Steelers mock draft Round 3: Marshawn Kneeland, EDGE, Western Michigan
Edge depth isn't a core need for the Steelers this year as it was in 2023. The Steelers signed Alex Highsmith to an extension, TJ Watt started all 17 games, though with one final injury, and Markus Golden and Nick Herbig were great depth. But, as wise teambuilders know, you can never have too many pass rushers.
Marshawn Kneeland ends up being the pick after Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran goes to Las Vegas at 77 and Joey Porter Jr.'s Penn State teammate Kalen King goes one pick ahead of Pittsburgh to the Los Angeles Rams, sending the Steelers front office into a frenzy.
"Why not take the kid from Kalamazoo?" asks a scout in the war room. "Aren't we mimicking the Philadelphia Eagles rotation strategies in our teambuilding efforts with Andy Weidl here? Watt is getting older, he needs more breathers and Kneeland can be around for four years to lighten the load as he ages."
Pounding the table in the war room can work, but sometimes in the worst way possible. Sure, there's some logic there, but it isn't the kind that considerably helps the team. Kneeland is a fine player in the third round, but he, like Wilson in round two, would be adding to an already deep position group.