term. Highsmith shows some pop on tape and has really good potential. He needs to refine his pass-rushing skills a little bit but should be in a good spot to learn. I really like this pick on paper.

While there are a couple of guys I like more than Highsmith, I think grabbing a guy like him and giving him a year to get stronger and rotate in is smart. The Steelers need to get after the QB and they are setting themselves up to do that even if Dupree leaves.

Saints grab Trautman and I’m happy for him. Both were Flyers for a while, and I think he shows a lot on tape. He should be a good target for the Saints and happy to see him go this early.

And that is that for the second day of the draft. All of these were thoughts as I had them as picks came off the board. I’ll have time to mull them over and reconsider before looking over the class as a whole in the future. Final thoughts are: the Steelers did a good job with limited resources to add high upside players, the Ravens killed it, and the Browns and Bengals did ok. Excited to see the conclusion tomorrow to see who else winds up with the Steelers.