The Steelers have a big offseason and draft coming up, and any of these four players would present too good of value to pass up in 2022.
The Steelers will be a team rebuilding in 2022, as their franchise quarterback is set to retire, and the team has quite a few starters set to be free agents. Nailing their top draft pick will be key, as that player will be the first of a new era of football for the team.
If any of these four players make it to the team’s pick, they would be too hard to pass up on. Here are the four best potential first-round picks for the Steelers 2022 draft.
Steelers should draft Cross
The Steelers’ offensive line will be under a lot of pressure this offseason. The team took a risk by only adding mid-round picks to this line, and while both Dan Moore and Kendrick Green have flashed, neither have been great so far. The team has to make more of an investment in the offensive line this offseason, and a top name to watch has to be Charles Cross.
The Mississippi St. product has been insanely productive as a blocker at the collegiate level. He has been a great pass protector for the team and has the size to add some more mass and better his run blocking. On top of this, he is only a redshirt sophomore right now, meaning he should still be growing as a player once he enters the league.
While offensive tackle shouldn’t be the biggest need on the line, as Moore should be given some more time to develop and the team was confident enough in Zach Banner to re-sign him last season, Cross would be too good to pass on. He may need a few games to get acclimated and long term he has to get stronger, but he screams elite prospect. If he falls to the Steelers’ pick, it would be hard to pass on him.
Steelers should draft Gardner
One of the lesser talked about points of the Steelers defense has been the regression of their secondary. While not as harsh as the run defense, which has really fallen off a cliff, the secondary has clearly been impacted by the loss of Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson. The team has to play more zone which has impacted their total turnovers in a negative way. With Joe Haden likely gone after 2021, a new cornerback will have to be added.
One of the best man-to-man corners in college has been Ahmad Gardner from Cincinnati. Nicknamed “Sauce”, Gardner has led the Bearcats defense to a lot of success this season and should be one of the hotter names at cornerback in this draft class. He has the size and athleticism to be a starter on the outside and his man coverage stats have been impressive in 2020.
I actually had the Steelers targeting Gardner in my last mock, as the value he brings to this secondary would be unmatched. Sure, the team has had horrible luck drafting in the secondary, but that is usually due to them targeting developmental and raw prospects. While Gardner will need to develop as a pro, he would still present a great value for the team. If the Steelers want to restore their secondary to what it was in previous seasons, Gardner would be hard to pass on in 2022.
Steelers should draft Linderbaum
The second offensive lineman on this list, Tyler Linderbaum has been a road grader while at Iowa. While Cross has the higher upside in terms of potential and position he plays, Linderbaum fills the bigger need at the moment. The team’s interior of the line has been underwhelming so far in 2021. Worse yet, arguably their best starter, Trai Turner, is set to be a free agent and likely won’t be back. An interior lineman will have to be added sooner than later.
Linderbaum has put up three years of impressive tape at Iowa. Known for his toughness and aggressive blocking, Linderbaum would easily be a day one starting lineman along the interior. While center is arguably his best position, he has the talent to kick to guard if needed. He is a bit on the smaller side, but he has some room to add NFL strength which should only better his game. His technique is great for a potential rookie though, meaning he should be a quality day one starter.
The real question is what the Steelers would do with him. Green has had his struggles at center, but moving him back to guard, where he played in college, would be a quick reaction to a bad rookie season. Meanwhile, Linderbaum has been a center all throughout college and would need to learn how to be a guard if he moved. No matter what they did with him though, he would be a tough prospect to pass on if he fell due to his impressive technique, position flexibility, and the need that he would fill.
Steelers should draft Howell
For those of you that have been following along with me, I have very much been in the camp that the Steelers should sign a quarterback this offseason instead of drafting one early. That said, there is one prospect that makes a lot of sense for the team. Sam Howell had a down year as a passer in 2021, but he has all the traits to be a quality NFL quarterback. If he falls to the team in the first round, he should be the pick.
Howell was one of the hottest quarterbacks in college football for his first two seasons, as he was passing all over the ACC. Ne schemes and teammates led to Howell becoming more of a running quarterback than a pure passer in 2021, and as a result, his stock has fallen this season. That said, he still has the arm strength and accuracy to be a quality starting quarterback. He doesn’t progress through reads well and would need to adjust to an NFL offense, but he has all the tools to be good.
If he lands with the Steelers, the plan should still be to start a veteran at the position. Despite some solid numbers Howell isn’t ready to start in the NFL, but a season of practicing reading through progressions adjusting to NFL defenses would be huge. Long-term, he has everything a team would want in a quarterback. The arm talent is there (even if he does have his inconsistencies) and his mobility is impressive. It would take a season before seeing the true results of the pick, but Howell has to be in play if he falls to the Steelers.
The Steelers will be in a unique position in 2022, as the team will be rebuilding a new roster as the old one should see some serious turnover. Hitting on the top pick will be vital to the long-term success of the team. These four first-round prospects would be hard to pass on if they fell to the Steelers in 2022.