There are plenty of ways for the NFL draft to go wrong for certain teams. The Steelers could very well have a bunch of issues exiting the draft, especially if one of these listed scenarios below becomes reality. The AFC North is still one of the tougher divisions in football despite the black and gold and Baltimore Ravens taking a step back in recent years.
Leading the group has been the Cincinnati Bengals for the past couple of seasons, and it seems to be their division to lose as long as Joe Burrow is their quarterback. The Cleveland Browns seemed to invest in the wrong quarterback and should be back in the basement of this division for a while. All four of these clubs will do their best to leave the draft a better team, but some of these cases could leave the Steelers as the odd man out.
Steelers could lose one of their top draft targets to AFC North rival
Some of the same targets for Pittsburgh in the draft are shared with their division rivals in the AFC North. Plenty of opportunities could arise where a major need is taken by one of the other three remaining teams. Not taking a certain player in an earlier round could come back to haunt the Steelers for years to come, especially if they made the wrong decision.
Tackle seems like the top choice in round one if one of the top prospects is still available at 17. There are other teams in this division that also need a tackle, cornerback, and defensive tackle to add to their roster. It could prime the black and gold with a conundrum as they try to weigh the risks and rewards of adding certain prospects at different points of the process.
Ravens decide to play spoiler and take Joey Porter Jr. at 22
It would be nearly impossible to imagine Joey Porter Jr. slipping to the 22nd overall pick in the upcoming draft. There are plenty of teams in front of them that could use an upgrade at the position before they make their top choice. The Steelers will very much have Porter in play with pick 17 if he is still available. A tackle could still be the top choice if one is still available though.
No one truly knows how the first round of the draft will shake out until it happens. Corners normally go quickly off the board on the first night of the weekend-long festivities. It is not impossible that Porter will slip to pick 22, but it is unlikely that this situation takes place on Thursday.
We know that Baltimore has met with Porter plenty of times during the pre-draft process. Even their Head coach John Harbaugh spoke highly about this cornerback during an interview. A lot of things could go wrong for the Ravens this season, especially if Lamar Jackson decides to sit out this season like Le'Veon Bell did a handful of years ago. That could take away what these birds are trying to accomplish, but Porter going to this organization would be hard to witness.
Bengals take one of the final remaining top offensive tackle at 28
Paris Johnson Jr., Broderick Jones, and Peter Skoronski are considered to be the top tackles by most experts. They will likely go within the top 15 picks in the NFL draft, but the Steelers will hope for one of them to fall a couple more selections. Finding a premier offensive tackle in today's NFL is no easy task as everyone is looking for a quality player to block for their quarterback.
Beware of a certain scenario taking place where Pittsburgh decides to pass on a tackle in round one, like Darnell Wright. That could lead to a trickle-down effect which leaves the team without many choices by the time their 32nd pick rolls around. Plenty of teams, like the Bengals will be searching for a potential tackle late in the first round.
Everyone knows that the black and gold are desperate for a tackle in this draft, and that could lead to a late run-on tackles in the ladder part of the first round. Cincinnati would be a hard place to see Wright go if he fell all the way to their choice on night one. Some other names that the Steelers could target like Anton Harrison and Dawand Jones could also sneak into the first round because of this same rationale.
Browns trade up to get Keeanu Benton in the second round
Another name with massive connections to Pittsburgh throughout the pre-draft process has been Keeanu Benton out of Wisconsin. It makes a lot of sense for him being a top target for the Steelers on day two of the draft. A second-round selection will likely have to be used on Benton for the black and gold to have a chance at choosing him.
One should not consider the Cleveland Browns as a threat in most instances of the game of football. They continued to show why they are the joke of the league last season and will likely continue that trend as they are handcuffed to their quarterback's contract. They might not be a complete threat on the field, but they could cause a headache on the second day of the draft.
The Browns do not have a first or second round choice in the upcoming draft, but they do have two third round selections. They have expressed interest in Benton leading up to the draft, but they would likely need to trade up to get him. Armed with double third rounders, this could be a very real possibility as they could jump in front of the Steelers to take him. That could be a situation that bites the black and gold for years to come.
Ravens could mix up their quarterback room with a massive trade
What is going to be the conclusion to the Lamar Jackson fiasco happening in Baltimore? That is a huge question as it could determine if the rest of the division should fear the Ravens this upcoming season or not. Jackson asked for a trade earlier this offseason and that could pick up steam during the draft if the Ravens decide to move on.
They have him bound to their team for this season and would like to sign him to a more team-friendly contract. Baltimore has been doing their homework on some of the top quarterbacks coming out of this draft class. It would be massive news if the birds from Baltimore took a quarterback by either trading up or selecting one at pick 22.
That kind of move would be explosive, but trading away Jackson early on night one of the draft might be even crazier. The Indianapolis Colts would make sense at pick four and that could give the Ravens a shot at names like C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, and Anthony Richardson. Right now, it seems like the Ravens want to keep Jackson around for a long time, but this would be ground shaking news on the first night of the draft.