Good Monday to you Steelers Fans.
Have you prepared yourself? Have you prepared yourself for the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers may draft a defensive player in the first round? Like many of you I see the huge needs this team has on the offensive side of the football. That however means little. In recent weeks I’ve told you here in this space and we’ve told you several times on the podcast that Kevin Colbert just doesn’t draft offensive tackles in the first round. He also doesn’t always draft a lot of offensive players either. If you remove last year because the Steelers didn’t have a first round selection (Minkah Fitzpatrick trade) then in eight of the previous ten drafts Colbert and Mike Tomlin have selected defenders in round one. The only exceptions? David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey. So despite what we think and with such huge needs at running back and on the O-Line, I will not be surprised one bit if the name called on Draft night is a defensive player. I can already hear you… “Alright smarty pants, then who is it going to be?” Hell if know! But I could see a few guys like Northwestern CB Greg Newsome II, Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley or Alabama CB Patrick Surtain II. I would dismiss linebackers like Jamin Davis of Kentucky or Baron Browning of Ohio State. I don’t have any new insights with two plus weeks to go but I trust the precedents and the tea leaves. Don’t be shocked if they go defense in round is all that I’m saying.
Tweet of the Day… Yep.
Goated!!!! https://t.co/6rYO4iQRHU
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) April 11, 2021
Mock Draft Simulations
Using the Pro Football Network Draft Simulator I did ten auto-drafts of the first round in a row. Here’s what we came up with… 1. Joseph Ossai, EDGE, Texas… 2. Najee Harris, RB, Alabama… 3. Caleb Farley, CB, Va Tech… 4. Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan… 5. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson… 6. Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky… 7. Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG, USC… 8. Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma… 9. Etienne… 10. Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota.
What’s the moral of the story here? Mock Draft simulators are great but that’s just what they are, simulators. They are not perfect science at all. A guard? A wide receiver? In the first round? That doesn’t make much sense now does it?
Pro Days This Week…
While regular Pro Days are over, both Justin Fields (Tuesday) and Trey Lance (Wednesday) will have second opportunities to show off their skills. I think Lance has the most to gain here because of his limited starts in college. That said, Fields will likely have the Niners watching him closely as they have the third pick are it seems a foregone conclusion that they are taking a QB.
Latest Draft Profiles
We’ve started to pick up some momentum with our latest 2021 Draft Profiles. You can check them all out right here.
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Have a great day Steeler Nation!
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