If history repeats itself, Steelers top draft pick will be easy to predict

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t exactly been subtle about who they like in the NFL Draft, and we may already have a good idea of who they like in 2023.

Sometimes I think we give the Pittsburgh Steelers a little bit too much credit when it comes to scouting players and comprising their big board for the NFL Draft. Immediately following each season, we have a very good idea of which position they will try to address, and it seems like we can already narrow their top selection down to just a handful of players.

Take the 2022 NFL Draft, for instance. Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert utterly neglected some top pro days and practically every other position to go on a QB scouting spree. We knew with certainty that quarterback was going to be their top pick. It basically came down to whether or not they would take Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis.

In 2021, the Najee Harris selection couldn’t have been easier to predict. Art Rooney II made it a point to say that his team needs to get better at running the football in his first press conference following the 2020 season, and we knew that Tomlin was infatuated with the Alabama running back.

In 2019, Pittsburgh had a soft spot for Devin Bush, so the trade-up wasn’t a surprise, and in 2018, we knew that the Steelers had a major need at the safety position (though most fans assumed it would be Jesse Bates, not Terrell Edmunds). The list goes on and on.

While this predictability may change under new general manager Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl, if history repeats itself, we should already be able to narrow down Pittsburgh’s top selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Joey Porter Jr. will be firmly on Steelers draft radar

I am squarely in the camp of wanting an offensive tackle early. The problem is, it’s hard to tell who will be on the board, and one of the top OT prospects — Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu — has decided to go back to school. Though OT could still be the pick, it’s reasonable to think the Steelers will have their eyes set elsewhere.

Regardless of how you feel about the Pittsburgh Steelers drafting cornerbacks, there’s no question that CB is going to be one of their biggest positions of need in the 2023 NFL Draft. This franchise has spent just one first-round pick on a cornerback since taking Chad Scott all the way back in 1997. In today’s passing league, you simply can’t get away with this.

Because of this pressing need, it’s so easy to see how Joey Porter Jr. will be firmly on their draft radar. We all know how much the Steelers value family bloodlines. Porter was part of a fantastic defense in Pittsburgh in the early 2000s and was a First-Team All-Pro player back in 2002. Now his son has emerged as one of the top prospects in the nation.

But the family bloodline isn’t the only reason Pittsburgh will have their eye on Porter Jr. this April. History shows that the Steelers value both athleticism and youth in the first round. Though they did pick older prospects in each of the past two years, they typically give a bump to underclassmen (like Edmunds, Artie Burns, and Devin Bush).

Perhaps the biggest reason, however, is that Porter would fill a huge position of need. Ahkello Witherspoon can’t stay healthy and wouldn’t have been a long-term fix anyway. Meanwhile, Levi Wallace is an average player at best, and they don’t have nearly enough length and speed on the outside of the defense.

It’s also possible that the value could line up with where the Steelers are ultimately selecting in the first round this year. Even if it doesn’t and Pittsburgh winds up picking very early, we have seen that they aren’t afraid to reach for a position of need.

I like Joey Porter Jr. and I think he’s a very talented prospect, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pittsburgh Steelers already have their hearts set on taking the athletic CB with strong family bloodlines. There are sure to be a few other strong prospects in the mix, but when it’s all said and done, their top draft selection will probably be easy to predict.