4 rookies the Steelers are regretting passing in the 2021 NFL Draft

The Steelers have gotten a lot of play out of their rookie class, but the team missed out on these four rookie gems.

The Steelers have seen their rookie class play an unprecedented number of snaps so far this season. While most of their players have done well, the rest of the league has also unearthed some gems in the middle and late rounds of the draft. Had the team found a way to land these gems, they would have been all the better for it.

Here are four rookies that the Steelers missed out on from the 2021 draft.

Steelers missed on Mitchell

Drafted 194th overall

To be clear up front, these rookies that the Steelers missed out on aren’t indicative of the team’s current rookies being bad, but there could have been better options to be had. For example, Najee Harris has looked good as a rookie so far, but the 49ers have gotten a far better value pick in Elijah Mitchell. The sixth-round pick has been electric when on the field and has run with a good blend of speed and power.

Even if the Steelers had kept Harris as their first pick (the final rookie on this list will make the argument otherwise), the team could have still used a backup like Mitchell. The team saw just how shallow their running back room was after Harris went down. The team wasn’t confident in any of their backups to try and run late in the game against the Chargers. It made the offense predictable.

Mitchell would have been a great pick even with Harris serving as the lead back. The Steelers would have been able to design their offense around pounding the rock more, and even if Harris had to miss a few snaps, the running game wouldn’t have missed a beat. Again, the final rookie on this list will make the argument that he should have been the pick over Harris, but even if you keep him in the first, Mitchell would have been a valuable addition.