Steelers final mock draft: Pittsburgh holds true to their interests
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers mock draft round 4 (comp.): S Tycen Anderson
The Steelers have shown over the past few years that they aren’t afraid to take a gamble on small-school players in the mid-rounds of the NFL Draft. In 2020, Pittsburgh selected Charlotte EDGE Alex Highsmith in the third round before turning around and drafting Louisiana-Lafeyette OG Kevin Dotson in round four.
Coming from Toledo, Tycen Anderson still played some decent competition in the MAC conference, and Mike Tomlin has ties to this school. In 2019, he selected Diontae Johnson from Toledo in the third round.
Anderson has the traits you love to bet on at this point in the draft. At nearly 6’2” and 209 pounds, Anderson possesses incredible size and length (33” arms) to go with some very impressive athletic traits. During the NFL Combine, Anderson ran a 4.36 40-yard dash and recorded a 6.64 3-cone drill.
Despite his five years at Toledo, Anderson didn’t have great ball production at the safety position, as he earned just 2 interceptions and 16 pass defenses during this span. Still, he’s a tackling machine who fits a very similar profile as Terrell Edmunds. With some development, he may be able to fill Edmunds’ role at strong safety in 2023.