Joe Kuzma’s Steelers 2018 NFL Draft Wish List
I have a love/hate relationship with mock drafts. I hate some of the takes by analysts who appear to be so out of touch with team needs (such as the Steelers) while also loathing some of the picks made just to fit particular players in particular spots.
In what is inevitably a prediction based model (of which I’ll jump in on in the coming days) I always feel like there’s a square peg trying to be hammered into a round hole. Some of those fleeting thoughts are as follows:
- Do the Steelers really need to draft a quarterback?
- Should the Steelers prepare for life without Le’Veon Bell?
- Are the Steelers convinced Ryan Shazier will play again?
- Can the secondary be improved? Is it already?
- Why on Earth would Pittsburgh draft a tight end?
Those questions are the reason I have devised a “wish list” of players I’d like to see the Steelers take in the upcoming draft. Granted, they may get one of these players or none of them. However, I wouldn’t be broken hearted to see these prospects in a black and gold jersey this fall.
Let’s have a look at those potential rookies based on tiers very similar to when I used to get Cold Stone Creamery ice cream! They are not round specific, but I do note where I feel the players best fit into the tiers of which I placed them.
Gotta Have It
- Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
- Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
- Justin Reid, S, Stanford
- Sony Michel, RB, Georgia
- Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
- Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville
- Josey Jewel, LB, Iowa
The names at the top of this list read like a who’s who of mock draft picks for the Steelers. “LVE” is likely at the top of a lot of other team’s wish lists, but now there are questions surfacing about his health (a rumored neck issue) which may see his stock fall.
LVE would be an excellent replacement for Ryan Shazier. I believe Edmunds will be as well, but there’s no telling if he too is off of the board by the time the Steelers pick in the first round. (He definitely should be, and if not, run to the podium!)
That’s why I have Josey Jewel listed: he will be a Day Two or beyond pick but could be the linebacker of choice if the Steelers miss on the top prospects or go in another direction early in the draft. I’d be more than happy to have him on the roster in that scenario.
Justin Reid is another player at the top of many wish lists as a safety. He could be there at pick 28 overall, but if Pittsburgh passes, I doubt he makes it back around into the second round. (See previous drafts with Landon Collins, Budda Baker, etc.) That’s where Jessie Bates factors in: he’s more of a free safety style player and at this time, it’s anyone’s guess what Keith Butler and company have planned for Morgan Burnett and Sean Davis. In fact, they may not have solid plans for those two until after the draft, based on who’s available and added to the roster.
Guice and Michel are both Le’Veon Bell replacements. I’d be ecstatic and sad at the same time if they were selected. I like Michel slightly better if only going with a gut feeling. The reason I wouldn’t be thrilled with adding either is knowing Bell won’t be back if he signs his tag for 2018 even. Another reason is depending on who the team passes on with that first round pick, because, make no mistake about it, Guice nor Michel will be there by the time the Steelers are on the clock in Round Two.
Jaire Alexander is now on the radar too and would incredibly shore up the secondary for any potential future failures. That could mean Artie Burns regresses, Joe Haden gets hurt, or Mike Hilton leaves after 2018. I feel there are greater needs, but I wouldn’t outright hate the pick either.
Love It
- Rashaan Evans, OLB, Alabama
- Jessie Bates III, S, Wake Forest
- Da’ron Payne, DT, Alabama
- Lorenzo Carter, EDGE, Georgia
- Darius Leonard, OLB, South Carolina State
- Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame
- Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State
- Troy Fumagalli, TE, Wisconsin
- James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State
A lot of analysts are in love with the thought of Evans going to the Steelers. I’m lukewarm. There are a lot of question marks surrounding him, including Steelers GM Kevin Colbert ignoring Alabama players in the draft. If the “gotta have it” Day One projected players are all gone, I wouldn’t hate the Evans pick and would chalk it up to “best available player”… of those left at a position of need. Evans appears to be a Shazier replacement but is likely better suited to playing in Vince Williams spot.
Williams’ contract currently expires following the 2018 season.
Jessie Bates is more of a “center fielder” safety than Justin Reid. I don’t think he’s a first-round pick, but we’ve also been surprised before.
Da’ron Payne is a force to be reckoned with but could be off the board by pick 28 too. He’s an Alabama guy, and the Steelers are seemingly set at defensive line. That’s why he’s in a “love it” category here rather than “gotta have it”.
That could be said for Goedert and Washington too. If they are Day Two picks, I’d be excited. I still believe if either was taken in Round Two, however, there might be greater needs. I’ll trust the process though, based on JuJu Smith-Schuster and Stephon Tuitt‘s selections in the second round in previous years. Jesse James may or may not be around following 2018 and Vance McDonald has to prove he can stay healthy and is worth his contract.
That’s why I “love” Fumagalli as a later round pick. He’s a solid blocker as well as a capable receiver. He’s missing one finger due to a birth defect, plus had subpar quarterbacks throwing to him in college. He could be a nice steal on day three when the Steelers pick twice in the fifth round.
Washington is another receiver under six feet tall: as if the Steelers need more of those than less of them when Martavis Bryant is gone after 2018.
I’m all-in on Carter converting to inside linebacker, small school prospect Leonard, or big-bodied St. Brown. Carter and Leonard could grow behind Jon Bostic and Vince Williams and be a stop-gap should Shazier return in 2019. They could even prove to be starter capable. St. Brown could be Martavis 2.0.
Write those down as “love it” picks with some great value.
Like It
- Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech
- Dante Pettis, WR, Washington
- Shaun Dion Hamilton, LB, Alabama
- M.J. Stewart, S, North Carolina
- Fred Warner, LB, BYU
- Kerryon Johnson, RB, Auburn
- Josh Sweat, EDGE, Florida State
- Tarvarius Moore, FS, Southern Miss
- Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma
- Jerome Baker, LB, Ohio State
- Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
None of the linebackers in this group particular get me going to “love” or “gotta have” them. Depending on how the boards fall, all of these players, however, would make great prospects for the Steelers. Dion Hamilton is particularly one player with a high risk/reward ratio due to his unlucky streak of college injuries.
Warner and Baker are players I wouldn’t scoff at drafting either, even if they are the second linebacker taken by Pittsburgh in the same draft.
Edmunds, Moore, and Stewart are all guys I’d love to have behind Burnett and Davis as well. Stewart has become a particular staff favorite here who is incredibly versatile. Josh Sweat is another intriguing player in a week EDGE class this year. He has a history of knee injuries which make him another risk/reward selection.
Dante Pettis is another versatile player who can play all over the field as a receiver and also excels on special teams. (You may want to highlight his name now because he’s looking like a third round candidate in most cases.) Kerryon Johnson is an excellent Day Two prospect who could provide lightning to James Conner‘s thunder in a timeshare replacing Bell.
The last two names I haven’t mentioned on this list are both players I’d grow to like drafting, but would initially go bonkers over: Mark Andrews and Josh Allen.
I’m not overly thrilled at the thought of taking a tight end, but Andrews is a pass-catching option that would add yet another wrinkle to the Steelers offense. The problem being, he’s not a great blocker. If other needs are already addressed, they could do worse than add him as a role player in 2018.
As opposed as I’ve been to drafting a quarterback if Allen’s around at pick 28 I’ve already come to terms with accepting him.
Why?
I’m not a Mason Rudolph or Lamar Jackson fan for one. Second, there’s no viable situation where Darnold, Rosen, or Mayfield drop to pick 28. I envision a future where the Steelers won’t be picking in the top 15 or 20 for a few seasons, and a future where Roethlisberger plays another five years.
This opens the door for Allen to be the future, should the Steelers feel the same way.
