Steelers 7-round mock draft: Pittsburgh adds a QB of the future

Steelers Round 3

I wasn’t planning on drafting an off-ball linebacker this early, but the simulation over at The Draft Network had Alabama’s Christian Harris falling into the third round and the value was too good to pass up on. The Steelers’ issues at off-ball linebacker have been well documented, as Devin Bush has been atrocious and even Joe Schobert hasn’t been dominant. A new face that could push for a starting gig has to be added in the offseason.

Harris is a big-bodied athlete at off-ball linebacker for the Crimson Tide. He is known for his premiere coverage skills, as he can cover some of the better running backs and tight ends at the collegiate level. He isn’t a bad run defender, but he needs to rely more on his first instinct and be more attacking as a defender as opposed to waiting to see what happens in the moment.

While some will clamor for more of a run-stuffing linebacker, in the third round getting a player of Harris’s upside is great. If he can make some strides with his reads and aggressiveness, he has the makings of a great three-down linebacker. At worse, he could step in during sub-packages and be a better coverage option than what the Steelers already have. In the third round, Harris would be a solid get for a defense that is trying to rebuild.