4 reasons the Steelers will need a new starting RB in 2021

Snell doesn’t have the pop

Moving on to the options that are currently on the roster, Snell seems like the only real player to handle a full workload over a season. He has the build to be a handle 20 plus carries a game and he has the look of the traditional power back that the Steelers covet. That said, he has his fair share of problems as a running back.

For starters, and most damaging to his cause, Snell lacks top-end speed. Now, the Steelers have built successful rushing attacks without speed (Conner isn’t lightning in a bottle either), Snell seems noticeably slow. While he does compensate for that with a surplus of power, it makes it hard for him to have early game success. His game is built around carrying the ball a lot, and by around the third to fourth-quarter mark, his punishing running style would be harder to stop with an exhausted defense.

That worked well at the college level, but NFL defenses are far more athletic and trained. Yes, Snell has shown some success at the pro level, but he hasn’t been the success story he was at Kentucky. Throw in some fumbling issues this season and the Steelers may shy away from Snell as a full-time starter. Had he shown some more flash at the pro level, this story may be different, but as of now, he doesn’t seem like starting material.