There are a few unashamed NFL teams that are okay with 'softly tanking' late in the season when they have no chance to compete, but you'll never find the Pittsburgh Steelers among that group. Team president Art Rooney II and head coach Mike Tomlin take too much pride in year-to-year success to pull off a move like this.
For Pittsburgh's higher-ups, it's all about making win-now moves—often at the expense of building the foundation of the roster for the future. Unfortunately, NFL analysts know this all too well. In Chad Reuter's latest five-round mock draft on NFL.com, the NFL Draft analyst has the Steelers rushing to turn their card in for Omarion Hampton with the 21st overall pick.
Hampton is a well-rounded running back out of North Carolina who offers a terrific blend of speed, explosion, and power. But the thought process here couldn't be worse, and every Steelers fan should be disappointed in the outcome if the draft unfolds like this.
The Pittsburgh Steelers bypass better prospects at more important positions to take Omarion Hampton in the latest mock draft
It's one thing if the Steelers took Omarion Hampton because he was the best remaining player on the board, and they had no other quality options. However, in this mock draft, defensive linemen Derrick Harmon, Walter Nolen, and Kenneth Grant are all still on the board. Even wide receivers like Matthew Golden and Luther Burden III would make more sense.
Instead, Reuter has the Steelers repeating their mistakes from the 2021 NFL Draft when they rushed to turn in their card for Najee Harris with the 24th overall pick and took a running back in Round 1 (and not even the best running back in the class).
Hampton is a solid prospect, and in the right situation, you can get behind taking him in the late twenties. But the Steelers have no shortage of roster needs that must be addressed, and taking a position with a short shelf-life like running back in the first round for a naive chance to compete now is the wrong move.
It's also worth noting that this is a particularly deep running back class, and the Steelers could still find a great RB in the third or fourth round of the draft this year.
Additionally, Hampton isn't a perfect prospect. There are whispers that NFL executives don't like him as much as draft media seems to, and many question his vision as a ball carrier. If the North Carolina product ends up being the third or fourth-best running back in the class, but you take him at pick 21, this would end up looking like a disaster in hindsight.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to quit opting for a quick-fix solution to their problems and start looking at the big picture. Taking Hampton in the first round would be falling back into the trap this team found itself in just five years ago.