The Pittsburgh Steelers might have the most talented roster in the NFL. The problem is the sort have shot themselves in the foot towards the end of the season in what seems like a regular occurrence in the Mike Tomlin era. Whether it’s the Antonio Brown Facebook live bit or the entire team snoozing on the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh isn’t buttoned up which is their biggest downfall. However, with Big Ben nearing the end of the road, the time to win in Pittsburgh is now. What can we expect from the Steelers during the 2018 NFL Draft?
Holding the 28th pick in the first round is impossible to predict who will be on the board at the point. What we do know is general manager Kevin Colbert does not believe in trading. Colbert has done an excellent job building a great roster but he virtually never trades. Colbert hasn’t traded a pick as high as a third-round pick since 2013. Don’t expect Pittsburgh to move up in the draft.
I expect the Steelers to possibly target secondary help throughout this draft. The safety spots appear to be set with Sean Davis and new free agent acquisition Morgan Burnett. The corner situation is much more desperate. Joe Haden is aging and the defense fell apart when he missed action down the stretch. Artie Burns is a former first-round pick but hasn’t played like one. Jaire Alexander of Louisville could be a possible pick. Alexander had a great combine and probably cemented himself into the first round. His foot quickness was impressive and will make a great addition to Pittsburgh’s zone defense.
The Steelers also have to face the harsh reality of replacing Ryan Shazier. After suffering an ugly injury to his spinal cord, Shazier has already been ruled out for the upcoming season. Jon Bostic and Vince Williams certainly are not up to par with names that Pittsburgh normally throws out there. Malik Jefferson of Texas could be a possibility. Jefferson has really great speed similar to Shazier running a 4.52. As a former five-star recruit, you trust Mike Tomlin to get the most out of him. Jefferson also has some natural edge rush to him which is perfect for the zone blitz scheme. Jefferson notched 110 tackles four sacks in 2017.
Pittsburgh also needs to find a reliable pass rusher. Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt currently make up the pass rushing tandem. Together they combined for 13 sacks which is fine but Anthony Chickillo is the only depth behind them. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo could be the situational pass rusher the team needs. Sure, Oko isn’t a natural fit for a 3-4 but he probably needs to figure out a way to stand up if he’s going to make it because he’s only 240. If he can’t learn to stand up, coming in on third downs to rush in sub packages makes a lot of sense.
