A foolproof plan for Steelers to improve the DL in 2023

How the Steelers should attack the draft

Once draft day rolls around, nose tackle should be a primary option, and this draft is full of intriguing names. That said, none of them should be considered in the first round, and instead should be the target of one of the Steelers day two picks.

A name everyone gravitates towards is Siaki Ika due to his size. He would be a great run-stuffer but needs to trim down and get into better shape if he wants to survive at the pros. Another big man is Mazi Smith out of Michigan. A freak athlete with incredible size, he could be a great modern-day nose tackle if his play continues to improve as it did last season. Both will likely be second-day picks, and may even require the 32nd pick in the draft to be acquired.

Keeanu Benton is a personal favorite of mine as I included him in my first mock draft of the year. He has the size and run-stuffing ability to play nose while also having the size to kick to end if need be. He has been flashing already, so the Steelers will likely have to target him with one of their latter-day two picks.

The last name I want to highlight at nose tackle is Keondre Coburn out of Texas. Built similarly to the aforementioned Ika and Smith but less flashy as a player, Coburn is a throwback player. Thickly built, he will never be more than a two-down player but has the size to thrive in this defense. He would be my third-round target.

Looking more at defensive end, this is a harder position to gauge. While it depends on what the team does in free agency, I do think adding a more traditional end makes sense given Heyward’s age and lack of a clear plan across from him.

The best in this class is Bryan Bresee, who is a freak athlete with great potential but needs to become more consistent as a player. He will need some seasoning at the NFL level, but if the team wants him, it will have to be with their first-round pick.

Personally, I have Gervon Dexter circled with the Steelers later second-round pick. He has the size this team wants and has flashed at times during his short college career. He is extremely young and needs to develop, but he could be a great fit long-term at defensive end.

If the team wants a late-round defensive end, some names that make sense, based on their projected measurables, are Fabien Lovett, Dante Stills, or Jacob Slade. I’ll be honest, I haven’t watched much on them yet, but they have the size the Steelers like and would likely be developed into backups.

For this plan, I’m grabbing Dexter in the second round and some combination of Benton or Coburn in the third. This gives the team a lot of options heading into the 2023 season.