5 reasons Steelers could go EDGE with the 24th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft

4. Steelers don’t value running back as much as everyone believes

The mainstreamed draft media would lead you to believe that it’s running back or bust for the Steelers in the first round. But I wouldn’t buy into that line of logic. While Najee Harris and Travis Etienne are certainly two players on Pittsburgh’s radar this year, they have never been a team to place a big emphasis on the running back position.

This isn’t just a trend they have held true to under Mike Tomlin or Kevin Colbert but throughout their storied history. Over the past 31 years, the Steelers have used just one first-round selection on a running back (Rashard Mendenhall in 2009), and it didn’t turn out so well for them. In addition, some of their most successful running backs in the franchise’s history are players they didn’t even spend draft capital on, like ‘Fast’ Willie Parker.

Even the great Jerome Bettis was acquired by trade with the Rams for just a day-two pick swap. Over the past 11 years, the Steelers haven’t spent much more than a second-round pick on a running back early in the draft, and we shouldn’t automatically assume that they are going to break tradition in 2021. Sure, a player like Harris or Etienne could give them a boost this year, but they understand the importance of other positions compared to running backs, and that could once again keep them from going this direction early in the draft.

The Steelers have not only drafted four times as many edge defenders early in the draft over the past decade, but they’ve also expressed more interest in this position so far this offseason.