The Steelers have a chance to build for the future this April. Here’s my favorite three-round scenario for Pittsburgh in the 2021 NFL Draft.
I often find myself fantasizing about what the Steelers draft class could look like. Though it never turns out the way plan it in my head, Pittsburgh has been one of the better drafting teams in the league over the past two decades under the direction of Kevin Colbert, and there is reason to trust the organization with the decisions they will make this April.
Still, there are certainly drafts that I have liked much better than others. I couldn’t have been more pleased in 2017 when the Steelers drafted T.J. Watt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Cameron Sutton with their first three picks. On the contrary, I initially hated their 2018 draft with Terrell Edmunds, James Washington, and Mason Rudolph.
While the Steelers will likely go in an entirely different direction on draft day, I took a stab at creating my favorite somewhat realistic three-round scenario for Pittsburgh in the 2021 NFL Draft. Here’s what I came up with:
Round 1: Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
This pick seems like a long shot for a couple of different reasons. For starters, Chrisitan Darrisaw is widely considered to be one of the top-three offensive tackles in this class – a position that is highly coveted in the NFL – and there’s a good chance that he is gone before this point. However, some teams have had questions about Darrisaw’s work ethic, and perhaps this causes him to slip a bit.
On tape, you couldn’t ask for much more than what you see. Though Darrisaw will sometimes let off the gas towards the end of the play, he was remarkable in pass protection at Virginia Tech and has the ability to move defenders in the run game. Unfortunately, the Steelers sent their brass to Michigan on the same day as Virginia Tech’s Pro Day, so there may not be as much interest as I had hoped. Still, if he falls, Darrisaw might be my favorite pick for the team in round one. He fills a huge position of need and plays one of the three most important positions in all of football.