2023 Steelers Season Recall: Steelers round out roster in final day of the NFL Draft
Steel City Underground presents our 2023 Steelers Recall: a look back at Pittsburgh Steelers games and storylines from last season.
Following the excitement of having three top 50 picks during the first two days of the NFL Draft, and seemingly finding every need that the Pittsburgh Steelers had, it was time to wrap up with the final day of selections.
Day three of the 2023 NFL Draft saw Omar Khan and Andy Weidl add high-upside contributors to the Steelers roster.
The first of the day three picks occurred in the fourth round, but not when and where most fans thought the Steelers would be choosing. Day three was lining up to be non-eventful for Pittsburgh, as they only had a pair of seventh-round selections following the first day of the draft.
The Steelers had packaged pick number 120, along with their first-round selection, to the New England Patriots on day one to move up three spots and select OT Broderick Jones. That left them without a fourth-round choice.
The team was also without picks in the fifth and sixth rounds after previously trading pick 151 to the Seattle Seahawks for CB Ahkello Witherspoon and pick 195 to the Denver Broncos for LB Malik Reed during the 2022 offseason.
However, an opportunity came knocking to add picks on day two, as the Carolina Panthers swapped to move up in the third round. In exchange for Carolina’s third-round pick (93rd overall) and their second of two fourth-rounders (132nd), the Panthers acquired the Steelers third-round selection (80th overall).
This allowed the Steelers to slide back 13 spots and still get their targeted choice, Georgia TE Darnell Washington. Tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts discussed the pick during team minicamp: “As he comes in, he can come in slowly and be allowed to grow. As he does that, I think he can be a real problem for people to handle.”
It now opened up business for the Steelers to get another crack in the fourth round at pick 132, which was only a dozen spots behind the selection they originally dealt to the Patriots.
No one saw Khan’s gamble paying off as it did, landing Washington and an extra pick in the process. Coincidentally starting this offseason with the legalization of sports betting in North Carolina, and the recent launch of betting platforms, NC fans can use North Carolina betting promos to place their wagers on Steelers and Panthers games or other props such as the draft too.
When Pittsburgh was finally on the clock on day three, Khan would reunite two brothers, as the team selected Wisconsin linebacker Nick Herbig with the fourth round selection. Nick’s brother, OG Nate Herbig, was signed to the Steelers during the offseason after spending time with the Philadelphia Eagles early in his career.
The 2022 team-leader in sacks (11.0) and tackles for loss (15.5) earned First-team All-Big Ten honors as a captain for the Badgers. Herbig dropped into round four due to being a smaller edge rusher at 6-2, 227 pounds.
However, he was lauded for a big motor and good speed, both of which would be on display during his rookie season. It was a wise depth move by Khan to add youth behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
The Steelers next pick came at 241 overall, nearly 100 picks later, when they selected Purdue CB Cory Trice. Many analysts had a higher grade on Trice than the seventh round, leading many to considerhim a “draft steal”.
https://twitter.com/JaredNFLDraft/status/1651232510783680514
Unfortunately, Trice would be placed on injured reserve during training camp, so fans never truly got to see what he might be capable of as a rookie.
The Steelers final draft pick, ten spots after Trice, added more depth to the offensive line as the team would select Maryland offensive lineman Spencer Anderson.
Anderson had collegiate experience playing every position on the offensive line, but mainly caught the eyes of pro scouts by working on the interior, chiefly as a guard. He would appear in eight games for the Steelers in 2023, mostly contributing to special teams.
