With the draft so close, I wanted to let everyone know what my plan would be if I were the GM for the Steelers. Typically with my mocks, I try to connect the dots between layers the team has an interest in as well as the holes they have. While not always the case, I often don’t love the mock I put together, but I want to try and be realistic about what the team could do.
I am changing that with this rendition, as I want everyone to see what my strategy would be to attack this draft. Every season I come away with a few “my guys” in the draft, and I want to make sure they are added to this roster. As well, I want to fill the biggest needs I have with the team.
While this mock isn’t perfect, as there are a lot of holes to fill, I do believe that it creates a stronger overall roster on both offense and defense. As a GM, I’m also interested in moving around, especially when there are certain players I want and deem the best at the position.
That starts in the first round, as I am eyeing a small trade-up. I’m not willing to give up one of my seconds, and I’m not keen on giving up my third, but I want a specific name to be around when I pick (no spoilers, read ahead to see who the target is). I watch as the prospect I want begins to slip out of the top ten and I call the Texans at pick 12.
I offer them a first-round swap and my fourth-round pick, which is quickly rejected. I suck it up and offer pick 80 overall, but we get their fifth-round pick (pick 161) in return. A steepers price than I want, but I want to ensure I get my guy. They accept, and the Steelers are officially on the clock.
Steelers mock draft round 1: OT Paris Johnson
The Steelers seem inclined to take a tackle early if they address the position at all, and the best prospect in this class is Paris Johnson. The former Ohio State blocker moved there from guard, but he was a great fit there this past season. He has the prototypical size and athleticism that you want in a left tackle.
What separates him from the rest of this class is the lack of projection and ability to play left tackle. The other two top tackles, Peter Skoronski and Broderick Jones can play on the left side, but Skoronski has size and length concerns and Jones is a raw prospect. While I do believe Johnson has a lower ceiling than Jones, I think he is pro-ready and can develop into a top tackle still.
On the flip side, the usual candidates that the Steelers could target with one of their top two picks have far lower ceilings and tend to be dominated by right tackles. That would be fine for the long term, but I want to ensure this offensive rebuild of the line is continued with a true top prospect.
Johnson is that to me, as he can start his rookie season and kick Dan Moore to either swing tackle or right tackle. This makes the line a far more complete unit which will only benefit Kenny Pickett’s development.
There is enough of a difference between Johnson to the second wave of prospects to make it worth it to move up a few spots. As a GM, I certainly am not done trading, as I want to add some more picks on day two to better attack the meat of this draft.
There isn’t anyone I love at pick 32, and the Bears come calling as they want their original pick back. I make the deal simple, their other second-round pick (pick 53) and their third-round pick (pick 64) for pick 32. The deal is accepted, and we now have a higher third-round pick than we did before.
Steelers mock draft round 2: CB Tyrique Stevenson
When the Steelers come back onto the clock at pick 49, I want to snag an outside cornerback. This class is extremely deep, so I am fine moving back knowing that I can still land a top prospect. I ultimately go with Tyrique Stevenson out of Miami.
While not the crazy physical specimen that this draft class seems filled with, Stevenson still has the necessary size to play outside. He is an extremely physical player, as he loves to make contact and come up in run support.
In terms of coverage, he has progressively gotten better every season. He uses his size and his length to play great man coverage, as he gets aggressive at the line of scrimmage and bumps players off their routes. He has the athleticism to hold his own in man coverage as well.
He struggles in zone coverage, as he has less experience there coming from a predominantly man-heavy scheme at Miami. That said, he enters a cornerback room where he won’t have to start right away. While I do think he is pro-ready as a rookie, he can be mentored and worked into a role as opposed to being thrown in as a starter right away.
While Stevenson doesn’t have the ceiling that the top names in this class have, he seems like a safe pick to develop into a good starter. He has the physicality the team covets in their cornerbacks, and he has the man coverage ability this defense needs. There are names earlier I naturally like more, but Stevenson is one of my top second-round targets at cornerback for this team.
Steelers mock draft round 2: NT Keeanu Benton
There are three defensive linemen that I love in this class, and I intend on landing two of them with the next few picks. The first wound would have the most instant impact on the team, as Keeanu Benton is already a force as a run defender and has experience as a nose tackle on the Wisconsin defense.
Benton’s game starts and ends with his power. He uses his bull rush to disrupt the middle of the field and force runners to change direction. He is powerful enough to push opposing linemen back, but he also has enough finesse to work his way around blockers and get into the backfield. He is lacking a pass-rush plan, but that could certainly develop with more experience in a pro system.
