The Pittsburgh Steelers had one of the more eventful drafts in recent memory, and because of that, there aren’t a lot of things I can critique on this group. I usually like to post my initial redo and see how I would have done things had I been in charge, but the first two rounds were nearly perfect and the rest of the class wasn’t bad either.
I do want to take some time to highlight three players the Steelers got right in the draft as well as two picks they are going to regret. To be clear, saying they got a pick right means, to me, that the player is going to be impactful right away, fits what this team wants to focus on, or addressed an obvious need (or some combination of the three). Picks that they regret don’t necessarily mean bust, but the process and potential fit are suspect at best.
With that, all said, here are three picks the Steelers got right and two that they are going to regret.
Steelers got the Keeanu Benton pick right
I have said it before, but there is no player from the 2023 Steelers draft class in a better position to succeed right away than Keeanu Benton. The former Badger has an instant role on defense as a nose tackle and has the size and potential to eventually move elsewhere along the line. He plays with a lot of power and has some developmental upside as a pass rusher.
Usually, I would be against using a first or second-round pick on a pure nose tackle, as that type of player will only play “two downs” and will only be effective on 30 percent of the defensive snaps. Benton is no average nose tackle though, as he can penetrate quickly and put pressure on quarterbacks in the passing game.
Benton will more than likely be that two-down player right away, and as he progresses as a professional, he can earn more snaps. Long-term, he could very well end up as either of the starting defensive ends for this team. He may never be a stat monster, but he will be a steady contributor that can play both the run and pass. The Steelers got a great fit for this defense in the second round.
Steelers will regret their UDFA class
Ok, so this is a bit of a cop-out, but again, it is hard to pick draft picks in this class that I am skeptical about. The undrafted class, on the other hand, is less appealing. While I had hoped that the Steelers would change their very archaic ways and offer up some guaranteed money to the undrafted free agents after the picks finished up, that didn’t happen.
Instead, the Steelers brought in an underwhelming class of six undrafted names, and none of the six seem like great roster candidates. Tanner Morgan seemingly has the best shot right now, but that is due to the team only having two clear top quarterbacks on their roster when they typically like to have three on their roster.
Some notable names fell out of the draft, and those prospects got part of their first-year salary guaranteed. The Steelers are allergic to this practice, so they had to settle for the crumbs instead. Even the allotted signing bonus pool for the undrafted class barely gets used by the team.
It was as close to a perfect draft as you are going to see from this team, and they could have put the cherry on top with a competitive and talented undrafted class too. Instead, Pittsburgh stuck to its usual ways and brought in lackluster names. It isn’t the end of the world, but it is frustrating to see this team not bother trying with their undrafted pool.
Steelers got the Broderick Jones pick right
Don’t overthink this, the Steelers did the absolute right thing in the first round. For the first time in a long time, the first round of the draft was seemingly wide open for the Steelers. They had a lot of interest in the top tackles and cornerbacks, but there was even the chance a player like Nolan Smith could have been the target.
Despite rumors of a big trade up into the top ten, the Steelers remained at their pick as the draft rolled into the teens. This was smart, as a trade that high would have cost one or more of the team’s day-two picks. Instead, they got great value moving up from pick 17 to 14 and only surrendering a fourth-round pick.
That doesn’t even take into account the player they got. Broderick Jones has the highest potential out of every tackle in this class, and while he is raw as a player, he was well worth the combination of picks. He gives the team a potential star at left tackle, something they have lacked for a long time.
I expect plenty of growing pains in his rookie season, as he needs to get better as a technician, but he was worth the investment to get. The Steelers didn’t have to trade a fortune to move up for him and didn’t have to settle for the second tier of tackle. This was a great pick all around.
Steelers will regret the Nick Herbig pick
Let me put into context the strength of this draft class: at worst, I expect Nick Herbig to become one of the best special teams players on this team. Not perfect value in the fourth round, but also not an absolute bust either. Unless you really want to nitpick on seventh-round picks (even then, I like both of them), Herbig has the biggest risk though.
The reason for this is simple. Herbig played as an edge rusher at Wisconsin, and while he had great production and is a decent technician, he lacks the profile to succeed there. Specifically, his arm length is well short of the average for the position. We just saw a small edge rusher who lacked length struggle in Malik Reed, so I’m not sure what will be different with Herbig.
A lot of people, including Herbig himself, figured that he would have to move off the ball once he got to the pro level because of this. Already, that type of transition has proven to be a difficult thing. A lot of players enter the pros with “position versatility” but end up struggling to find a home.
The Steelers seem keen on keeping Herbig as an edge rusher at first, and even if he does transition, the team could use him as a hybrid player. I feel like this is going to delay the inevitable, and if I were the team, I would be making Herbig work with the off-ball linebackers now as opposed to waiting.
All of this could delay the effectiveness of Herbig as a defender. Again, I expect him to make an impact right away as a special teams player, but his only path to being a good defender is my switching positions. It doesn’t seem like that is going to happen early on, so it is hard for me to be optimistic about him, and not moving him right away could be a regrettable move.
Steelers got the Darnell Washington pick right
The biggest luxury pick of the draft, but it helps the narrative that this offense is going to be a different type of unit in 2023. For most of the past 15 years, the Steelers have been an aggressive passing team, utilizing deep receiver rooms to make plays down the field. That is set to change though, as Pittsburgh has beefed up their offensive line and has a desire to run the ball.
Darnell Washington fits an offense that wants to do just that. Underutilized as a receiver in college, he can have an impact right away as a blocker, using his size and technique to serve as an extra lineman as opposed to a traditional tight end. A great blocking tight end is already worth a late third-round pick (in my opinion), so the value checks out.
That doesn’t mean he is just going to be late-career Matt Spaeth though, as Washington flashed when given the opportunity. He tested as a great athlete for his size and has soft hands that make him a good player to target. He won’t ever be an elite receiver, but he could easily become a good tight end that can also serve as an elite blocker.
I get that there are medical concerns, but landing a player of that caliber late in the third round is excellent value. He has an instant role as a blocker in two tight-end sets and has the upside to be a good starter down the road if he gets better as a receiver. Add in the extra value of the trade back and this move was one the team got right.
Again, it is hard for me to find a lot of fault with this draft class, as the Steelers landed good players and filled their biggest needs. That said, three players stand out as obvious hits, while two have left me with some more questions. All in all, though, it is hard to be disappointed in this class as a whole.