When Omar Khan and Andy Weidl put together their first draft class as the team's new front-office duo, the expectation wasn't simply to find starters, but to find the next foundation of the roster.
Three years later, with the chance to finally -- and properly -- judge that 2023 draft class, that's exactly what appears to have happened.
One of the easiest ways to evaluate a draft class is to look at how many players earn second contracts with the team that drafted them.
"I think anytime you look at the development of your roster, the second contract is huge," Mike McCarthy said last week during minicamp. "I think you should judge your draft classes on second contracts, from my experience, and the fact that we feel that good about that many guys tells you how good of a class it is."
By that standard, the Steelers' 2023 class is shaping up to be one of the franchise's best in recent memory, consisting of Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington, Nick Herbig, Cory Trice Jr. and Spencer Anderson.
Already, two members of that class have signed big contract extensions. On back-to-back days last week, Herbig signed a four-year, $100 million extension while Washington signed a four-year, $42 million extension.
And the Steelers are definitely not done.
Porter is atop the remaining list of priorities, though it won't be an easy contract to iron out. Negotiations are ongoing, and it's a strong bet he'll become one of the NFL's highest-paid cornerbacks.
That's already three players from the same class either signing or actively negotiating long-term deals before reaching free agency. When you look at when the Steelers have had their most success, especially over the past couple decades, the core has been built through the draft.
While it's certainly a disappointment that Jones didn't live up to the hype of a first-round pick, the remainder of the class is quite strong, especially when you can find $100 million players on the third day of the draft.
Selected in the fourth round out of Wisconsin, Herbig has developed into far more than a rotational pass rusher. The Steelers saw enough growth and production to commit nine figures to him despite already paying a lot of money to T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Teams don't hand out contracts like that unless they're convinced a player is part of the future.
Washington's extension is another significant win for the organization. While he entered the league with questions about his receiving ability, he developed into a more complete player. His growth as a blocker and, more specifically, as a pass catcher made him a key piece of the offense and earned him a long-term commitment from the team.
"(I) love Darnell, he's been here every day, in the classroom, good student, he's a pro's pro," McCarthy said. "I've been very impressed with him. He's done everything we've asked. I know I keep saying this, it's year one that you get to know your players, go to certain schemes, you may tilt one way or the other variations of schemes, and definitely we've been doing that with our tight ends, and he's a big part of that reason."
While Herbig and Washington are great finds, Porter is undoubtedly the gem of the class.
Taking the draft pick acquired from the Bears in the Chase Claypool trade, Porter's become exactly what the Steelers hoped he would be: A true No. 1 corner. While there were concerns over his tackling and penalties coming out of Penn State, Porter has blossomed into one of the league's best, putting up numbers that fall in line with the elite cornerbacks in the game.
And for all the arguments for keeping players, Herbig said it best during his press conference last week to discuss his own extension: "We need a lockdown corner."
Even if negotiations linger beyond the start of training camp, few in the organization seem concerned about whether or not a deal will be done. The only real question is how much it will cost.
I've been told over the past couple months that the front office wants to get deals done with five players from the 2023 class. That means on top of Herbig, Washington and Porter, there will be continued negotiations with Benton and Anderson. Benton took a big step forward in his third season and Anderson is in line to be the team's starting right guard entering training camp. Teams don't easily discard players like that.
However, there's no guarantee deals get done with Benton or Anderson. The salary cap has to be considered at some point, even for future seasons when more extensions have to be negotiated. Next offseason, assuming trends continue through the 2026 season, the Steelers will want to negotiate extensions for the likes of Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, Payton Wilson and Mason McCormick. With three of those being offensive linemen, that won't be easy.
The fact that the Steelers want to keep five players from one class is a true sign of a job well done by Khan, Weidl and the rest of the team that identified those players three years ago. Not every draft will produce the potential for five second contracts. But, looking at this class and what's to come next offseason, this regime has gotten back to building the backbone of the team through the draft, which is the way it should be.
