The NFL draft is far from an exact science, but the Steelers would be running to the podium to select one of these dream players if they fell to pick 20.
Every year the NFL watches as draft boards seem to change and fluctuate as more is learned about the prospects. Some players who were seen as locks to go early in the draft are suddenly falling and surprise players are available later in the first round of the draft.
The Steelers draft plan seems mostly set right now, but if a certain talent somehow fell to them, they should be willing to make some changes. Here are the four players the Steelers should be running to draft if they fall to pick 20.
Steelers must draft Davis
Jordan Davis has been one of the most fun players to watch throughout this pre-draft process. Despite being a massive human being, he tested as one of the freakiest athletes and has some stout run-stopping tape to back him up. While he aligned mostly as a nose tackle at Georgia, he should have the versatility to line up almost anywhere in the Steelers scheme if drafted.
The issue with Davis, and the issue that may cause him to fall in the draft, is his lack of pass rush ability. Unless he is powering his way through blockers, he doesn’t have any moves to rely on and his sack production in college was mediocre.
In a pass-happy NFL, this may cause him to fall a little on draft day. If he makes it to pick 20 though, the Steelers should be thrilled at the opportunity to scoop him up.
Steelers must draft Willis
As of now, it seems as though the Steelers are set to draft a quarterback in the first round this year. That said, landing a top quarterback will likely require an aggressive move up. If, however, the top quarterback in the class just happened to fall to the team in the first round though, that would truly be the best-case scenario.
Like it or now, Malik Willis is and should be the conscientious number one quarterback in this class. While Kenny Pickett has a higher floor (he will likely be an average to slightly below average QB if he doesn’t develop), Willis has sky-high potential. He needs a lot of work, as his reads and mechanics are bad, but a year on the bench working with an NFL offense can help develop him. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen both had similar flaws when they were drafted, so development from a raw quarterback is possible.
While it seems like the Steelers will need to make an aggressive move up to select a quarterback, there is a chance Willis falls. While most seem to have him as their top quarterback, this draft is pretty close, so it wouldn’t be surprising for teams to rank Willis below other prospects that fit their needs better. If he somehow fell out of the top ten, I would almost guarantee Pittsburgh moves up for him. If he fell to pick 20, the team would be sprinting to the podium to select him.
Steelers must draft Stingley
The first two names on the list have been discussed heavily by the Steelers and the fanbase as potential first-round picks, thus their inclusion on this list is a logical one. The other two fall into a different category. At one point in time, Derek Stingley was seen as the conscientious top cornerback in the draft and a top-five lock. Now, there is a real chance he falls out of the top-15 picks.
With Ahmad Gardner staking his case as the top corner as well as Andrew Booth and even Trent McDuffie moving up boards, Stingley may not even be taken amongst the top three of his position. The reason for this is despite an elite start to his career, Stingley faded down the stretch at LSU. Many are concerned that his elite play early isn’t truly what Stingley will provide at the next level.
That said, with the Steelers lacking a true number one cornerback, Stingley would be too hard to pass up on. He would have the ability to sit and develop year one in a relatively crowded cornerback room before making the move to full-time starter next year. He has all of the traits you want in a cornerback. His inconsistencies may push him down a bit, but if he fell to the team, it would be hard to pass on him.
Steelers must draft Hamilton
This one seems like a pipe dream; however, Kyle Hamilton has had a tough pre-draft process, and many are turning away from him as a potential top pick in this draft. Given the relative value of a safety in the league mixed in with his good, not elite, athletic testing though and suddenly you have a player some teams aren’t sure of that early in the draft.
Hamilton has the size and coverage ability that you want in a strong safety. He can eliminate tight ends from plays as well as move into the box to make key run stops. He uses his impressive size well and moves well in space. Questions began surrounding him after his athletic numbers came back closer to average. Many are questioning if he is truly worth a top pick in this draft.
The most likely scenario is that Hamilton is still picked somewhere in the top ten of this draft, but if he begins sliding early, the Steelers could make a move. A trade-up into the early teens could be the play if he truly has a draft-day slide. If he somehow made it to pick 20 (let me be clear, that is very unlikely to happen), the team has to be all over him and should run to the podium to draft him.
With the draft just a few weeks away, teams are setting their boards in hopes of finding the next crop of elite talent. While these four names seem like they will all be taken before pick 20, there is a chance one of them slides down the board. If any of the four do find their way to the Steelers pick, the team has to be running to the podium to add them to this roster.