Steelers mock draft: Pittsburgh foregoes QB to build trenches early

Steelers mock draft round 3: LB Brandon Smith

I won’t be surprised one bit if Brandon Smith is a player who is on the Steelers draft radar on day two this April. The Penn State linebacker checks nearly every box Pittsburgh looks for at the linebacker position, and he would be a very good compliment to Devin Bush in the middle.

Joe Schobert will almost certainly be cut this offseason, as the team can save $7.8 million with his release. While the team also drafted Buddy Johnson in the fourth round last year, the fact that he rarely saw the field despite dreadful play from their linebackers last year was a bit discouraging.

Smith is coming off his junior season and may not be ready to start right away, but the former five-star recruit has good athletic traits and great size at 6’3” and 241 pounds. He could be the replacement the Steelers have been looking for since Vince Williams has been gone.

Compared to what we saw from this linebacker group last year, I wouldn’t be surprised if Smith and Bush ended up being a step up from what we saw last year — especially if the defensive line in front of them is improved.