Happy Valentine’s Day to all who celebrate. As we head deeper into the offseason, I wanted to take some time to celebrate this holiday with some draftable that I am falling in love with. It is official, I have a crush on these ten draft picks as we continue with the scouting season.
These aren’t necessarily players I think the Steelers will draft (although I would like them to). It also isn’t just the elite players in this draft class. It is a wide mix of players that, based on the film I have watched, are my early favorites in this class. Here are my ten current draft-day crushes.
Steelers draft day crush #10: Jaden Hicks
The Steelers have a relatively consistent list of needs that most fans agree on. Center, cornerback, and tackle seem to make up most of what fans want this team to address. That being said, I think landing a capable strong safety, one that can play every down, is a big need. The multi-headed beast that was the Steelers safety room last offseason didn’t get the job done.
Hicks is your classic box safety with the size and athleticism to thrive close to the line of scrimmage. Because of this, he has a very high ceiling as a mid-round pick. At worst, you can plug and play Hicks in base defense as he is a terrific run defender.
He takes a lot of poor angles in coverage, that said he shows a willingness to be disruptive there. He is better in zone than in man, but when tasked with covering someone one-on-one, he shows an aggressive knack for breaking up passes. No, it isn’t perfect, but he is certainly trying.
Assuming you can land Hicks in the third or fourth round, he gives you a player that can thrive in the box early on and develop into an every-down starter. The safety market and draft class are inflated, which will help him fall. I’d love to see Pittsburgh pull the trigger.