With the Steelers shifting gears to rookie and training camp, I wanted to take a stab at re-drafting the Steelers 2022 class.
With the Steelers offseason slowing down and the focus now shifting to camps, I wanted to take a stab at re-drafting the 2022 class for the team. Yes, there is an immense amount of power in hindsight, and while I do understand that none of these players have even taken a snap yet, this is how I would have targeted the drat looking back on it.
This is meant to be a lighthearted activity! Share your thoughts on my redraft below and post your own in the comments.
Steelers round 1
Original Pick: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
My Pick: Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson
The first round really didn’t shake out that well for the Steelers. The initial run of receivers left that position scarce at pick 20 and some of the top defensive talent that were rumored to fall didn’t. I’m not sure much of that mattered though, as the team seemed set on taking a quarterback, and they got their guy in Kenny Pickett. If it had been up to me though, I would have gone Andrew Booth.
While quarterback is undoubtedly the most important position on the field, the potential that Booth possesses over Pickett is immense. Booth excelled while at Clemson and was a top defender in a talented ACC. He has the size you want in an outside cornerback and has the ability to play both man and zone defense. He slipped into the second round likely due to injuries that limited him during the pre-draft process.
That all said, he was my second-ranked cornerback in this class, and I think he has the makings of a consistent and tough-to-beat cornerback. I would take that over Pickett, who I just don’t see the same type of ceiling in. Yes, the Steelers have struggled at taking cornerbacks, but Booth has better tape than some of the other corners they have taken before. This defense has a slew of good second options at cornerback. Booth would have given them a top-end starter.
Steelers round 2
Original Pick: George Pickens, WR, Georgia
My Pick: George Pickens, WR, Georgia
The only pick that I keep in this mock draft, George Pickens has all of the makings of an elite receiver. He possesses the size, speed, and hands to dominate at the next level. On top of this, he played as well as he did against SEC defensive backs. For a team that was lacking at receiver, landing Pickens in the second round was about as good as it gets.
While there are some maturity issues with Pickens, one has to expect him to grow out of some of them. As well, his route running isn’t as sharp as you would want a pro to be (although most college receivers are in the same boat). That said, few receivers match his physicality off the line and big playability. He was a dominant player in the SEC from his rookie season. The sky is the limit for Pickens.
I fully believe that had Pickens not torn his ACL and missed most of last season, he would have been selected far before the Steelers pick in the first round. He has so much talent and can play almost anywhere as a receiver. The only complaint you could find in the pick was the team not targeting more of a traditional slot receiver. That said, Pickens has a legitimate chance to be a top receiver in this league. I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else with this pick.
Steelers round 3
Original Pick: DeMarvin Leal, DL, Texas A&M
My Pick: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
For the most part, I am against a team selecting a quarterback outside of the first round unless you just need a backup. It is so rare to find a quarterback with elite traits and the ability to start past round one. That said, knowing how the quarterback board played out, targeting one in the third round made much more sense. Investing a third-round pick in a player with a lot of upside due to his natural traits makes more sense than using the first-round pick on a safe quarterback with a low ceiling.
I know that Malik Willis isn’t everyone’s cup of tea as a quarterback, and while there is a good chance he doesn’t work out as a player, if he does, he has top-five potential. He has a cannon for an arm, good athleticism, and good accuracy when he is focused. He lacks technique in the pocket and the ability to properly read a defense, but those traits can be coached up. In the third round, he would have been well worth the risk.
You could also make the argument for Matt Corral here, but ultimately with a ready-to-play veteran in Trubisky on the roster, I would swing for the fences with this pick. While bypassing a quarterback completely is an option I considered, the team spent most of their scouting resources on passers. I would have targeted the one with the best ceiling even if the bust potential is huge here. In the third round, that is a risk worth taking to me.
Steelers round 4:
Original Pick: Calvin Austin, WR, Memphis
My Pick: Darrian Beavers, ILB, Cincinnati
I will be upfront here, as a prospect, I really like Calvin Austin. His speed on tape is apparent and he also runs some smooth routes. He can be used in a variety of ways on offense. There isn’t a lot to dislike about him. That said, he is undersized, and the Steelers have a bad track record of utilizing these types of weapons properly. Austin can and should be used as a deep threat. The team typically uses these types of receivers on passes behind the line of scrimmage though.
