The 2023 National Football League Draft is now in the rear-view mirror and it’s time to put a nice, neat bow on the first one conducted by Pittsburgh Steelers’ General Manager Omar Khan. If you’ve read this column long enough then you know I don’t do ‘draft grades.’ They are nothing more than media fodder and at the end of the day, whether your team gets an A or an F it doesn’t matter. These are rookies. They are young men who are going to rise to the challenge of becoming great players or they won’t. But for anyone to grade a draft in the hours after its’ completion is useless in my mind. Therefore, if you want my draft grade then I’ll tell you what I say every single year at this time, “Ask me in three years.” All that said, the Steelers did an excellent job of getting players at positions of need and getting good value for some guys as well. The decision to move up and get Broderick Jones was outstanding. My expectations for him are extremely high. Joey Porter, Jr at 32 was good value. He’s a very good player but I have concerns about his lack of turnover creation and his ‘grabby’ play that leads to penalties. Keeanu Benton seemed destined to be a Steeler. They had an eye on him early in the process while there will be some questions about his overall fit, the Steelers now possess a stacked defensive line unit that will likely see some surprise names gone from it by late August. I love the Darnell Washington pick. This was a guy thought of as a potential first round selection who was gotten in the third. He’s a tremendous blocker, above average athlete and should be a menace in the middle of the field. The selection of Nick Herbig is a bit of a mystery to me. He’s thought of as more of an ILB but the Steelers will start him out on the EDGE. He’s got a tremendous motor and has some ability but he has to add weight and strength to his frame. I love the selection of Cory Trice in the seventh. He’s a guy who plays man press coverage quite well and has the size and length the Steelers like. Spencer Anderson, their final selection, is a guard from Maryland which immediately left us scratching our heads as we already have a plethora of guards. Further inspection however indicates that Anderson has experience at center. Therefore, this makes some sense. All in all, a very good job by Khan and Company this past weekend.
The Podcast
In case you missed it over the weekend, the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc of South Florida aired our latest episode during the first round Thursday night. This nearly three hour show was filled with some awesome Steelers and Draft talk plus we discussed just about anything else that came up during the first round. Check it out!
Tweet of the Day… Kudos to the Panthers. Any time a Boston team gets knocked out of the postseason I’m good with that.
This guy might not survive the night, but what a way to go out. pic.twitter.com/hJ64cyLZjq
— Neal Coolong (@NealCoolong) May 1, 2023
Those All-important UDFA’s
As is the case every time the Draft ends, teams start scrambling to sign those young men who were not drafted. Not at all surprising was the fact the Steelers signed a QB and I wouldn’t be shocked to see another added at some point. Here’s the list.
- Tanner Morgan, QB, Minnesota.
- Monte Pottebaum, FB, Iowa.
- Jordan Byrd, WR, San Diego State.
- David Perales, DE, Fresno State.
- B.T. Potter, K, Clemson.
- Trevor Downing, C, Iowa State.
- James Nyamwaya, DE, Merrimack College.
Morgan is a highly experienced player who fits a third QB role perfectly. He should be able to pick up the offense and run the show if necessary. Potter is a curious signing. Let’s face it; Chris Boswell had a shitty season in 2022. The Steelers have to do their ‘due diligence’ and make sure they have people in reserve if Bos has injury issues again.
The Still to-Do List
While the Draft may be over, the Steelers still have a few holes in my opinion. Arthur Maulet has been a dedicated and diligent nickel corner but the team needs an upgrade here. They have to get a guy who can both tackle the run and cover the pass. Maulet struggles to do the latter. I’m not convinced they have a true slot wide receiver either. We have nothing to go on in terms of Calvin Austin III and we don’t know if Allen Robinson can stay healthy enough to be the ‘big slot’ the Steelers like. Lastly is depth at OLB. They addressed with the drafting of Herbig but that isn’t enough. I still believe that come late August there will be new additions to this team at the aforementioned spots.
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