2018 Steelers draft grades: This group isn’t as bad as you think

The bad with the Steelers class

This class has its shares of positives, but there are quite a few negatives holding this group back. For starters, the worst pick of the draft proved to be the team’s final pick, Joshua Fraizer. While missing out on a seventh-round pick isn’t shocking, he was the only draft pick not to make the final roster or to contribute to any capacity. Expectations weren’t high, but he fell way below them.

Beyond him, Jaylen Samuels has also been a disappointment in his own right. While he has made the roster every year since getting drafted, his value for the team has waned in recent years. Hyped as a receiving threat, Samuels has proven to be a mediocre at best receiving back given that he has little athleticism and route-running ability. While he was only a fifth-round pick, running backs have notoriously been successful despite being late-round picks.

As well, the contributors of the class also haven’t been top-level players. Edmunds in particular had a pretty bad two seasons before becoming an above-average player last season. With his contract option declined, there is a real chance Edmunds leaves after this season. If he does, it makes his first-round selection even more questionable.

As for Okorafor and Washington, both are solid contributors that will likely be gone after this season. Washington is great at making combative catches, but his overall route running, and limited athleticism have made him a secondary option and not a true top threat. Okorafor was an average-below average starting tackle last year. While he could make that jump, it seems more likely that his play remains around the same and the Steelers look to replace him next season.