4 reasons Steelers should take RB Trey Sermon in the 2021 NFL Draft
By Andrew Falce
Draft projection
This is one of the best arguments for Sermon being a good Steelers prospect. His style matches the Steelers’ preferences and his usage is less than many players at his position. While that helps, his current draft projection is in the top of the fourth round according to The Draft Network. While it may go up after his athletic testing, Sermon will at best be a late second pick. More than likely, especially with the injury, Sermon should end up getting picked somewhere in the third. Meanwhile, Harris is currently graded as a late first-round pick, meaning the Steelers would have to invest significantly more if they opted for Harris.
While running the ball has value in an offense, taking a running back in the first has a lot of risks. As stated above, this is a position that wears down quickly, and the odds of a running back getting a second contract from the team that drafted them isn’t that great. The prospect of your first-round pick not being on your team in four to five years despite solid production is less than ideal. Meanwhile, if you get four years of good production from a third-rounder before, they leave, that is much more tolerable.
This isn’t to say that Sermon is better than a Harris or a fellow first-round back, but he will more than likely present a better value than any of them. As well, given his lighter and more spread out usage, Sermon could realistically play longer. This isn’t the early 2000’s anymore where having a successful bell-cow back is necessary. If the Steelers can get a value pick like Sermon over an early-round running back, it makes far more sense.
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While his recent surge in production has Sermon’s stock skyrocketing, he seems like a great fit for a Steelers team that will be looking for a new running back. His overall production is there despite limited touches at the college level and his value should be lower than some of the top options. While there may be better overall backs in this draft, the Steelers need to take a closer look at Sermon as a day two pick in the draft.