Steelers could be in a position to land high-risk, high-reward prospect in NFL Draft
By Tommy Jaggi
The Steelers could be looking at a high-risk, high-reward prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft. Here are five players who will be in their range at pick 24.
Anytime your team is picking in the back half of the first round, you are going to miss out on the elite draft prospects and most of the players that have true first-round grades. This is nothing out of the norm for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Apart from trading up to land linebacker Devin Bush with the 10th overall pick, Mike Tomlin’s team hasn’t selected a player higher than pick 22 over the past six years. This year, the Steelers hold the 24th pick.
While Kevin Colbert and his staff could choose to play it safe by going with a candidate who should be a solid contributor with little question marks, this really is starting to seem like a year in which Pittsburgh could shoot for the stars. There are a handful of draft prospects who would have had the chance to go much higher this year if it weren’t for medical, character, or film concerns. However, the talent is there and the Steelers could pounce at pick 24. Here are five high-risk, high-reward prospects Pittsburgh could pursue in round one of the 2021 NFL Draft:
Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama
When you watch Landon Dickerson’s tape, you see a player who is equally as dominant in the run game as he is in pass protection. Despite being a fifth-year senior, Dickerson is still just 22 years old and is coming off a terrific season at Alabama. Unfortunately, injuries are the story of his career.
Dickerson has had his season shortened by knee injuries on four separate occasions, and it’s reached the point where his health issues are more than concerning. Assuming he stayed healthy throughout his college career, Dickerson would have been considered an elite interior offensive lineman prospect – likely viewed on the same level as a player like David DeCastro. However, the injuries cannot be ignored. While his health concerns could cause him to fall to the second round, the Steelers may elect to gamble on him with the 24th pick this year.