4 best-case scenarios for Steelers in first round of 2021 NFL Draft

The Steelers have many players on their draft radar, but here are Pittsburgh’s best-case scenarios in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. 

The 2021 NFL Draft is just around the corner and analysts are busy predicting who the Steelers are going to select with the 24th overall pick this year. While Pittsburgh made the playoffs a season ago, this draft will prove to be one of their most important in recent memory. The team lost many notable contributors this offseason and, as of now, they are set to have just 26 players under contract in 2022.

Hitting on their first-round pick is a must. Though they are selecting in the back half of the draft, the Steelers need to be able to find a cornerstone player who can be around for the next generation of Pittsburgh football through the pending rebuild. Here are four best-case scenarios for the Steelers in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft:

Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech

To be completely honest, I don’t think the Steelers showed quite enough interest in Christian Darrisaw to consider him a legitimate candidate with the 24th overall pick, and he is likely gone by this point. However, landing a player as talented as Darrisaw would be a dream come true.

The Virginia Tech offensive tackle would fill a huge position of need for Pittsburgh, and he happens to play one of the most important positions in all of football. There are some concerns about Darrisaw’s work ethic and perhaps that could cause him to slip a bit, but he’s a legitimate first-round prospect who could be a long-time starter at either tackle spot for the next decade. This would be a slamdunk – assuming there is enough interest on the part of the Steelers to take a stab at him.