The Pittsburgh Steelers are at the end of an era, but here are five good, young players they can build a team around for the future.
I’ll be the first to admit that Pittsburgh Steelers fans don’t have as much to get excited about as many teams in the league. Though we can be thankful that we aren’t the Texans, Lions, or Jets, Mike Tomlin’s team is still looking for its next franchise quarterback and the Steelers have missed far too often in the NFL Draft in recent years.
While our roster might not be terrific, there are still some very encouraging pieces on the roster that we can look forward to for years to come. Here are five players the Pittsburgh Steelers can build their future team around:
Steelers can build around T.J. Watt
Let’s get obvious out of the way. After turning 27 in October, T.J. Watt is the oldest player on this list, but he still hasn’t reached his athletic prime yet. What we do already know is that Watt is a generational talent who is on the fast track to the NFL Hall of Fame at this rate.
For three years in a row, Watt has been one of the best defenders in the entire league, and there is a case to be made that he’s one of the most important non-quarterback players in all of football.
The Steelers don’t have a plethora of young talent that we can really count on to be cornerstone players in the future, but T.J. Watt is certainly the single greatest asset this franchise currently has. Assuming he stays healthy, he will not only be a player you can build a team around, but he could go down as one of the best to ever wear the black and gold.
Steelers can build around Diontae Johnson
I’ve got to admit, Diontae Johnson’s 2020 campaign had me a bit worried about who we were going to get in the future. While the flashes were always there, Johnson was one of the most inconsistent receivers in the NFL last year and after leading the NFL in dropped passes, there was real cause for concern.
Fortunately, Johnson is having by far the best season of his career in 2021, as he has displayed some of the best hands in the league at the wide receiver position in addition to his terrific route running and outstanding ability after the catch.
Though Johnson is going to be entering a contract year, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that the Steelers are going to pay him to stick around for a very long time. For my money, Johnson is the best receiver Pittsburgh has had since Antonio Brown, and he should only continue to get better in time.
While Diontae could be playing his last season with Ben Roethlisberger, it’s possible that Johnson could even benefit from the next franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh — assuming he is able to find him down the field more often. Regardless of who is at the helm, I am very confident that Diontae Johnson is a player you can build a football team around.
Steelers can build around Minkah Fitzpatrick
I’m not going to sit here and pretend that Minkah Fitzpatrick was the same All-Pro defender in 2021 that he was in the two years prior. From 2019-2020, no defensive back had more splash players than Fitzpatrick. However, those were few and far between this year.
Still, Minkah hasn’t been nearly as bad as his Pro Football Focus grade would lead you to believe, and he’s actually been rock-solid in coverage over the second half of the 2021 season. When it comes to Steelers you can build a team around, the talented, young safety is still near the top of the list, and it’s only a matter of time before he’s a game-changer again.
While this hasn’t been Minkah’s best season, it’s important to remember that he turned just 25 years old in November and has a remarkably bright future ahead of him.
Fitzpatrick is due for a massive contract extension as early as next offseason, and the Steelers will undoubtedly oblige. Fitzpatrick has Hall of Fame upside if he can get back to 2019-2020 form. I don’t think his astronomically good play in those seasons was just a fluke.
Steelers can build around Pat Freiermuth
When it comes to all of the talented, young tight ends around the NFL, there aren’t many I would take for the remainder of their careers over Pat Freiermuth. While not as athletic as Travis Kelce or Kyle Pitts, Freiermuth is remarkably well-balanced with an innate ability to reel the ball in with players draped all over him.
In addition, Freiermuth shows excellent upside as a blocker and can play in-line as well as work his magic from the slot. During his rookie season, the former Penn State tight end has been an incredible red zone threat. This is something that should help Pittsburgh’s offense over perhaps the next decade of football.
Great tight ends in the NFL are hard to find, and many teams who draft high at the position end up missing. Freiermuth clearly isn’t a draft bust. In fact, for my money, he should be one of the top-five tight ends in the NFL that a team would want to take for the remainder of their careers.
Freiermuth has already outplayed his second-round draft status, and he could be a weapon for this team as long as anyone currently on the roster.
Steelers can build around Najee Harris
I contemplated whether or not to include Najee Harris on this list. Though he is an impressive talent at the running back position, his career probably won’t last nearly as long as fans are hoping it does.
Every once in a while, we see an exception to the mold. However, we are all also very aware of how quickly Le’Veon Bell’s body broke down after significant usage, and studies have shown that running backs decline at a rapid rate starting at age 26. Considering that Najee will be 24 years old this coming offseason, that doesn’t give us many good years left.
While I was opposed to the Harris selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, for this reason, this will be a fun ride while it lasts, and perhaps the former Alabama running back can hold up longer than most at the position.
At least for the next 4-5 years, Harris could give the Steelers one of the best and most well-rounded running backs in the NFL that they can build an offense around. Let’s just hope this team is able to become true Super Bowl contenders again before Harris exits his RB prime.
The Steelers don’t have a lot of pieces on the roster to get excited about outside of these five. However, this group provides a terrific foundation to build a football team around and they all should get even better over the next few years.