4 best value picks the Steelers made in the 2021 NFL Draft

2. C Kendrick Green

When it’s all said and done, Kendrick Green will have a chance to be my favorite player from the 2021 NFL Draft class. As of now, I slotted him at number two on my list of best-value picks by the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. Many fans were initially disappointed in this selection. The team passed on center, Creed Humphrey, in the second round and then let Quinn Meinerz slip through their fingers in the third as they elected to go with a lesser-known interior offensive lineman in Kendrick Green.

Because he was a junior this past season, we didn’t get to see whether or not Green would have held his own at the Senior Bowl in 2021, but something tells me he would have had no issues there. After taking another dive into his tape, it’s easy to see what attracted the Steelers to him. Green is a phenomenal athlete who tested at or above the 95th percentile for an interior offensive lineman in the 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, vertical jump, and broad jump, according to Mockdraftable.

While Green played the vast majority of his snaps at guard during his three years at Illinois, the Steelers have already expressed that he will likely make the move to center in the NFL. This comes as no surprise after. After Maurkice Pouncey retired this offseason, Pittsburgh had a huge void to fill, and they did it by taking one of the most athletic linemen in the 2021 draft class. Green could develop into a quality starter down the road.