Steelers mock draft: Pittsburgh foregoes QB to build trenches early
By Tommy Jaggi
Cornerback. Hokies . Jermaine Waller. 7. player. 847.
Steelers mock draft round 7 (via Jets): CB Jermaine Waller
The Steelers are no stranger to drafting players from Virginia Tech, and Jermaine Waller makes a lot of sense at this point in the NFL Draft. Listed at 6’1” and 180 pounds, Waller is a lean boundary cornerback who could stick around on the roster as a developmental CB option.
Waller could offer Pittsburgh a special teams player at a position of need. With Joe Haden likely leaving via free agency and Ahkello Witherspoon not guaranteed to come back. Finding CB help is a must.
The Steelers could lose three wide receivers in free agency this year in JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, and Ray-Ray McCloud. Because of this, I wouldn’t be surprised if they addressed the WR position much sooner.
However, this is a pretty bad receiver class after the first tier of players is gone. I have Pittsburgh going with a small-school prospect in Western Kentucky’s Jerreth Sterns. Sterns is quite small at roughly 5’8” and 183 pounds, but he was extremely productive –earning 150 catches for 1,902 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2021 alone. He could stick around as the slot man and he has some experience as a punt returner.
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The Steelers have plenty other of needs that must be addressed, but I expect them to fill some of these with their money in free agency. I think taking a QB in round one seems likely, but if they pass on doing so, their draft could look something like this.