2018 Steelers draft grades: This group isn’t as bad as you think
By Andrew Falce
Steelers overall grades
Edmunds: C-
Washington: C
Rudolph: C-
Okorafor: C+
Allen: B-
Samuels: D+
Fraizer: F
Overall Grade: C-
Overall, this class comes in at below average. The cons outweigh the pros, but this class isn’t a disaster akin to some have been. In reference, I would put the 2008 draft class well below this class, and even the 2016 class would be slightly below this group. The main issue with this class is that this class lacks a top talent and even the starters haven’t been anything overly impressive. Despite this draft giving the team three starters, each of them are easily replaceable.
This draft grade can improve in a variety of ways. If Rudolph steps in next season and starts and can hold that spot for a few years, this grade will jump. As well, if either Okorafor or Edmunds step up, earn another contract, and continue to start, their grades would increase as well. While Washington has been the most consistent of all of these players, there doesn’t seem to be a way he is still with the team past 2021. The Steelers are notorious for drafting receivers and the room itself is already deep.
Don’t sleep on Allen either. While it seems unlikely that he becomes a true starting inside linebacker, if he takes this full offseason to transition to linebacker, he could carve out a niche role. His play last season wasn’t great but considering he had just changed positions it was expected that there would be a learning curve. A full offseason at linebacker could lead to his play being even better next year.
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Overall, the 2018 draft class was a below-average group that only has a few paths to bettering that grade. That said, this class isn’t as bad as the infamous 2008 class and to me ranks just slightly ahead of the 2016 class (although they are close). While this class lacks a true bust (Fraizer can’t be seen as that due to his seventh-round status), it also lacks a truly great starter. At the end of the day, this class doesn’t stack up to some of the better recent classes, but it isn’t as bad as some make it out to be.