With the first round of the NFL draft just around the corner, here are five mistakes the Steelers can’t afford to make in the draft.
The Steelers have a lot riding on the first round of this draft, as this is their first draft post Ben Roethlisberger. While the team has done a fair job of addressing most of their major needs in free agency, messing up their top pick in the draft would be a fatal mistake. This team needs an influx of young talent but missing on their top pick would be detrimental. Here are the five biggest mistakes the Steelers can’t make in the first round of the draft.
Steelers can’t draft Dean
While the team has more needs along their offense, there is a real argument that this team can and should use their top pick on a defender. The mid-first round is filled with good defensive prospects that would be hard to pass on if they fell to the Steelers. That said, one name, in particular, stands out as a name to avoid.
Nakobe Dean was a productive linebacker playing in a talented Georgia defense. While one could argue that landing a top off-ball linebacker is an underrated need, Dean isn’t the type of player the team should prioritize drafting. He is undersized and fast, but his style of play isn’t what the team needs given the state of their linebacker room.
While Dean is talented, he would join a linebacker room filled with similar styles of play. The team would be better suited targeting a bigger body at linebacker that can be more aggressive with their run stops and blitz through their gaps. Dean isn’t that, so the Steelers should prioritize other positions over Dean.
Steelers can’t settle for a QB over top prospects
Based on the Steelers’ offseason interests, it seems like a safe bet that the team tries to land a quarterback early in this draft. While there is a real chance this team moves up to land a top guy, they have shown an equal amount of interest in the mid-first round guys. It wouldn’t be at all shocking for this team to sit at pick 20 and take the highest quarterback on the board when they are on the clock.
While that plan itself is a mediocre one, there would be even more insult to injury if the Steelers opt to take a quarterback over a potential top prospect at a different position. Names like Jordan Davis and Derek Stingley could see themselves fall to pick 20. If Pittsburgh takes a quarterback like Desmond Ridder or Matt Corral over one of those names, it would be infuriating.
While this team still does need a long-term quarterback, taking a mediocre option just to land a quarterback with superior players still on the board would be a blow to this roster. While there is no guarantee that any top prospect like that falls, ignoring them in favor of a quarterback could have ramifications for years to come.
Steelers can’t draft a receiver
One of the Steelers’ biggest needs as of now is a third receiver to give themselves a strong trio of starters to work with. While one may say that with a receiver being such an obvious need, the team can and should draft one in the first round, that seems like a bit much. It would make far more sense for the team to wait until the second day to land a receiver.
That isn’t to say the first-round receivers are bad. They aren’t but at pick 20, the Steelers would be realistically selecting from the second wave of receivers. Names like Chris Olave and Jameson Williams will likely go earlier. This means the team would be selecting from the likes of Jahan Dotson and Treylon Burks.
While both of those players can be fine starters, you can get a similar caliber of receiver with similar potential at pick 52. Taking a receiver in the first is a luxury, especially when you consider the other needs of this team. Address a different position in the first and find a receiver on the second day to aid in filling out this depth chart.
Steelers don’t monitor the Hamilton situation
Similar to an earlier scenario of this draft, the Steelers need to be aware of falling defensive talent and try to target a more elite prospect with their first pick as opposed to just settling elsewhere. There is no bigger name that is seemingly falling down draft boards than Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.
At one point, Hamilton was seen as a potential first overall pick and a lock for the top five. Fast forward through his athletic testing and many are disappointed in the results. His straight-line speed and agility were average when most expected them to be elite. This has caused his stock to sink in recent weeks, and now there is a real chance he falls outside of the top ten picks in this draft class.
If you watch any film on Hamilton, you will notice that he tested slower than he plays. His instincts are elite, and he maximizes the athleticism he has to make big plays all over the field. No, I don’t think he will fall to pick 20 on his own, but if Hamilton takes one of the bigger draft-day slides, the Steelers need to be watching. A trade up five or so spots to snag him would be a huge win for this team. Having him and Minkah Fitzpatrick along with that front seven would be a dream defense.
Steelers draft Pickett
One of my biggest fallers in the draft, Kenny Pickett has seen his draft stock tumble as I have had the opportunity to watch more tape on him. He was never my top quarterback in the class, but my initial study into him did leave him as my second/third-ranked quarterback in this draft class. As of now, if I were in charge of the Steelers, I wouldn’t be touching Pickett in the first round.
While he is pro-ready and has some good film behind him, more than likely Pickett has reached his ceiling as a prospect. That isn’t always a bad thing, as it should lead to some instant success in the league, but long-term I don’t see Pickett being a top quarterback in the league. Taking him will likely mean the team is committing to a mediocre quarterback which isn’t a recipe for success in the league.
Even more damaging to his stock in my eyes is the likelihood that the Steelers would have to move up for Pickett if they wanted him. This would likely mean jumping the Panthers which would be an expensive move up for the team. Add in the fact I don’t rank Pickett very highly in this class and trading additional resources to draft him seems unwise. The team should look elsewhere at quarterback and keep Pickett off their first-round board.
With the draft almost here, the Steelers will have to make a good move with their first-round pick if they want to remain competitive in the league. Reaching for a need or targeting a poor fit will set this team back after an above-average offseason. Keep these first-round mistakes in mind as the Steelers prepare to make their draft selection.