The Steelers draft option that no one is talking about

A multitude of names have come up when discussing who all the Steelers should take in the upcoming draft, yet there is still one being harshly overlooked.

The current state of the Pittsburgh Steelers is not a particularly pretty one: there are multiple needs on both sides of the ball, the AFC North’s brutality is seemingly here to stay, and fans can’t get on the same page regarding who their team should draft at the end of this month.

But when it comes to outstanding prospects that Pittsburgh is very well-equipped to get its hands on, there is a distant talent who can greatly add to the force of the defense. But not only is he talented, he is also one of the more NFL-ready players available. His name is Mika Tafua.

Tafua is a junior edge coming out of Utah, and in just a couple of years, he could be a defensive headliner in an offensive division. And it doesn’t matter how statistically mediocre Pittsburgh’s defense may be–Tafua, Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, Stephon Tuitt, and Alex Highsmith all looking to storm the quarterback would be a frightening scene for any offensive line.

Hearing an unlikely name like Tafua’s may leave some fans skeptical, though. This is because of the fact that, despite all of the “NFL-readiness” stuff, CBS Sports only ranks him 314th amongst all 2022 draft prospects. However, there is much more to a player than his ranking.

For starters, if pundits and “experts” have still not realized that draft stock means next-to-nothing in the grand scheme of things, then they will most likely never do so. But also, both a player’s college and age matter more than most people acknowledge.

A rather blatant example of this would be when picking between a sophomore running back out of Tulane and a senior running back out of Alabama. The latter option–at least when it comes to overall readiness–is clearly the one to select.

The reasons should be fairly obvious, as he comes from a much bigger school/talent producer while having noticeably more experience under his belt. And everyone knows that the Crimson Tide program is no stranger to producing NFL-caliber running backs. All of that should outweigh whatever his pre-draft ranking might be.

Keeping with that perspective, the Utah Utes are coached by Kyle Whittingham, a veteran defensive mind on the sideline. Not only that, but Utah has obtained the status of an NFL factory in recent memory. In other words, there are very few programs (aside from the usual powerhouses) that can make a junior defensive end look as promising to NFL scouts as Utah can.

For reference, the Utes have had 30 players drafted in the past nine years (starting with the 2013 draft). Of those 30 talents, 18 have been defenders, with a fair share from each unit–DB, DE, DT, LB–being chosen in the process.

Mika Tafua will join that club no matter what, but he should be able to do so on behalf of a team that can/will actually use him, and Pittsburgh is one of those teams. The Steelers have had a knack for snatching hidden potential in the past, so here’s to hoping that they haven’t lost it.