From watching film in the months leading up to the NFL Scouting Combine, we already have a good feel for which players will impress the most in shorts. However, the Combine certainly has a way of getting us excited for the NFL Draft and some performances are impossible to ignore.
When it comes to the 2023 draft class, there is a number of directions the Pittsburgh Steelers could elect to go in round one. However, these five incredible performances stole the hearts of fans and we are hoping these options are in play when Omar Khan and his crew are on the clock with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
5. CB Deonte Banks tested off the charts
Cornerback is obviously a huge need for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even if unrestricted free agent Cameron Sutton is retained, this team is still desperate for a quality CB to pair with him, and they have been lacking a true number-one option at the position.
Many are enthralled with the idea of landing Joey Porter Jr., but there's no guarantee he will still be available. Deonte Banks is the new trending name connected to the Steelers. Banks already had impressive tape thanks to his explosiveness and silky-smooth change-of-direction ability. His testing at the NFL Combine is confirmation of this.
Banks ran an official 4.35 40-yard dash and jumped out of the building with a 42'' vertical and 11'4'' broad jump. Couple that with the fact that he was remarkably fluid during Combine drills, and you have a player who is shooting up draft boards. Deonte Banks is a name that Steelers fans are about to get very familiar with.
4. DL Lukas Van Ness is a possible luxury pick for the Steelers
If the Pittsburgh Steelers view Lukas Van Ness as a pure edge defender, this would certainly be a luxury pick (and one they may not be able to afford to make). The good news is that Van Ness played defensive tackle for Iowa back in 2021 and he has position flexibility along the defensive line -- making him one of the most interesting prospects in the NFL Draft this year.
Van Ness wowed everyone at the Combine with his remarkable athletic traits -- earning an impressive 4.58 40-yard dash and 7.01 3-cone. Considering that he measured in at 6'5'' and 272 pounds with 34'' arms makes this all the more impressive.
In addition to testing in the 92nd percentile among much smaller edge defenders, Van Ness wowed during movement drills. While he doesn't always play with fluidity on tape, he boosted his status in Indianapolis.
What makes Van Ness a truly intriguing prospect is that the Steelers could view him as a transitional player who could add weight and play along the interior. He's already a remarkable stout run defender and the sky is the limit for the 21-year-old. This seems like a luxury, but he's one that Steelers fans are already falling in love with.
3. OT Paris Johnson Jr. has prototype traits for a Steelers offensive tackle
Paris Johnson was a pipe dream, to begin with, but that seems to be even more so the case after watching his elite performance at the 2023 NFL Combine. Still, that won't stop Pittsburgh Steelers fans from dreaming.
The Ohio State offensive tackle was a hot topic before drills and testing even started as Johnson showed up at 6'6'' and 313 pounds with remarkable 36 1/'8'' arms. Though Johnson Jr. did just one athletic test at the Combine -- posting an 87th percentile broad jump -- you can tell that he's a remarkable athlete.
Despite his big, long frame, Johnson was an effortless mover in footwork drills and couldn't have performed much better in his on-field workout in Indianapolis.
Sadly, this is almost going to guarantee that he's selected before Pittsburgh is on the clock with the 17th overall pick in April. Steelers fans would love to land a premier left tackle prospect with freakish length and impressive mobility, but this won't happen. Yet he has become a player that fans are even more infatuated with after the NFL Combine.
2. CB Joey Porter Jr. is the most frequently mocked name to the Steelers
Throughout the process, no player has been mocked to the Pittsburgh Steelers than Joey Porter Jr., according to NFL Mock Draft Database. If this changes anytime soon, it's going to be because draft analysts don't think he's falling this far; not because the Steelers don't like him.
Porter has made a ton of sense from the very beginning. In addition to filling a major position of need at a 'money' position, Porter also had a clear and obvious connection to the team as his father was a former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl winner with Pittsburgh. Porter also comes from their neck of the woods -- playing his college ball just a few hours away at Penn State.
Now when we combine all of these factors together, we have to add in the fact that he just tested as a 96th percentile athlete at the NFL Scouting Combine. At 6'2 3/8'' and 193 pounds, Porter ran an official 4.46 with a 10-yard split in the 95th percentile. That's remarkable for a player of his size at the CB position.
However, Porter's most impressive trait is his 34'' arms and nearly 81'' wingspan, which will make him one of the longest cornerbacks to ever play in the NFL. In a game of inches, this matters so much. To a wide group of Steelers fans who already wanted Joey Porter Jr., he did nothing to make us think he's not deserving of being selected with the 17th overall pick.
1. Broderick Jones is everything the Steelers could want in an OT
While some of the fanbase has a hard time admitting that offensive tackle remains an issue for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I severely doubt that anyone would be upset with Broderick Jones in the first round when it's all said and done. Jones was frequently mocked to Pittsburgh prior to the NFL Combine, but that dream is now fading away.
Jones was one of the few players to measure significantly bigger in Indianapolis than his listed play size, as the gifted OT officially stands at 6'5 1/4'' and 311 pounds. His nearly 35'' arms and 94th-percentile athleticism are what you get if you could build a tackle from scratch.
On top of prototype testing numbers, Jones carried his weight as well as any trench player in Indianapolis this year and moved remarkably well for his size. Despite his limited starts in college, he's truly a 'sky is the limit' prospect entering the NFL Draft.
Sadly, Broderick Jones likely played himself out of Pittsburgh's range with an excellent Combine showing. This will still be perhaps the biggest player on the wishlist for Steelers fans, but this will become even more unrealistic of an option as we approach April.