The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off an ugly loss to the Chiefs. Here’s where they would be picking in the NFL Draft if the season ended today.
Watching the Pittsburgh Steelers collapse at the end of the 2020 season was hard enough, but this is torturous. Last season, Mike Tomlin’s team finished by losing 4 of their last 5 games of the regular season, but the late-season performances have been even more disheartening in 2021.
After getting humiliated by the Kansas City Chiefs, the Steelers have now lost 4 of their last six games, but it’s the matter in which they lose that has fans discouraged. Since Week 11, Pittsburgh has been outscored 186 to 124 — allowing 31.0 points per game over this span, via Pro Football Reference.
Still, we are able to find some encouragement in all of this if we try hard enough. Though the 2021 season seems like a lost cause, the Steelers could be in line for some excellent draft capital. According to Tankathon.com, Pittsburgh would hold the 15th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft if the season ended today.
For reference, the last time Kevin Colbert had the 15th pick, he found Pro Bowl linebacker Ryan Shazier. Over the past twenty years, the Steelers have taken Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, and Devin Bush when selecting inside the top half of the first round. Their bust rate — to nobody’s surprise — skyrockets when picking in the back half of the first round.
What NFL Draft pick could Steelers wind up with?
With just two games remaining on the schedule, you wouldn’t think that this 15th overall drat selection could move too much in either direction, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. There are so many close records in the NFL right now that it’s possible the Pittsburgh to swing as much as 8-10 spots in either direction.
For instance, if the Steelers win each of their last two games against the Browns and Ravens, and Cincinnati loses their final two contests, Pittsburgh would win the AFC North and likely own the 26th pick in the draft. However, FiveThirtyEight gives the Steelers just a 6 percent chance of winning the division this year and a 12 percent chance of making the playoffs at all.
Even if they don’t win the division, Mike Tomlin’s team could sneak into the playoffs. There are 4 AFC teams with 8-7 records right now. At 7-7-1, the Steelers could leapfrog a few of these opponents and slide back further in the draft.
In the same way, there are 5 NFL teams tied with 7-8 records. If these teams win and the Steelers lose out, Pittsburgh could earn as high as a top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
How this team finishes will dictate what type of draft capital they will have next April. There are no doubt fans riding both sides of the fence right now. While we hate to see the Steelers lose, we know that this team is lacking talent and could really use some cornerstone players to build a football team around.