THE ASYLUM
Second contracts validate 2023 draft class
When Omar Khan and Andy Weidl put together their first draft class as the team's new front-office duo, the expectation wasn't simply to find starters, but to find the next foundation of the roster.
Three years later, with the chance to finally -- and properly -- judge that 2023 draft class, that's exactly what appears to have happened.
One of the easiest ways to evaluate a draft class is to look at how many players earn second contracts with the team that drafted them.
"I think anytime you look at the development of your roster, the second contract is huge," Mike McCarthy said last week during minicamp. "I think you should judge your draft classes on second contracts, from my experience, and the fact that we feel that good about that many guys tells you how good of a class it is."
By that standard, the Steelers' 2023 class is shaping up to be one of the franchise's best in recent memory, consisting of Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington, Nick Herbig, Cory Trice Jr. and Spencer Anderson.
Already, two members of that class have signed big contract extensions. On back-to-back days last week, Herbig signed a four-year, $100 million extension while Washington signed a four-year, $42 million extension.
And the Steelers are definitely not done.
Porter is atop the remaining list of priorities, though it won't be an easy contract to iron out. Negotiations are ongoing, and it's a strong bet he'll become one of the NFL's highest-paid cornerbacks.
That's already three players from the same class either signing or actively negotiating long-term deals before reaching free agency. When you look at when the Steelers have had their most success, especially over the past couple decades, the core has been built through the draft.
While it's certainly a disappointment that Jones didn't live up to the hype of a first-round pick, the remainder of the class is quite strong, especially when you can find $100 million players on the third day of the draft.
Selected in the fourth round out of Wisconsin, Herbig has developed into far more than a rotational pass rusher. The Steelers saw enough growth and production to commit nine figures to him despite already paying a lot of money to T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Teams don't hand out contracts like that unless they're convinced a player is part of the future.
Washington's extension is another significant win for the organization. While he entered the league with questions about his receiving ability, he developed into a more complete player. His growth as a blocker and, more specifically, as a pass catcher made him a key piece of the offense and earned him a long-term commitment from the team.
"(I) love Darnell, he's been here every day, in the classroom, good student, he's a pro's pro," McCarthy said. "I've been very impressed with him. He's done everything we've asked. I know I keep saying this, it's year one that you get to know your players, go to certain schemes, you may tilt one way or the other variations of schemes, and definitely we've been doing that with our tight ends, and he's a big part of that reason."
While Herbig and Washington are great finds, Porter is undoubtedly the gem of the class.
Taking the draft pick acquired from the Bears in the Chase Claypool trade, Porter's become exactly what the Steelers hoped he would be: A true No. 1 corner. While there were concerns over his tackling and penalties coming out of Penn State, Porter has blossomed into one of the league's best, putting up numbers that fall in line with the elite cornerbacks in the game.
And for all the arguments for keeping players, Herbig said it best during his press conference last week to discuss his own extension: "We need a lockdown corner."
Even if negotiations linger beyond the start of training camp, few in the organization seem concerned about whether or not a deal will be done. The only real question is how much it will cost.
I've been told over the past couple months that the front office wants to get deals done with five players from the 2023 class. That means on top of Herbig, Washington and Porter, there will be continued negotiations with Benton and Anderson. Benton took a big step forward in his third season and Anderson is in line to be the team's starting right guard entering training camp. Teams don't easily discard players like that.
However, there's no guarantee deals get done with Benton or Anderson. The salary cap has to be considered at some point, even for future seasons when more extensions have to be negotiated. Next offseason, assuming trends continue through the 2026 season, the Steelers will want to negotiate extensions for the likes of Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, Payton Wilson and Mason McCormick. With three of those being offensive linemen, that won't be easy.
The fact that the Steelers want to keep five players from one class is a true sign of a job well done by Khan, Weidl and the rest of the team that identified those players three years ago. Not every draft will produce the potential for five second contracts. But, looking at this class and what's to come next offseason, this regime has gotten back to building the backbone of the team through the draft, which is the way it should be.
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