Steelers Draft: Taking a running back in round one is not wise

Steelers offensive line is still in shambles

One of the biggest reasons why it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for the Steelers to go with a running back in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is because their offensive line is currently in shambles. Even the most optimistic of fans understand that this isn’t something the team can fix overnight, and they certainly haven’t done anything in the way of improving the position so far this offseason.

Since the end of the 2020 season, the Steelers lost Maurkice Pouncey and Matt Feiler, and it’s still quite possible that Alejandro Villanueva doesn’t return to the team next season if he can find money elsewhere. In their stead, the team has ‘replaced’ them with B.J. Finney, Joe Haeg, and Rashaad Coward (not exactly the A-Team).

While I have no doubt that Etienne or Harris will be a big jump up from Benny Snell and James Conner, how good can we really expect them to be as rookies behind this offensive line? Kevin Dotson appears to be the only young piece the team can build around for the future. Everyone else is either old, not good at this point, or a combination of both. The Steelers do need to improve their running game, but it doesn’t start with the running back position; it starts with the offensive line.