The Steelers don’t seem to be facing an expansion draft anytime soon but let’s have some fun with it.
The NHL just recently held an expansion draft for their next franchise, the Seattle Kraken. They now hold 32 teams in their league and each major sport has its own rules when it comes to the new franchise forming a roster. Expansion drafts are always a curious time in league histories but what if the NFL added a new franchise tomorrow that will be drafting players immediately?
Well, this article will dissect how the Steelers would plan for an expansion draft going forward with the current makeup of their roster. It does not seem likely that the NFL has any plans to expand from their 32 team construction any higher but never say never. As profits and money rise, it’s possible that the league could eventually add additional teams sometime in the distant future.
Rules
Rules for the past NFL expansion drafts have mostly seen each team provide a list of five players that are exposed for the expansion team to select. That new squad can select a player from that list and then the team would then be able to subtract a player from that list. The expansion team could come back and select multiple players from a team until they run out of players from a specific franchise.
This article will implement those rules as well as neglecting rookies, undrafted free agents, and special teamers from the exposed list. This simulation will also have players from the Steelers most recent 53 man roster projection coming out of training camp for the Steelers, which you can see here. Five of these players will be left available for this fictional franchise to select from, so let’s see who gets plucked away from the black and gold.
Dwayne Haskins, QB
Dwayne Haskins seems to be primed for the Steelers third-string quarterback spot here but this player could be interesting for a new franchise. Haskins is trying to find his footing in the NFL again after a bad start to his career in Washington. He has a first-round pedigree and a new team would find that very interesting as he is more expendable for the black and gold with Josh Dobbs sitting there to bring in after the expansion draft.
Derek Watt, FB
A new franchise could select a Watt just not one of the premier ones. This would help Pittsburgh some as it would take his contract off the books. He is paid nicely for a full back in today’s NFL and a new team could try and lure some fans with that Watt family name. He is not used much in the offense so this player would be exposed so another player on this offense would be left protected.
Kevin Rader, TE
Kevin Rader has been fighting to be on the Steelers roster for a little while now. He has stuck on the Steelers practice squad and this would be the perfect example of a player being exposed during an NFL expansion draft. This is a player that a majority of people have never heard of as a depth guy that will go onto play a larger role on an expansion franchise. Normally in NFL expansion drafts, there are not very big names or great players made available for the new team to choose from, unlike the NHL.
Henry Mondeaux, DL
Henry Mondeaux got some decent playing time for the Steelers last season as a rotational defensive line depth role. He was plugged in at full-back for some brief appearances as well. Having a player available to select with some playing time would be attractive for any expansion team entering the league.
Getting a player that has gotten NFL snaps at a decent rate is something these franchises are looking for. They know the big names will not be there to choose from so they have to find guys like this that could start for them or play bigger roles on the team. He would be expendable on this Steelers roster with all of these other options at the defensive line position.
Antoine Brooks Jr., DB
Antoine Brooks Jr. is a former sixth-round pick that is labeled a versatile defensive back. Since coming out of Maryland in the collegiate ranks, this player hasn’t been able to do much on an NFL field. He has stuck around with the Steelers in a practice squad setting and he seems primed to make the actual final roster with the limited depth at the safety position. He would become eligible for this draft process and someone that could interest a new team if the defensive back market is sparse. Brooks might be able to play at different spots in the defensive backfield for defense and that could interest this new team. This player might not be as interesting as the others on this list but his youth could make him more interesting if he was selected.
Dwayne Haskins, QB
Dwayne Haskins would be one of the first selections in this expansion draft. It is unlikely that there will be another player with his draft pedigree available. He is not a good player right now by any means but there could be some untapped potential there. If they can access that, then this would be a solid start to this franchise.
The Steelers would lose this player but then remove Derek Watt from the selection list in response. Haskins would probably be one of the best options in the pool of players there and his youth would be another enticing option for this draft process. He would get what he always wanted, a second chance to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. It would be tough on a terrible expansion team but he could show growth on and off the field to continue his career going forward.
Henry Mondeaux, DL
Henry Mondeaux remained exposed after the Haskins pick and gets selected here. His playing experience might be somewhat limited in the NFL but the snaps he got last year enticed this new team just enough. Mondeaux gets selected here and the Steelers respond by taking Antoine Brooks Jr. off the selection list. The new franchise in the league gets a player with some depth and starting capabilities going forward that is still young at just 25 years old. The black and gold end up losing two of their five that were made available to the new crew and that is not so bad. They would have replacements ready to go both for their third-string quarterback spot and at the last roster spot for a defensive lineman.
The Steelers could lose some players if an expansion draft was held tomorrow. It is unlikely that they would lose an important player but they could lose someone.