The NFL Draft is almost here, and every team is finalizing their boards in hopes of landing their next impact player. The Pittsburgh Steelers have done a great job of filling their immediate holes, so it makes their first-round target harder to hone in on.
Pittsburgh is a habitual creature when it comes to their top draft pick, so only a handful of names truly make sense in round one. To land a true blue-chip prospect, though, it may have to come at the expense of getting an impact receiver.
It feels like there are four truly elite prospects in play for pick 21. Three of those players are offensive linemen in Monroe Freeling, Olaivavega Ioane, and Spencer Fano. The other top prospect is Makai Lemon.
Given the needs on the team, though, they may need to sacrifice getting a receiver for one of these blue-chip prospects to make it to them in the first round of the draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should be rooting for a run on receivers in round one
While conventionally viewed as a top need, the Steelers have only shown interest in two first-round receivers in the aforementioned Lemon and Denzel Boston. It seems like the team has their eyes on day two to get their next pass catcher, and for good reason.
While the top three receivers are a nudge above the other options in this draft class, the rest of the first-round prospects are pretty similar to some of the options that could be had in the second round. In short, if you aren’t getting a top guy, you can afford to wait a little and still get a good player.
Offensive line is a different story. Ioane is head and shoulders a better guard prospect than anyone else in this class by a wide margin. There are a few other tackles who look the part as well, but the talent drops off significantly after the first round. The Steelers should be happy to land one of the three mentioned linemen with their first pick if the opportunity is available.
There is no guarantee that any of their top names make it to pick 21, though. However, a run on receiver could alleviate that. While the big three are likely to go before the Steelers pick (although there has been speculation that Lemon could fall that far), the real question is who else, if anyone, is drafted.
Omar Cooper has soared up draft boards and could be in play for the Jets with their second pick. Denzel Boston has seen a similar surge in popularity as of late. KC Concepcion has also been a hot name during this draft cycle.
If four or five receivers could get taken within the first 20 picks, it almost guarantees you that you land a top offensive lineman as a result. Yes, that does mean you miss out on Lemon, but the juice is worth the squeeze.
While fans hoping for a receiver will shudder at this, the Steelers need line help more than receiver help immediately. Pittsburgh should be quietly hoping that there is a run on receivers before their pick to secure a better offensive lineman.
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