Steelers mock draft: Building a foundation around Kenny Pickett

Steelers beef up their front seven with their mid-round selections

After adding to the offensive trenches with their first pick, now the Steelers look to beef up their interior on defense. Keeanu Benton is one of the best true nose tackles in this year's class, He consistently clogged up rushing lanes and used his length and raw strength to manhandle opposing linemen. He isn't the most natural or explosive pass rusher, but he has shown enough in that area for it not to be a liability.

If he can develop into an even average rusher, he could be one of the better players along the Steelers front seven for years to come. With Cameron Heyward only getting older and not much proven depth behind him, this pick makes a ton of sense for Pittsburgh. His senior bowl performance certainly helped his stock, however, so whether he makes it to pick 80 is hard to say.

Despite this mock being centered around the idea of building around Kenny Pickett, the value at this point in the draft is on the defensive side of the ball. K.J. Henry makes it three defensive players in a row, but all Steelers fans know how important it is to have depth at edge rusher. Henry is the prototypical rotational edge in many ways. He has the size to handle setting the edge in the run game, and he is athletic enough to be a threat as a pass rusher.

He doesn't have the bend or array of moves to be a starting edge, but the Steelers already have their starters in place. He would help prevent them from having to play guys like Malik Reed or Taco Charlton like they were forced to over the past two years if T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith miss time. That alone makes the pick worth it. Getting a guy like this at pick 120 is hard to complain about.