Steelers mock draft: New weapons and completing the defense

Round 4, pick 138: Steelers select Pierre Strong Jr

Pierre Strong Jr is another small school prospect that has the traits to make it at the next level. He is a sturdy 5’11”, 207 pounds, and has break-away speed that he showed on tape and at the combine (4.37 40). He is a threat to take any carry to the house with 10 touchdowns over 50 yards in his career at South Dakota State.

He does a great job of navigating traffic and making subtle moves to avoid defenders in the open field. He isn’t the quickest player but does a great job of avoiding tacklers at the line and getting to the second level. He is at his best when he can get north/south quickly and use his explosiveness to great effect. He had limited opportunities as a receiver but showed flashes of being a solid option out of the backfield.

Overall, Strong Jr would be a great compliment to Najee Harris and his quickness and power as a runner. Defenses having to go from dealing with Najee and his physicality to the speed of Strong Jr would be a nightmare.

Taking him this early may not be the best use of the Steelers limited draft capital, but the gap between their pick here and their next was too big to think he would still be available. Adding another capable running back that can help keep Najee fresh is a bigger need than people realize, and Strong is capable of handling that role immediately on early downs.