4 winners and 3 losers from Steelers 2021 NFL draft results

Loser: Edge Depth

Let me start this off by saying I loved the Quincy Roche pick in the sixth round of the draft. He was a great value pick given most projected him to go somewhere around round four, so getting him as late as they did presented great value. Roche should be in the conversation for number three edge rusher, but his late-round status doesn’t guarantee him much.

While in the long-term Roche could develop into a capable backup, in the short term the Steelers are still lacking depth. Imagine if either T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith got injured this season. Suddenly, some sort of combination of Roche or Cassius Marsh would be tasked with starting. Roche doesn’t provide a lot of answers right now, and unless he really takes off in camp, the team will still have weak depth at the position.

Frankly, the Steelers should be targeting a veteran edge rusher in free agency right now to fill in as the number three. Roche is a great pick, but banking on him taking the necessary leaps to be a quality number three rusher is unrealistic. This was a position that should have been addressed earlier. Despite the great sixth-round pick, this position is still very much in question.