How things typically work out for the Steelers
On the individual team level, these percentages will vary wildly. Generally, teams could cut about six 5th rounders before the 2021 season opens; however it’s never precise. One team may cut a 4th round player but keep their 5th round player, or another team cuts a 6th round player but keeps the two 7th round draft picks. Or a team can cut a veteran or two in lieu of keeping an extra draft pick or two. There are many ways it can work, plus the percentages are averages; in any given season, more draft picks may stay one year and less the next. It’s never exact.
How then do these percentages affect the Steelers? It’s hard to say without a crystal ball how it eventually works out. However, we can look at the last two draft classes. The Steelers drafted in 2020 remain on the team. Though it looks like they bucked the averages, they did not have a first-round selection, and so Chase Claypool, in effect, became their 1st draft choice to a certain degree. As for the 2019 draft class, the Steelers no longer have Sutton Smith 6th round pick and Derwin Gray 7th round selection. Meaning the Steelers may cut two or three more by the time this season starts.
So we have all seen who they drafted and have heard the reasons why the Steelers drafted them. Of the eight players selected in 2021, who are the three most likely players to remain with the team in 2025?