His size is intriguing as well, as he could eventually shift more to an end spot and not just be a traditional nose tackle. That said, early in his career that seems to be the best place for him. While Pittsburgh has added some low-level names to their nose tackle depth chart, Benton can easily outplay them.
This run defense has been hard to watch at times, and Benton can be an instant upgrade with the potential to be so much more. At a minimum, you are getting a good run defender that should become a good nose tackle. If he can develop as a pass rusher, the Steelers could have a future star defensive end to play all along the defensive line.
Steelers mock draft round 3: DE Gervon Dexter
The second of three defensive linemen that I love, Gervon Dexter won’t be playing early in his career for the Steelers, but he can easily develop into a great end for this team. Dexter is far less of a refined player for this team, but he has the athleticism and build that Pittsburgh loves for their defensive ends.
Dexter flashed while at Florida, as there are blips in his tape where he looks unblockable. He can shed blocks, get after the quarterback, and disrupt running plays. Unfortunately, he was an inconsistent defender, as there were other times when he would seemingly disappear on film. While his size is something the Steelers look for, he doesn’t always use it well, as he can get vertical too quickly on some plays.
Those flaws push him into the third round, but he still has the potential to be a great starter. He needs some time to better his technique and play lower, and his length is shorter than ideal, but he has the upside of a fine starter for this defense. His rookie season would be spent mostly learning, but it is a long-term investment into better trench play.
Steelers mock draft round 4: DB Anthony Johnson
Entering day three, I still want to get some defensive and offensive slot help. While there are a few receivers that have me interested, Anthony Johnson is a versatile defensive back I have fallen in love with. He lacks the potential to be an elite player given his build, but he plays like his hair is on fire.
He has experience all over the secondary, starting as a corner before moving to deep safety and eventually settling in as a box safety. That allowed his physicality to shine and his ability to shoot gaps and blitz to show up. His coverage skills are fine, and he makes some errors at times, but he can hold his own against receivers.
Where I think he could shine is as a slot defender. His coverage experience and tenacity to play the run make him a natural fit there. He also isn’t an elite athlete, and the slot role could hide some of his issues there. This team is lacking a traditional slot cornerback, and Johnson could fill in there from day one.
Add in his ability to work as both a deep and box safety and you have the versatility you want in a mid-round pick. He can earn a role early in the slot and provide depth all along the secondary. He would be great value here in the fourth round.
Steelers mock draft round 5: IOL Ricky Stromberg
Despite revamping the interior of this offensive line, the Steelers still seem keen on adding a top center based on their pre-draft interest. I will not be spending that high of a pick on a center, but with this extra fifth-round pick we got from the trade-up with the Texans, I land a versatile center in Ricky Stromberg.
Stromberg is battle-tested in the SEC and has more than held his own. He has experience at all three interior positions, giving him some versatility as a depth piece. He shines against smaller linemen, as he can use his technique to bully them out of plays. He has some great highlights in a hard collegiate division.
His primary struggles come when he faces bigger linemen, as they can overpower Stromberg. Unfortunately, the NFL will be filled with players like this, and it seems unlikely that those issues get that much better. Even if he never develops into a starter, he is a versatile depth player and should keep the line strong if an injury were to occur.
Steelers mock draft round 7: EDGE Durell Nchami
I did want to target an edge rusher earlier, but the value was never there in this draft. Instead, I take a player that flashed some great film while at Maryland but struggled with health issues. Durell Nchami has flashed when on the field with good bend, a good array of moves, and decent technique as a pass rusher.
Unfortunately, he has also struggled with injuries for most of his college career. While that is a problem that doesn’t always get better once in the pros, Nchami can become a good rotational player if he remains healthy. He wouldn’t be an impact player early, but pair him with a veteran pass rusher and you would have a fine depth chart at edge rusher.
Steelers mock draft round 7: TE Noah Gindorff
Look, I wanted to land a receiver, but that never happened. Instead, I’ll steer this offense to more of a tight-end heavy stance as opposed to the traditional three-receiver sets we use. To do this, the team needs three traditional tight ends, and Conner Heyward can serve as a chess piece instead.
Noah Gindorff isn’t a great player, and like Nchami he has also struggled with injuries. That said, he is a great blocker and has soft hands. He can compete for the third tight end spot and keep the depth chart full in case of injury.
I love the start of this mock draft, and my biggest complaint is that I failed to land a receiver. That said, the offensive line gets a blue-chip prospect and the defense gets some core starters both for this season and the future. If I were in charge, I would try to have this draft class look something like this.