Here are the top 3 positions the Steelers will target in next week’s NFL Draft
It’s hard to believe, but the 2023 NFL Draft is next week. With the event drawing closer, the speculation on which teams are taking which players continues to heat up.
With the Pittsburgh Steelers holding the 17th overall pick in the first round of this year’s draft, there have been a number of rumors as to what players they are looking to target with that pick. After some careful deductions, based on the players who came to the Steel City for a “top 30” visit – as well as team needs – this is a list of positions that Pittsburgh will likely take with that first selection.
Note: Stay tuned for another article this week focusing on who that player may be, with more in-depth analysis!
Defensive Line
This may not scream “first pick” in a lot of mock drafts, but there’s only one other position (listed below) that the Steelers brought in more players for a visit.
New assistant general manager Andy Weidl comes from the Philadelphia Eagles, a franchise which has recently been known to bolster both sides of the trenches. With that philosophy potentially carrying over to Pittsburgh, they could look to spell and eventually replace an aging Cameron Heyward (who has two years remaining on his current contract.)
Larry Ogunjobi, who was signed to a three-year deal this offseason, will be on the roster for perhaps one season longer than Heyward, at their current contract expirations. But that only leaves two major defensive linemen on the roster, perhaps three if you count second-year pro DeMarvin Leal and expect him to continue to develop.
However, that’s not reassuring if one of the two starters goes down, especially with Ogunjobi practicing sparsely throughout last season.
The Steelers hosted several top 100 defensive linemen throughout the process, ending Monday with Clemson’s Bryan Bresee visiting – who should be a first-round pick in his own right. Gervon Dexter (Florida), Keeanu Benton (Wisconsin), and Keion White (Georgia Tech) are among the other visits. Mike Tomlin and company also had dinner at Michigan’s pro day with Mazi Smith.
That shows the team is honing in on a defensive lineman at some point given all of the activity, however there’s another position getting even more attention.
Cornerback
Before the 2022 NFL season was completed, mock drafts were linking the Steelers to Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
While that’s still the case in many mock drafts, the Steelers weren’t shy about having six other cornerbacks visit, from the top names in the draft (Christian Gonzalez, Oregon) to Day Two prospects (Kelee Ringo, Georgia and Dariush Rush, South Carolina).
Nearly every top name in this cornerback class has been linked to the Steelers and with good reason. Starting cornerback Cameron Sutton signed with the Lions this offseason. The team replaced him with 33-year-old Patrick Peterson, who still hopes to have a lot of fuel left in the tank.
With “P2” not being a long-term solution, and the other corners (Ahkello Witherspoon, Levi Wallace) entering the final year of their current contracts, it would be safe to assume the Steelers pickup at least one cornerback in the draft… if not two!
Offensive Tackle
Finally, the position which has the most smoke around its fire is offensive tackle: if only for the reason that fans are unhappy with current starter Dan Moore Jr.
However, the Steelers may not be as unhappy as fans, given they’ve only sniffed around a couple of names who could go in the first round or early second, including Broderick Jones (Georgia) and Anton Harrison (Oklahoma). Dawand Jones (Ohio State) is a massive human (6’8”, 374 lbs.) who was reported to visit with the team but there’s been nothing official.
I would gander that if one of the top names outside of the consensus top tackle, Paris Johnson Jr. (Ohio State) is available with pick 17, that the team could definitely make this position the first taken. Yet, they’ll have a small gamble as to which defensive lineman or cornerback is available at pick 32.
However, with the amount of players they brought in at the other two spots, it would seem as though it could be tackle or bust at pick 17.
If I were to bet, my money would honestly be on cornerback… but that’s an article for another day!
