Steelers should understand what running backs need to be successful

The Steelers have had some great running games throughout their history. Here’s why they should know what it takes to be successful on the ground. 

With the 2021 NFL Draft quickly approaching, fans are throwing their opinions all over social media on who the Steelers should select with the 24th overall pick. While there are some who agree that Pittsburgh should be all in favor of taking the best available player – regardless of position – there are others who are dead set on drafting a running back in the first round.

I don’t even want to get into all of the flaws behind this line of logic, but if you don’t agree with me, just look at the Steelers history when it comes to drafting running backs in the first round. The results over the past 42 years have certainly been less than desirable:

Despite spending elite draft capital on each of these running backs, the four former first-round picks averaged to play just 4.75 seasons with the Steelers and combined for zero Pro Bowl appearances. This isn’t necessarily because these players weren’t talented, but because the team didn’t realize that it wasn’t the running back that made the running game.

Steelers must understand what makes the running game

I beg you to look at one great running back in the NFL and try to convince me that he doesn’t have some impressive pieces around him that help him succeed. Derrick Henry has a quality offensive line and a stretch zone offense that allows him to find big holes, while Nick Chubb ran behind the best offensive line in the NFL last year.

Nearly every single one of the top running backs in the league is aided by either their offensive line, scheme, or quarterback, and for many, it’s a combination of all three. When it comes to the Steelers, it seems so obvious that they need to repair the holes in the offensive line before investing a top draft choice into a running back. If they ignored this, it the same thing they tried to do with Rashard Mendenhall in 2009. If Alejandro Villanueva doesn’t return, Pittsburgh will have three new starting offensive linemen in 2021 and the Steelers haven’t done anything in the way of replacing the players that have left.

In addition to the issues with the o-line, Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t doing the running game any favors last season. Ben ranked 31st in the league in deep-ball completion percentage, and his inability to hit receivers in stride down the field and make big plays allowed defenses to play much more aggressively against the run.

We have seen James Conner have some really good games, but last year he looked completely washed up. At 25 years old, something tells me that isn’t the case. Though Conner (and the rest of Pittsburgh’s backfield for that matter) was less than spectacular, it was clear that there was no room to run in 2020.

With Conner now officially signed by the Arizona Cardinals, I know the consensus is all in favor of taking a player like Najee Harris or Travis Etienne to help Ben Roethlisberger in a rapidly closing Super Bowl window. However, the Steelers should understand what it takes for a running game to be successful, and they need to fix the holes on their offensive line before they can expect success on the ground.