Steelers mock draft: Pittsburgh still desires QB after Pro Day visits

Steelers mock draft round 6 (via Chiefs): EDGE Amare Barno

With their sixth-round pick acquired from the Melvin Ingram trade with the Kansas City Chiefs last season, I have the Steelers using this to beef up their edge defender room. We saw the toll it took on the defense was T.J. Watt was banged up last year, and adding depth to this position seems like a must.

Amare Barno is a very intriguing prospect. Barno didn’t see the field until his junior season in 2020, but he was very productive when he did — recording 16.0 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. However, Barno saw a big regression in his numbers in 2021, as he recorded just 5.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks.

Still, there is a lot to work with here. Barno has a lean, wiry frame at 6’4 5/8”, and 246 pounds, but his tweener size could make him an ideal fit for a 3-4 defense. What he does possess is long arms (34”) and terrific athletic traits. His 4.36 40-yard dash is one of the fastest times we’ve ever seen from an edge defender prospect.

At the very least, Barno could be an excellent special teams player with his freakish traits, and he would serve as a high-upside developmental prospect on defense who could sit and learn behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.