4 biggest Steelers takeaways from days 1 and 2 of the NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers have filled multiple areas of need in the first two days of the draft. 

The Steelers started off their draft by picking Kenny Pickett, George Pickens, and DeMarvin Leal. Quarterback and wide receiver were arguably the two biggest needs entering the draft and they were taken care of with the first two picks. With the run defense suffering after losing Tyson Alualu and Stephon Tuitt for the season early in 2021 defensive line needed insurance.

Pittsburgh seemed to be telling us a few things with their first few draft picks. Here are my four major takeaways from the first two days of the draft:

The Steelers have zero plans to enter a rebuilding period

Pittsburgh started off by taking the best quarterback in the class and he is here to compete immediately with Mitchell Trubisky, who is a former pro-bowler, to see if Roethlisberger’s successor can be found immediately after Big Ben’s retirement. They then went with an extremely high upside wide receiver after losing former pro-bowler JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency.

Addressing the defensive front after such a rough year injury-wise in an aging position group reinforces the mantra that Pittsburgh prefers to reload instead of rebuild.

The Steelers are committed to diversifying their offensive portfolio

Spending your first two picks on offensive players after a disappointing year on offense isn’t rocket science. Their new quarterback is very good at attacking the middle of the field and dicing up zone coverages. With Chase Claypool or Diontae Johnson likely moving to the slot, Pittsburgh drafted an X-receiver in George Pickens to free up Claypool or Johnson to move to the inside.

This passing attack will look very different next year.

The Steelers feel confident in their secondary

Terrell Edmunds may have given Pittsburgh much more confidence in their secondary by returning for a year. The secondary was untouched in the first three picks which means that the secondary will likely look similar to last year’s excluding Levi Wallace taking place of Joe Haden.

The Steelers aren’t planning on making a splash after the draft

Pittsburgh focusing on needs early in the draft likely means that the thought of a big signing in free agency after the draft won’t happen. The Steelers already addressed the offensive line via free agency.

With the starting lineup already looking pretty set for 2022 at this point I doubt the Steelers spend capital in free agency or through a trade to improve the starting lineup at this point. Granted, there will be a QB competition; however, It’s not like the Steelers will be trying to swing a trade for Aaron Rodgers at this point.

I’m pretty comfortable with what the Steelers have done through the first two days of the NFL Draft. I think that the depth pieces the Steelers will look to get in the rest of this draft are going to be crucial in how the team shakes up in the preseason.