Where will Steelers be picking in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?

Entering the final week of the season, we have a really good idea of where the Pittsburgh Steelers could be picking in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Prior to Pittsburgh’s Monday night game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17, we really didn’t have a clue where the Steelers would wind up picking in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Before the results of last week around the NFL, earning as high as the 10th overall pick wasn’t mathematically out of the question while winning the division would have shot Pittsburgh all the way back to the 25th pick in the draft (with the potential to be lower if they won any playoff games). However, the range of their first-round pick has since narrowed substantially.

According to Tankathon, Pittsburgh currently owns the 17th overall pick in the NFL Draft, but their range will be between pick 14-18 with just one rare exception.

In order to wind up with the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh would have to lose to the Ravens this week in addition to the Dolphins and Saints each winning their final game. Looking at the NFL’s current standings, the Steelers would move back just one spot to the 18th overall pick if Pittsburgh wins vs Baltimore and the Chargers vs Raiders game doesn’t end in a tie.

The only way the Steelers could earn lower than the 18th overall pick at this point would be if they defeated the Ravens, the Jaguars upset the Colts, and the Chargers-Raiders game does not end in a tie. This seems incredibly unlikely to happen.

Steelers can start looking ahead to the 2022 NFL Draft

Now that general manager Kevin Colbert has a terrific idea of where his team will be selecting in April, he and his scouts can start exploring all possible options of players who could be available within the pick 14-18 range. With the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and Pro Days still ahead, there is a lot that could change between now and April.

The sad part is knowing the players that will no longer be available to the team without some sort of trade-up. Because Pittsburgh did not wind up with a top-10 pick, there are certain players they can essentially cross off the board who won’t be there. These include top edge defenders Aidan Hutchenson and Kayvon Thibodeaux, the top offensive tackle prospect in Evan Neal, and generational players in the secondary like CB Derek Stingly Jr. and S Kyle Hamilton.

The good news is that just about everyone else in the draft will be on the table — including the top quarterback prospects this year. With so many needs, it’s hard to narrow in on exactly which position Colbert will be targeting this year, but barring the playoffs, it looks like the Steelers are going to have a solid mid-round pick with their top selection in the NFL Draft.