The Steelers certainly have a few new winners and losers after they concluded their 2021 NFL draft.
The Steelers draft concluded, and the intentions seemed pretty clear. The team built their run game up, but it came at a cost. There were plenty of winners both from the draft class and on the team. Likewise, there were almost just as many losers as the team seemed very focused on their most upfront needs. Here are the four winners and three losers from the Steelers 2021 NFL draft.
Winner: The Run Game
While one could easily argue the value of selecting a running back in the first, the team was set on investing heavily in their run game this draft. The team’s first four picks all went towards rebuilding the run game in some sort of way. Najee Harris was the best running back prospect in the class, and the team added two road graders in the third and fourth rounds along the line. While both may not start year one, long term they should add some extra power to the team’s offense.
Arguably the most underrated addition to the running game was Pat Freiermuth in the second round. This was good value for him as he projects as a solid all-around tight end. He isn’t a complete blocker yet, but he has the frame and the willingness to improve there. The Steelers have not had a complete tight end since Heath Miller retired. If Freiermuth can improve as a blocker, he could start sooner than later. At the very least, the offensive focus in this draft was on getting that run game back on track. Easily, the run game is the biggest winner of the draft.
Loser: BPA Strategy:
Let’s just get this fact out in the open first: the Steelers don’t follow a pure “best player available strategy” as they claim to. No matter how the board falls each year, their early-round picks are always made to address needs, and one could easily argue that the team goes best player at a perceived position of need. This isn’t a slam on the strategy either, as filling needs is a must in a draft.
That said, the Steelers really seemed to throw this idea out the window this draft. While their early-round picks were dedicated to fixing the run game, most weren’t the best players available. Harris was the best running back prospect in the draft, but the value of selecting a running back in the first is already questionable. Freiermuth was the second-best tight end prospect, but his value was not as good as someone like Creed Humphrey who was arguably the best center prospect.
Don’t get me started on Isaiahh Loudermilk. The Wisconsin defensive end tested horribly and had mediocre stats in college and the Steelers traded a future fourth rounder for him. Again, this draft strategy of taking the best player available at a position of need isn’t a bad one, but this team doesn’t go purely “BPA”. This draft should pretty comfortably put to rest the notion that this team is a BPA team.
Winner: B.J. Finney
The Steelers shockingly waited until the third round to address the center position, and while Kendrick Green looks like a good prospect, he doesn’t have a plethora of center experience. His college tape makes him look like a physical mauler in the mold of Kevin Dotson, and he will likely have a similar role in year one. I can’t foresee him going from third-round guard to starting center by week one.
This means, almost by default, B.J. Finney will take on the role of starting center for at least the beginning of the year. This shouldn’t spell doom for any fans, as Finney actually played some good football before with the team. He played enough as an interior reserve to get four million dollars a season last year. While that obviously didn’t last, it doesn’t mean he can’t revert back and put up some solid play this season.
This isn’t any sort of knock-on Green either, as long term he should develop into the starting center. Initially, it seems as though Finney will hold down the position as Green gets more experience as a center. Long term, I don’t doubt that Green becomes the Steelers starting center, but Finney is the winner in the short term. He can rebuild his value and ideally earn a bigger contract next season.
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.
Winner: TE Room
Landing Freiermuth in the late second round was a great value pick looking beyond just the position being one of need. With him added to the room, it has turned one of the Steelers biggest weaknesses into a strength. Now, the position has great depth behind Eric Ebron and a long-term starter in Freiermuth.
Now, the team can try to utilize two tight ends even more successfully than they did last season. Vance McDonald was a shell of himself, so it made it hard for the team to capitalize fully. Freiermuth should be an easy upgrade there, and it should allow the Steelers to utilize more two tight end sets successfully. This also gives Freiermuth the proper early playing time to develop as a complete tight end.
This is a benefit for the bottom of the roster options as well, as they won’t be forced to play a role they aren’t suited for at the time. While long-term Zach Gentry and Kevin Rader aren’t traditional starters, both could be decent depth options. That said, neither are suited to be a top backup right now. Adding Freiermuth fixes that and strengthens this position as a whole.
Loser: Secondary versatility
No position lost more talent this offseason than the defensive backs. It was apparent early on that Mike Hilton wasn’t coming back. The slot corner deservedly got paid this year, but he left a hole at the slot option. Later on, Steven Nelson got cut, meaning there is now a gaping hole at outside cornerback. There are a lot of questions with this position that did not get answered at some point in the draft.
The only secondary piece added to the roster was Tre Norwood, a safety out of Oklahoma. While he has a lot of versatility, there were plenty of reasons that he fell to the seventh round. A lack of ideal size and athleticism mixed in with playing on one of the worst defenses in college football meant there are a lot of questions with Norwood.
Sure, he registered five interceptions which means he has some decent ball instincts, but his questions far outweigh his pros. That doesn’t mean he was a bad pick (for a seventh-round pick he is a fine prospect) but he won’t provide any solutions this season likely. The Steelers will be forced to roll with what they already have on the roster at defensive back. This isn’t ideal when the team lost two of their starters.
Winner: James Pierre
Easily the biggest winner of the Steelers draft, James Pierre is on quite the developmental track right now. He was an undrafted free agent last year who was signed with little fanfare. He impressed in a really limited training camp and did enough to make the roster outright, an impressive feat with no preseason to really show out during.
Now, he has seemingly jumped a former third-round pick in Justin Layne and is geared to start as the outside cornerback in sub-packages. This is huge for him, as the opportunity to go from undrafted to starting in a year is amazing. With all of the departures in free agency, the team seemed poised to draft either an outside or slot capable corner to add to the depleted room.
Instead, the team settled for a seventh-round safety and a slew of undrafted free agents. This means Pierre has the best shot at taking on a starting role next season as he is relatively unopposed as a starter right now. The team clearly likes what they saw in Pierre, and the lack of defensive backs in the draft confirmed that.
While the draft did its best to fill some holes, it also left the team with quite a few winners and losers. Some positions got stronger, others weaker, and some players have been seemingly entrusted with starting. In time, we will see just how important the winners and losers end up being.