Pittsburgh Steelers biggest winners and losers from the 2022 NFL Draft

Steelers draft loser: Derek Watt

One of the biggest losers of the draft for the Steelers is one of the less talked about players on the roster, Derek Watt. As a fullback and special teams player, Watt is rarely talked about, in fact, one of the biggest reasons he is ever talked about is due to him being T.J. Watt’s brother.

However, Watt appears to have become expendable after Day 3 of the NFL Draft, when the team drafted Connor Hayward, out of Michigan State. Like Watt, Heyward is a fullback, and the brother of a star on the Steelers, in his case, Cameron Heyward.

The Steelers spent a sixth-round draft selection on Heyward, who was listed as a tight end, but can play fullback as well, and also can be used on special teams. Heyward is a better receiver than Watt which makes him more versatile on offense, and he also has a little more experience as a runner.

Considering Watt has barely been utilized on offense, it makes sense that the team would bring in someone who does everything that he can, but also provides more added value. Watt has been a strong special teams player for the Steelers and a nice blocker in jumbo sets, but that’s about it.

Heyward will be able to fill the roles that Watt has filled, but with much better hands, he will likely be implemented into more packages on offense as well, sometimes being lined up in the backfield, and other times at tight end. With Heyward making less money and providing more value, the Steelers will likely cut Derek Watt, and save money, while replacing him with a more versatile player.