The Steelers have a lot of needs to fill on the offensive side of the ball, and I don’t have them hiding their interests in my latest NFL mock draft.
NFL Pro Days have started and the Steelers are making no effort to hide their interests this offseason. After finishing dead last in the league in rushing in 2020, Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, and Art Rooney II each told the media that fixing the running game is one of their top priorities, and there are going to be changes on offense.
While it’s still fairly early in the process, the Steelers have taken a clear interest in some of the top running backs and offensive linemen in the 2021 NFL Draft. Based on their visits so far, they aren’t straying from the words they spoke immediately following the season; they are actively looking for ways to fix the offense. Here is what I have Pittsburgh doing in my latest seven-round Steelers mock draft:
Steelers mock draft round 1: Travis Etienne
This pick shouldn’t come as a surprise by anyone. While the Steelers have shockingly taken just one first-round running back in the last 31 years (Rashard Mendenhall), the stars are aligning for them do to exactly that in 2021. Though we could debate all day about whether running backs should be drafted in the first round, Travis Etienne is one of the better backs to come out over the past three years, and the Steelers clearly have an interest.
Tomlin, Colbert, and new offensive coordinator Matt Canada were all on hand for Clemson’s Pro Day on March 11th, and the fact that they added a virtual visit with Etienne just adds more reason to believe why he will be in strong contention for the pick at 24. The Clemson star has had phenomenal college production and has the speed to go the distance. This is something Pittsburgh desperately needs at running back.
Steelers mock draft round 2: Dillon Radunz
This seems a little early for the Steelers to be taking a chance on non-Power 5 football players, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Dillon Radunz was outstanding during Senior Bowl week and he received the award as the top player during practices. Going against the best senior pass rushers from around the country, Radunz rarely lost a rep.
Pittsburgh normally waits until the third round to take chances on small-school players (like Alex Highsmith or Javon Hargrave). However, Radunz certainly won’t last that long as he comes at one of the most important positions in all of football.
As far as interest goes, there is plenty on the part of Pittsburgh. Despite center Creed Humphrey performing at Oklahoma’s Pro Day at the same time, the Steelers sent offensive line coach Adrian Klemm to North Dakota State for Radunz instead. Pittsburgh’s staff got a terrific look at him at the Senior Bowl, but their interest clearly didn’t end there. It doesn’t look like Radunz will make it out of the second round at this point, and Pittsburgh could be a likely landing spot for him if he’s still on the board.
Steelers mock draft round 3: Dillon Radunz
I don’t remember the last time the Steelers took a non-Power 5 player back-to-back in the second and third round of the same draft, but depending on how things shake out, this certainly seems like a possibility. Pittsburgh is no doubt thrilled with what they got out of Alex Highsmith so far, but with Bud Dupree now headed to Tennessee, they really need at least one more quality edge rusher.
By this point in the draft, there will be a run on talent and the top few tiers of edge defenders will be off the board. The Steelers could go with an unspectacular player from a big school who could be a core special teams player and rotational defender, or they can press their luck with another small-school guy.
UAB’s Jordan Smith has earned 23.5 tackles for a loss and 12.5 sacks in his 21 college games. He’s long and athletic with a good combination of burst and power. Smith is another player the Steelers got a good look at during the Senior Bowl and he turned heads in one-on-one drills. At 6’6” and 255 pounds, Smith is taller than what Pittsburgh typically looks for in an edge defender, but he is rangy and has experience playing both edge positions for the Blazers. He would immediately become Pittsburgh’s third-best edge defender with Dupree gone and would carve out a role early in his rookie season.
Steelers mock draft round 4: Trey Hill
I really think the Steelers are going to be targeting a center early on day two of the draft, but there’s a chance that the top three players at the position (Creed Humphrey, Landon Dickerson, and Quinn Meinerz) are off the board before their second-round pick at 55 overall. If this is the case, I have them going with value over the position of need, and settling for Georgia’s Trey Hill in the fourth round.
Hill was a former four-star recruit coming out of high school but hasn’t quite lived up to the hype at this point. Surprisingly, he elected to come out as a true junior this year instead of sticking around for his senior season. At 6’3” and 330 pounds, Hill has rare size and bulk for the position. As a result, his power shows up on tape often and he churns his legs through contact.
Unfortunately, Hill is still a bit raw at this point, and he won’t be the plug-and-play center the Steelers were hoping to find. With Maurkice Pouncey gone, the Steelers re-signed J.C. Hassenauer and signed former center, B.J. Finney. They could offer some level of security until Hill is ready to take over down the line (hopefully sooner rather than later).
Steelers mock draft round 4 (comp.): Anthony Schwartz
JuJu Smith-Schuster reportedly told teammates that he is likely to sign elsewhere in free agency. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise as it was a stretch that the Steelers would get him back for the 2021 season. JuJu is set for a big payday, and his eventual departure in free agency leaves a hole that Pittsburgh will need to fill.
With very limited funds, the Steelers probably won’t bring in any notable free-agent receivers. Instead, they will look to fill this spot through the draft. I have them going with the fastest player in the 2021 draft class in Auburn WR Anthony Schwartz.
Schwartz is more of a track star than a receiver at this point and it shows on tape, but speed kills, and the Steelers know they desperately need more of that on offense. Though he was a slot receiver for the Tigers, he wins in a very different way than JuJu. At 6’0” and 179 pounds, Schwartz gives off much more of a ‘Mike Wallace’ vibe with his size and speed. Still, Pittsburgh has expressed interest in Schwartz and he’s someone that will be on their radar early in day three. With his kind of speed, however, he may not even last this long despite modest tape and production.
Steelers mock draft round 6: Tony Poljan
The Steelers desperately need to address the tight end position as there is a concerning lack of depth behind Eric Ebron. Unfortunately, it’s not a strong tight end class, and they would be forced to use one of their top picks to secure a player that can help make a difference right away. Tony Poljan is a former quarterback and he played for both Central Michigan and Virginia – two schools Pittsburgh is familiar with. He could come in and compete with Zach Gentry and Kevin Radar in the pecking order at tight end.
Steelers mock draft round 7: Manny Rugamba
Pittsburgh has taken some small-school defensive backs in the past, and I have them doing the same with Miami of Ohio cornerback, Manny Rugamba. Rugamba is a physical cornerback who has experience both outside the hashes and in the slot. Though Pittsburgh was able to retain Cameron Sutton, they recently lost Mike Hilton in free agency to the Bengals. Rugamba could help fill his shoes or at least compete for one of the final roster spots in the secondary.
Steelers mock draft round 7: Paddy Fisher
Since Tyler Matakevich departed from the Steelers after the 2019 season, Pittsburgh has been in need of a core special teams ace at the linebacker position. As I predicted, Vince Williams recently got the boot to save cap space, and Avery Williamson is likely to sign elsewhere. Paddy Fisher will probably never develop into a starting-caliber football player due to his athletic limitations, but he could be a special teams standout that can provide some emergency depth at inside linebacker.
With free agency looming, it will be interesting to see if the Steelers are able to fill any of these needs before draft day. As of now, I have them addressing the running back position with their first pick and rolling the dice on a few small-school players this year.