The NFL Draft is less than two weeks away. That means all the speculation, all the guesswork, all the mock drafts will come to an end, and the Steelers will formally turn in their selections in an effort to improve the team in 2023 and beyond.
As we've talked about throughout the draft buildup, this year's draft could play out in a number of different broader ways. Last year, the focus was all on the quarterbacks. But, with several positions that need to be addressed, how the Steelers take advantage of three selections in the top 50 provides a number of possibilities.
Here are three positions that should be addressed in this year's draft, starting with a glaringly obvious choice. However, don't let the mock draft fever alter how it's ultimately addressed.
DON'T TRADE UP
FOR A CORNERBACK
Believe it or not, there has been some noise among mock drafters and draft experts that the Steelers could trade up in the first round. That's not too big of a stretch since Omar Khan has been more than open about that in speaking with reporters at the Combine in early March and at the owners' meeting in Phoenix a few weeks later.
"I love the idea of having a lot of picks, but you know, all options are on the table," Khan said at the Arizona Biltmore. "Obviously, if there's an opportunity to trade up to get a player that we think that's an impact player and can help us right away, or be a good long-time Steeler, we're going to evaluate it, but all options are on the table."
If the Steelers trade up for a player, it won't be for a cornerback. Nor should it be for one. This is one of the deepest positions in the draft. And, despite Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon being the consensus top two guys in the class, neither of them is a Sauce Gardner-type, can't-miss prospect worth trading away capital to jump ahead of other teams. The Steelers seldom do that, anyway, and the last time they did, it didn't pan out well at all (Devin Bush).
There isn't that much of a dropoff from those two to the next tier of cornerbacks that include Joey Porter Jr., Deonte Banks, Kelee Ringo, Cam Smith, Emmanuel Forbes and others. In fact, there's a wide variety of opinions regarding how everyone else is valued after Gonzalez and Witherspoon, and some draft sites put Porter ahead of Gonzalez or Witherspoon. Regardless of how the Steelers are valuing these players -- which is all that matters -- there will be a quality cornerback option at 17, 32 and perhaps even at 49, depending on how the draft plays out.
The only way the Steelers actually trade up for a cornerback is if they are 100 percent certain that the player they're getting will turn into a star. And, as strong and deep as this cornerback class is, that just doesn't seem like a plausible scenario.
If the Steelers do trade up, it'll likely be for a position in which there isn't a ton a value at 17. Offensive tackle is probably the most likely position. After Paris Johnson Jr. and Broderick Jones, the dropoff is pretty significant to the likes of Darnell Wright, Anton Harrison and Dawand Jones.
If Khan, Mike Tomlin and Art Rooney II want to go with another position in the first round, they can still add a cornerback that can become a Day 1 starter at 32 or 49. That's just not a position worth the cost of trading up.
In terms of how the Steelers are ranking these cornerbacks, I'll continue to beat the proverbial dead horse with what I learned weeks ago at the Combine: The Steelers are prioritizing game speed and their ability to run with receivers, then it's a toss up between ball skills and tackling. Use that criteria to draw your own conclusions to how the Steelers are valuing each cornerback heading into the draft.
EDGE RUSHER IS NOW
A MORE PRESSING NEED
Malik Reed is gone, Jamir Jones was cut and Bud Dupree is an Atlanta Falcon. The Steelers need a third edge rusher. Fortunately, the draft is a great place to add one.
There are still other options remaining on the market, though the choices are thinning out. Justin Houston, Frank Clark, Kyle Van Noy and Carlos Dunlap are affordable options, but each comes with question marks. They also may want to pursue a larger role with another team rather than being the unquestioned third guy in Pittsburgh.
Conversely, the draft is deep with edge rushers, which could make for a interesting first couple of nights of the draft if one falls into the Steelers' lap. I've previously brought up the scenario that the Steelers could draft one to compete with Highsmith, despite him coming off a season in which he recorded 14.5 sacks. Highsmith is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Without a contract extension this summer, the Steelers could lose Highsmith in free agency next spring.
Khan has already said publicly the Steelers will try and extend Highsmith. But, taking advantage of one of this class' strengths at edge rusher could be a prudent way to address the position in 2023 and protect themselves in case things don't work out with Highsmith, just as it did with Dupree when he left via free agency.
There are 10 edge rushers in the top 50 of PFF's most recent big board rankings: Will Anderson Jr., Tyree Wilson, Lukas Van Ness, Nolan Smith, Myles Murphy, Will McDonald IV, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, BJ Ojulari, Adetomiwa Adebawore and Tuli Tuipulotu. And, there are more quality options that would be second-round picks in lighter drafts. This is a great opportunity to add another impact player at a position in which the starting tandem is set, then figure out the logistics later. That's always a good problem for any NFL team.
DON'T SLEEP ON
ANOTHER TIGHT END
There are a few positions in this year's draft that deserve attention just because they are that good and that deep. Cornerback and edge rusher are two of them, but tight end might be the strongest. It just hasn't been talked about that much regarding the Steelers because it isn't a true need like several other positions, especially after Zach Gentry re-signed on a team-friendly, one-year contract.
Even so, this is the kind of draft that the Steelers might regret down the road if they don't take a tight end, regardless of whether or not it's a need. After all, free agency is the more appropriate means to address roster needs. The draft is where teams look to add franchise-altering players, and they'd prefer to do it without needing to address any holes on the roster. Full flexibility in the draft is always the most ideal situation.
Sometimes the two go hand in hand. As pointed out earlier, this applies to cornerback and edge rusher. It's a strong draft for both positions, and the Steelers need to upgrade both positions. That's a win-win scenario.
If the Steelers use an early pick one of the higher-graded tight ends such as Dalton Kincaid, Michael Mayer, Sam LaPorta, Luke Musgrave or Darnell Washington, it shouldn't be viewed as a wasted or misused pick. In fact, it would immediately make tight end a position of great strength, especially considering Pat Freiermuth's continued growth into one of the league's better tight ends and Connor Heyward's increased role down the stretch of the 2022 season.
And, when considering having to play against the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow in the AFC for the foreseeable future, the Steelers need as much strength on the offensive side as they can get.
The same could be said about the receiver position, but this isn't a great class of receivers. It is a great class of tight ends, which could benefit the Steelers' offense in other ways. After all, they want to effectively run the ball, and did so in the second half of the season last year running a lot of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two receivers).
Now, imagine the duo of Freiermuth and a really talented rookie tight end instead of Freiermuth with Gentry or Heyward. This gives the Steelers more options to run play-action and attack the middle of the field, which are two things they didn't do nearly enough of last season.
Just as it would be for edge rusher, adding a very talented rookie into the mix would be a great problem for the Steelers to work out on the fields at Saint Vincent College.
