Final Steelers mock draft: Pittsburgh gets their QB without a trade-up
By Scott Long
The Steelers lost Taco Charlton in free agency, and while they did bring in Genard Avery, the team saw that they needed to add depth last season, as their lack of depth showed when T.J. Watt was injured. Adding Jeffrey Gunter in the seventh round would be a nice move for the Steelers to add a strong run defender into the mix, who could learn behind Watt and Alex Highsmith, and potentially develop more as a pass rusher.
A late-round selection will be taking a flier anyway, so why not take one on a position the Steelers need depth at. At 6′ 4 3/8″, and 258 lbs., Gunter possesses a raw frame, that the Steelers can hopefully coach and mold into a productive pass rusher.
This pick should come as no surprise for the final selection in this mock draft for the Steelers. One of the most commonly mocked players to the Steelers in the draft process this year has been Connor Heyward, due to the fact that he is the brother of Cameron Heyward.
Heyward is listed as a tight end but is a special teams ace, who is also a swiss army knife type of player. He plays tight end, running back, fullback, and special teams, and could be a valuable piece for the Steelers.
The team clearly loves bringing in family, as they have had two Watt brothers, and two Edmunds brothers on the team at the same time over the past few years, so why not bring in Heyward’s younger brother as well.
Clearly, the NFL Draft is a big talking point in the media in recent weeks, and that will all culminate this weekend. While there are many smokescreens out there, and the Steelers could go any number of directions, these players are options that the Steelers should consider.