With the NFL draft upon us, here is my final mock draft projecting what the Steelers will do with their eight picks.
Mock draft season is almost done with and the actual draft is upon us. With one last shot at a mock draft, I hope to accomplish the nearly impossible: projecting just what the Steelers will do this weekend. Based on their pro day visits, zoom calls, and general needs, this is my best guess as to what the team will try to do in the draft. With that said, here is my final Steelers mock draft with undrafted free agents of the season.
Round 1:
I will be the first to say this, I am not a fan of taking a running back in the first, but the cards seem to be falling into place for that to happen. The Steelers have shown a heavy amount of interest in Najee Harris since the end of the season, and if he is available at pick 24, I have a hard time believing the team will pass on him. Ever since owner Art Rooney said this team needs to fix the running game, the focus has been on finding the next great back.
While building the offensive line would also make sense, their needs don’t present great value here. Sure, a tackle could be taken, but the path for that first-round rookie to play would be a stretch. The offensive line has some depth and can be addressed later. To his credit, Harris looks like a complete back with great size and deceptive speed. His only concerns are his age and the fact that he played behind one of the best collegiate offensive lines. That doesn’t seem to bother the team though. Again, I personally am against this, but I find it hard to believe Harris gets past the Steelers in the first round.
Others considered: Landon Dickerson (OC), Pat Freiermuth (TE), Asante Samuel Jr. (CB)
The only interior offensive lineman that makes sense is Dickerson, but his injury concerns make it hard to choose him. Had he been healthier, I think he would have been a slam dunk here. Freiermuth is a fine tight end prospect, but he seems like a better value atop the second round. Samuel would be an instant upgrade in the slot and allow Cameron Sutton to play on the outside full-time, but again I think his value is more atop the second round. This team seems gung-ho to draft a running back early if they can though, making these others considered a moot point.
Round 2:
(Note: I know that he is from Wisconsin-Whitewater. There is no code for that though, so Wisconsin is being used as a placeholder)
The reason I can fathom taking a running back first is that the second round should have a plethora of center options to choose from. While getting a Creed Humphrey here would be ideal, I doubt he falls that far. Instead, the Steelers go for a small school stud in Quinn Meinerz. Meinerz has blown up since dominating the senior bowl, and while his tape is limited due to his school, he seems like he could be a mauler at the next level.
Meinerz was primarily a guard in college, but he showed some serious skill at center at the senior bowl. While he may need some time to develop there, the team has B.J. Finney to start in the meantime. He can have some time to develop. That said, he would likely see the field sooner than later, and when he does, expect some more physicality along the interior of the line.
Picking Meinerz after Harris means the Steelers cover two of their biggest needs in the first two rounds. The run game should see an instant boost, meaning Rooney will be happy and the team will ideally have a more balanced offense. While picking Harris in the first isn’t ideal to me, landing a mauler like Meinerz can make up for it. The team has shown a lot of interest in him, and it seems like he is a serious candidate at pick 55.
Others considered: Javonte Williams (RB), Tyson Campbell (CB), Liam Eichenberg (OT)
I personally love Williams’s game, but having selected Harris in the first, it wouldn’t make any sense to double-dip. Campbell is a freaky athlete at cornerback and could potentially fill in on the outside. That said, I get serious Artie Burns vibes as he is more athlete than prospect at this point. The most tempting of these picks is Eichenberg, as he has long-term starting potential at either tackle spot. That said, I think the team is set on waiting for a tackle as a center is a far more pressing need.
Round 3:
The Steelers’ edge depth has been crushed this offseason, as the team now has just their starters and a below-average backup on the roster. Finding a potential rotational rusher and sound special teamer has to be a priority in this draft. Unfortunately, this class isn’t particularly deep at edge, meaning the team has to draft the position a little higher to get a potential impact player.
Janarius Robinson has a lot of potential coming out of Florida State, but he will need some development at the next level to be an impact player. He is a big edge defender standing at over 6’4 and 266 lbs., but that should mesh well with some of the lighter edge rushers the team currently has. He needs to develop a better array of pass-rushing moves, but serving as a depth piece at first would provide him that opportunity.
The Steelers haven’t shown any explicit interest in Robinson, but they had both Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin at the Florida State pro day. Add in defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, who works with the edge rushers often, and the team should have gotten a good view of Robinson. While his 3-cone time wasn’t elite and his college production was lacking, there is a major drop off in edge options after him, meaning the team hopes to develop him as a backup at the next level.
Others considered: Trey Sermon (RB), Aaron Robinson (CB), Tommy Tremble (TE)
Both Sermon and Tremble would be tempting options (Sermon if running back has been ignored to this point), but the Steelers will not leave day two without a defender. This makes edge and cornerback the likely options given the needs there, so Robinson would be the most likely alternative pick here. He is a physical slot corner in the mold of Mike Hilton that needs to improve his coverage. That said, the lack of day three edge rushers makes Robinson the more valuable pick.
Round 4:
No single player suffered a worse 2020-21 season than Shaun Wade. At one point, he was projected as a top ten pick, but injuries and inconsistent play have tanked his stock. While taking a stab on him here may seem curious, it should be noted that most of his bad games came as a result of him playing on the outside and because he had turf toe. The Steelers should move him inside to the slot from the get-go and consider him a potential safety long term.
