The Steelers went running back in the first, but there were other prospects that made more sense for the team.
It wasn’t shocking when the Steelers selected former Alabama running back Najee Harris in the first, as they expressed quite a bit of interest in him. That said, there were other prospects that were far better fits for the team.
Harris projects well in the system, but the devaluation of the running back position makes taking him a hard pill to swallow. Here are four players the Steelers should have taken instead of Harris in the first.
Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
For those that followed along with my pre-draft coverage, I didn’t think tackle was a top need. Even with a prospect like Teven Jenkins being a good fit, it seemed like a tough road for a first-round tackle to ascend into a starting role for the Steelers this year. With Jenkins though, he plays a far more valuable role than Harris and would have made for a better overall pick.
Jenkins is a classic mauling run blocker who has the flexibility to play on either side of the line. While his role in year one would have been in question, long term he would have presented a better value. Tackle is one of the premier positions in the NFL, so taking one over an easily replaceable position like a running back would have made sense.
Greg Newsome II
After Steven Nelson was cut, cornerback suddenly was launched into one of the top needs for the team in this draft. Unfortunately, the top three cornerbacks were off the board before the Steelers top pick, but a quality option in Greg Newsome II was still there. Newsome has the talent and size to play on the outside and having a quality starting corner is far more valuable than a running back.
Newsome would have instantly slotted in as the starting outside cornerback on the other side of Joe Haden. Cameron Sutton can maintain his role as the slot corner in the meantime. This fills a huge need this season as the team has a gaping hole at outside cornerback that is currently set to be filled with likely James Pierre. Long-term, Haden is likely gone after this season, so having a capable outside corner is a plus.
As for Newsome, he uses his size well in man coverage and would fit well in the Steelers scheme. He needs to be a little more physical overall, but that shouldn’t have deterred the team from making him their pick. Overall, finding a new starting cornerback is better value than a starting running back. Newsome presented a better value than Harris at pick 24 in the draft.
Trevon Moehrig
If the Steelers wanted to get more creative in their defensive scheme, adding a player like Trevon Moehrig would have been a defensive chess piece that would have solved needs this year and in the future. Moehrig is a natural safety, and in the long-term that is the position he is best suited to start at. Since the Steelers have two safeties though, they would have had to get creative with Moehrig during his rookie year.
Luckily, Moehrig has the ability to play in nickel packages in year one. He has the talent and athleticism to cover faster slot players as well as the size to contend with more physical options. While a corner like Newsome would move Sutton back into the slot, Moehrig would keep Sutton on the outside. A permanent move to safety long term would be the desired goal, but in the short term, he should be a solid slot option.
Moehrig would have helped patched together this defense that lost so much this offseason. He would only be a role player during his rookie season, but his long-term potential on this defense would have been great. He would have helped replace the physicality lost when Mike Hilton left. While he wouldn’t be a conventional starter like Harris should be, he would have served a valuable role nonetheless.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Easily the player the Steelers should have taken in the first, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah should have been the pick for several reasons. While inside linebacker was no longer a top need, Owusu-Koramoah is a unique talent at inside linebacker. He has the speed and athleticism to cover tight ends and even receivers. That kind of unique talent is rare to see.
Compare that to Harris, who looks like a good running back talent but not an exceptional one and this move is puzzling. For a team that prides itself on taking the best player available, going for a running back instead of a rare breed of linebacker goes against that. Owusu-Koramoah would have given the Steelers two of the most athletic and talented inside linebackers going forward on a defense that could have been one of the best in the NFL.
While Vince Williams is set to return this season, his future with the team won’t be long given his age. Owusu-Kormoah has the talent to start over Williams anyway, so his role would have been set as a rookie. Even if the team wanted to work him onto the field, Owusu-Koramoah could have seen the field in dime and nickel defenses as a hybrid linebacker/safety style of player. At the end of the day, having a unique player like that is more valuable than Harris.
While Harris isn’t a bad running back prospect, taking him over some of the other talent in the draft was a mistake. Running backs have lost almost all of their value as teams transition to committee backs. Harris should do well enough, but the Steelers would have been better off going after a player with more value than a running back.