By now, you've heard all of the arguments for and against taking a running back in the first round of the draft. I'm not going to bore you with them again.
Hopefully by now, you've seen my final list of 24 players the Steelers would take with the 24th pick. That makes the first-round a fairly easy thing -- at least for me.
But what about after that? As it turned out, one of the 24 players I would have taken at 24 was still available at 55.
That's actually not all that unusual. As I've stated in the past, after the first 15 or so picks in a draft, you can throw a blanket over the next 40 to 50 picks. And so, it was a pretty nice score to get two players off that list using The Draft Network's mock drafter.
As you can see with this mock draft, the Steelers get something at positions of need everywhere -- except for tight end. And we all know who you all would like to see them re-sign to fill that hole at the No. 2 spot.
If things work out this way, I have to believe it will be enough to even make those who don't want a running back in the first round happy.
Round 1, Pick 24: Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson — The Jets took Najee Harris at 23 and Teven Jenkins went at 19 to Washington. Greg Newsome went at 21 to the Colts. So, using my Steelers’ 24, the obvious choice here was Etienne. His speed could be what Matt Canada covets in his offense and would immediately threaten defenses. Javonte Williams, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Zaven Collins, Landon Dickerson and Creed Humphrey are all available from my final 24. But Etienne is my highest-rated guy.
Round 2, Pick 55: Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma — The only player still available from my 24 players the Steelers would consider at the 24th pick, this is a no-brainer. For those thinking the Steelers could get a RB here, Williams was long gone. Humphrey is athletic and smart. He’ll be the Steelers’ center for the next decade. DB Richie Grant, TEs Pat Freiermuth and Tommy Tremble and linebacker Jabril Cox are tempting. But not as much as Humphrey.
Round 3, Pick 87: Walker Little, OT, Stanford — Two years ago, had he been available in the draft, Little would have likely been a first-round pick. But he’s played only about half a game since 2019 after tearing his ACL in the opener in 2019 and then opting out in 2020. Will the Steelers hold that against him? They’re getting a gift with him available in the third round. If he had played in 2019 or 2020, he might have been the first tackle selected. Hunter Long is available here and I probably won’t get another shot at a TE in this draft, but Little is too good to pass up.
Round 4, Pick 128: Ambry Thomas, CB. Michigan — Thomas opted out of the 2020 season, but did accept an invitation to the Senior Bowl, where he looked good during the week of practices. He has seen some snaps in the slot in his career, but was primarily an outside corner at Michigan. Thomas had three interceptions in 2019 and limited opposing QBs to a 56.3 passer rating when he was targeted, barely allowing 50 percent of passes to be completed against him. He measured in at just under 6-foot tall and 191 pounds while running a 4.40 40 at the Michigan pro day. I’ll take him here over the remaining edge and linebacker prospects hoping I can get one at pick 140.
Round 4, Pick 140: Patrick Johnson, OLB, Tulane — Johnson’s tape reminds me a lot of Alex Highsmith. And he was even more productive. He just does a lot of things well as an edge player. And he has enough tools in the box to be the immediate No. 3 outside linebacker for the Steelers. Johnson had 24.5 sacks and 39 tackles for a loss the past three seasons while also forcing six fumbles and getting his hands on 11 passes. He’s the pick over some of the inside linebackers still on the board as I hope to get one in the sixth round.
Round 6, Pick 216: Buddy Johnson, LB, Texas A&M — Johnson ran a 4.57 40-yard dash at just over 6-0 and 229 pounds and had great short-shuttle and three-cone drills at the Aggies’ pro day. He also was very productive at A&M, leading the team in tackles the past two seasons while also recording 5 sacks, forcing three fumbles and intercepting a pass. He needs to refine his pass coverage, but he’s not being drafted to start right away. He’ll be a special teams ace right out of the gate and could develop into a starter next to Devin Bush. At the very least, he provides quality depth and special teams play.
Round 7, Pick 245: Jaelon Darden, WR, North Texas — At 5-7 and change, Darden isn’t all that big. But he’s lightning fast and excels at stretching the field. Despite his lack of size, he creates a lot of missed tackles with his elusiveness. He scored 19 touchdowns in 2020 in nine games and scored 31 times over his final 19 college games. He also has experience returning punts and kicks. Essentially, he’s a younger — and maybe better — version of Ray-Ray McCloud. It’s the seventh round, so why not?
Round 7, Pick 253: Avery Williams, CB, Boise State — The Steelers need a backup nickel corner. If that’s not Ambry Thomas, it could very well be Williams. So why not create some competition. And you need multiple corners. At a shade over 5-8, Williams is destined to play on the inside only at the NFL level. But that’s OK. He scored nine career touchdowns on special teams. That’s not a misprint. He had five on punt returns, three on kick returns and also returned a blocked punt for a score. He had five overall blocked kicks and three forced fumbles on kick coverage. He’s just a football player in the Mike Hilton mold. This is an easy pick and one special teams coordinator Danny Smith will love.