A defender that I really liked around this pick was Darrian Beavers. A huge linebacker with good athleticism and the ability to stop the run, Beavers has the makings of a great two-down linebacker with the potential to be more. He reads a play well, attacks his gap, and can use his size to shed blockers on occasion. His coverage skills are lacking, but that had the ability to be improved upon.
While I do believe Austin is the better prospect, Beavers would have been a great linebacker for Flores to work with. His game right now is similar to Vince Williams, as both are forces when filling their gap. I did see starter potential in Beavers, so using a fourth-round pick on him made sense. I like Austin as a prospect, I’m just not sure the Steelers will utilize him properly as a receiver.
Steelers round 6
Original Pick: Connor Heyward, FB, Michigan St.
My Pick: Chasen Hines, IOL, LSU
This is another case of me liking the prospect but not sure about the fit with Connor Heyward. Unfortunately, he isn’t a great value in the sixth round though like Austin was in the fourth. While I do believe that Heyward can carve out a career with the Steelers, it will take some creativity. I’m just not sure the team will use him like he should be utilized.
A player that went just a few picks after Heyward was Chasen Hines. A short and stout guard, I had a fifth-round grade on him based on his play. He isn’t much of an athlete or a pass blocker, but he is a mauling run blocker who can open holes for running backs. Assuming his pass blocking is coached up, he can and should become an average guard in this league and at worse, a more than capable backup.
The Steelers don’t have a huge need along the interior of their line this season but landing a capable starter for the long term would have been a help. James Daniels has center capability, so he could have kicked inside there if Hines was ready to start sooner than later. Heyward was a fun college player to watch and should be a good special teams player, but I’m not sure the offense will know how to properly use him going forward.
Steelers round 7
Original Pick: Mark Robinson, ILB, Ole Miss
My Pick: Bo Melton, WR, Rutgers
The Steelers seventh round was easily my least favorite aspect of this draft, as neither of the prospects taken has me really excited. Mark Robinson was drafted first, and while I like the idea of developing a raw linebacker with Flores as a coach, I struggle to like the Robinson pick. Undersized and a mediocre athlete, Robinson truly seems like a special teams player at best. Most expected him to go undrafted, so this pick can’t be praised that much.
Since we didn’t take a second, more slot-capable receiver earlier in my re-mock, Bo Melton made a lot of sense. While more of a gadget guy than a traditional receiver at this point, Melton has great athleticism. As a potential slot receiver, he can catch short passes and turn them into big plays. He will need a lot of refinement as a route runner, but that can be developed with this team.
He also is a bigger player than Austin, standing nearly four inches taller and weighing almost 20 pounds more than Austin. The Steelers have a far better track record of utilizing receivers like that instead of Austin. In the seventh round, Melton is a dart throw, but he has some traits to build off of. Long-term, he could find a home as a starting slot receiver.
Steelers round 7
Original Pick: Chris Oladokun, QB, South Dakota St.
My Pick: Jeffrey Gunter, EDGE, Coastal Carolina
I really have struggled to get behind the selection of Chris Oladokun for the Steelers. While any seventh-round pick has long odds of amounting to anything, quarterbacks have a notoriously bad track record here. Oladokun’s realistic best-case scenario is becoming a capable backup and based on the history of quarterbacks taken this late, that even seems like a long shot.
Instead, the team could have addressed some edge depth and gotten a player that could see the field on special teams early in his career. While Jeffrey Gunter hails from a smaller school, he has the size and athleticism that this team likes in their edge defenders. He would need some refining and strength at the next level, but Gunter could have become a key reserve and a core special teams player.
I would take that over the chance of Oladokun becoming a great backup. Even if he works out, he will never be a player that is counted on. Instead, he will be a “break glass in case of emergency” backup for this team. Adding depth to a position that needed it with a player as promising as Gunter would have been the direction I went.
While time will tell what the Steelers have in this rookie class, I certainly would have gone a different direction. I want to stress once again that this was meant to be a lighthearted activity, and one I’m hoping to hear back from you the reader. What did you like about mine, what didn’t you like, and what would you have done had you been in charge?