Adding Wade would give the Steelers a lot of flexibility in the secondary. Sutton can play outside full time if Wade shines early on. If not, Sutton can move to the slot in subpackage if James Pierre is showing more as an outside corner. Better yet, the team could scheme around their opponent, using Pierre more against bigger and physical offenses and Wade against smaller and faster offenses. As an outside corner, Wade would be a mistake, but he projects well in the slot. Add in Tomlin and Colbert being present at his pro-day and he seems like a good fit for the team.
Leave it to the Steelers to target a receiver earlier than they need, but in a class so deep, I don’t think Colbert can resist. To be fair, Anthony Schwartz has plenty of issues as a receiver, but what he isn’t lacking is speed. Schwartz is a deep threat in the mold of Mike Wallace. His route tree is severely underdeveloped making him a one-trick pony. That said, he does that one trick (winning deep) extremely well.
The Steelers haven’t hidden their infatuation with Schwartz well either. They had an early zoom call with him before sending Tomlin, Colbert, and receivers coach Ike Hilliard to Auburn’s pro day. While his forty time was a tad slower than some expected (4.27 was “slow” considering how fast he looked in school), he also weighed in almost ten pounds heavier than his listed weight. He would be an instant deep threat and could run a few end-arounds in Matt Canada’s new offense. He is a good fit, and the team will likely not leave this draft without a receiver.
Others considered: Trey Hill (OC), Elerson Smith (EDGE), Robert Rochell (CB)
If the Steelers wait on a center, Hill has to be on their radar. He is another big mauler, but injuries would likely make him available in the fourth. Smith is an oversized edge rusher from a small school, but the team showed quite a bit of interest in him. The same goes for Rochell. Frankly, Wade gets the nod due to his slot capability. If the team wants more of an outside option Rochell would have gotten the nod.
Round 6:
For all of you fans expecting an offensive tackle early, prepare to be disappointed! While tackle could certainly be addressed earlier, slotting James Hudson here makes sense. The team Steelers have shown interest in him and his disappointing testing will likely lead to a draft-day slip in such a loaded class. That said, Hudson plays with a lot of power and looked good in space while in school.
That said, his technique is raw. Throw that in with his less than ideal testing and Hudson suddenly becomes more of a project. He will likely serve as the ninth lineman on the depth chart and should be a healthy scratch his rookie year as he adds some more strength and develops. The team is relatively set at tackle this season, so getting a developmental prospect makes sense, and Hudson has plenty of skills to work with.
Others considered: Jaylon Moore (OT), Dazz Newsome (WR), Derrick Barnes (ILB)
Almost went with Barnes here, as his unique size and pass-rushing skill set would fit perfectly with the team’s scheme. That said, Vince Williams returning makes tackle more of a need. Had Schwartz not been the pick in round four, Newsome would have been the guy here. As for Moore, it was a coinflip between both him and Hudson. That said, the team seemed to show more interest in Hudson, so he gets the nod here.
Round 7:
Just trying to fill out the remaining needs now, and while getting a tight end higher would have been ideal, John Bates is a fine consolation prize in the seventh. His lack of athleticism will prevent him from being a starter, but his blocking traits make him an intriguing number two option.
Ideally, the Steelers would sign Jesse James after the draft to be the number two. That way, Bates could be the number three this season as he works on his physicality. Next year, the team will almost certainly be looking for a new starting tight end, but Bates could slide in as the second option full-time next year.
To finish off the draft, the Steelers go after an old-school linebacker to eventually replace Williams’s physicality (if that is possible). K.J. Britt is another Auburn prospect the team has shown a lot of interest in him pre-draft. He is a throwback, two-down style linebacker that plays the run well but lacks the athleticism or coverage ability to be much more than that.
In the short term, Britt can compete for a roster spot and look to be a thumper on special teams. His best-case scenario is becoming a Williams-style of player. That would be a long road to get there, but Britt has enough positives to work with to give him a shot this late in the draft.
Others considered: Tamorrion Terry (WR), Jimmy Morrissey (IOL), Shaka Toney (EDGE)
Seventh-round is a shot in the dark for the most part. Terry is a height-weight-speed option but isn’t worth the pick this late thanks to Schwartz being drafted earlier. Morrissey is a local option that lacks ideal measurables but could develop into solid interior depth down the road. Toney underwhelmed at Penn St., but he, like the rest of the defense seemingly, tested as a plus athlete.
UDFA’s:
Pooka Williams, RB; Warren Jackson, WR; Dylan Soehner, TE; Calvin Ashley, OT; Aubrey Solomon, DE; Romeo McKnight, EDGE; Nahshon Wright, CB; Mark Webb, S; Pressley Harvin, P; Ben Mason, FB
While I am not a fan of taking a running back early, the Steelers seem set on fixing the run game early. That said, this mock fills a lot of different holes for the team. The dots connect for all of these picks at the bare minimum. Like it or not, this seems like a realistic way the Steelers may try and structure their draft.