After picking running backs in the later rounds for four straight seasons, it's clear Steelers are intent on addressing the position in either the first or second rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.
That's after drafting James Conner in 2017, Jaylen Samuels in 2018, Bennie Snell in 2019, and Anthony McFarland in 2020, leaving the team to find a primary option this year.
Someone might think the Steelers are bad at drafting running backs in the later rounds, as others have hit with Aaron Jones or Chris Carson in 2017. But those players are exceptions to the norm.
Most NFL teams miss badly on running backs in the later rounds. Since the 2017 NFL Draft when the Steelers selected Conner, 61 of the 92 selected running backs came after the top 100 picks, like Conner.
But few such players have had big years. From 60 players who've rushed for over 900 yards in a season since 2017, only six weren't picked in the top 100 of a draft class since 2017. And one of those six was Conner's 2018 season.
Even for teams like the Seahawks with Carson or the Packers with Jones, it took several attempts before they found their man. Between the 2017 NFL Draft and the four years prior, the Seahawks had picked six running backs in addition to Carson, and the Packers had picked five in addition to Jones. The Steelers will fit that trend when they draft a top back this year.
In fact, of teams who picked a running back after the second round since 2017 who rushed over 900 yards in a season, only the Steelers with Conner picked such a back while selecting just one other back in the four years prior.
Just because the Steelers didn't strike gold with their later picks doesn't mean they can't evaluate the position. Instead, it's another reminder of how much a crapshoot the NFL Draft is in the later rounds. That's another reason why Kevin Colbert should invest early at running back this year.
YOUR TURN: Are the Steelers actually bad at drafting running backs?
