While every team would love to come out of the NFL Draft each year with a new stable of playmakers on both sides of the ball, the simple factor of the matter is that desire simply is not realistic. Occasionally, teams must be pragmatic in their approach to any given draft class, they may have to make selections that may not sell tickets or that may not score, or prevent the scoring of, points directly but contribute to those scores directly in an unseen or unrecognized manner. Picks that may not sell jerseys or players that may not see their faces on promotional material but who allow those teammates that make those sales or who are featured on such material to shine even brighter.
Who did the Steelers take in this years draft?
At the risk of completely oversimplifying the entire process that goes into identifying draft targets, I dare say, the Pittsburgh Steelers just had such a draft. The picks they made in this class may not have generally been the type that move the needle when it comes to marketing or merchandising but, they were necessary picks that make up the glue that could allow the time to continue to build, compete, and win for many years to come. There can be no Kenny Pickett, no Najee Harris, no George Pickens without selections like the player Pittsburgh took at the 14th overall pick, offensive tackle Broderick Jones – Georgia.
Jones was a huge part of the Bulldogs’ National Championship season, as the starting left tackle he allowed zero sacks and just two hits in the quarterback over the course of 15 games and 470 passing snaps, an exceptional feat by any measure. In a broader view, throughout his career as a Bulldog, Jones allowed just two sacks over the span of 665 passing snaps while allowing only three hits on the quarterback.
Jones has roughly an even chance at stepping into a starting role as a rookie. In order to do so, he would need to displace current starter Dan Moore. This might be a bit easier than it seems as Moore is not the most reliable blocker in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed seven sacks last season, tying him for seventh most in the league. General Manager Omar Khan has been quoted as floating the idea that Jones could step into the left tackle role while Moore could be moved inside to guard. Should such a move fail to materialize, it sounds as if Moore could be vulnerable to replacement should he allow too many sacks next season.
Broderick Jones at #Steelers OTAs 👀💪
Via @PGHSportsLive pic.twitter.com/BWzCm2mypp
— Steelers Update (@steelersupdate6) June 6, 2023
After adding help along the offensive line, the Steelers found themselves with the first overall selection of Day Two, the 32nd pick in the draft after the traded Chase Claypool to the Bears in November of last season. With this selection Pittsburgh opted to switch to the other side of the ball while indulging in a bit of nostalgia as they selected cornerback Joey Porter Jr. – Penn State. The Steelers have now selected two generations of Porter defenders, having selected linebacker Joey Porter Sr. In the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft as well. Porter fills an immediate need at cornerback as Pittsburgh lost Cameron Sutton to Detroit in free agency during the offseason. His physical play style will fit in perfectly with the Steelers as he does very well in press coverage and has proven to be one of the more willing cornerbacks to defend against the run as well. He should find himself assuming as starting role immediately and could find himself matching up against larger wide receivers due to his 6’-2” height.
The Steelers also retained their own second round pick, the 49th overall selection, which they opted to use on another defender, defensive lineman Keeanu Benton – Wisconsin. Benton has the potential to fill a couple roles for Pittsburgh, with his primary role being that of a nose tackle. Sporting a 6’-4” and 309 pound frame, he is a tough task for any blocker to contend with play after play, all game long. In evaluating him, I found Benton to have very violent hands, the type that pummel opponents consistently while also doing a good job of maintaining his positioning, rarely getting pushed backwards a step or two, if at all. These traits are very important for a nose tackle as they are, quite literally, supposed to eat up space and to force the offense away from running the ball up the middle. While nothing is certain, it does appear at least likely that Benton is set to overtake Montravius Adams in this role. Additionally, he may be able to rotate in with either Adams or Larry Ogunjobi when the Steelers utilize an even front, allowing the team to show a larger, more powerful front four. Benton should immediately see significant time, or even assume a starting role, as a nose tackle and will also see significant snaps along the defensive line.
Pittsburgh flipped back to the offensive side of the ball to close out Day Two of the draft with the 93rd overall pick they selected tight end Darnell Washington – Georgia. This selection was likely one of the splashier picks the team made in the entire draft but, it is also one of the selections I like the most despite the fact he is likely to be used more in a support and blocking role. Despite being hyped as a significant mismatch in the passing game when he came out of high school as a five star recruit, throughout his college career he was been heavily utilized as a blocker. It is this role where he may be used most heavily in the NFL. However, he will get plenty of targets as well in two tight end sets, the prospect that intrigues me most. It is highly unlikely that Washington will severely impact the number of targets that starter Pat Freiermuth can expect to see, he will have a decent amount of his own targets as a rookie.
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 03: Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) looks on during the game against the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 03, 2022 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire)
Day Three brought with it just three selections for the Steelers, edge Nick Herbig – Wisconsin (pick 132), cornerback Cory Trice – Purdue (pick 241), and guard Spencer Anderson – Maryland (pick 251). This is a relatively sparse group selections that effectively bookended the final day of the draft with over 100 selections occurring between the first selection of the day, Herbig, and the next selection, Trice. Each of the three players figure to make the team and serve as quality depth selections with some versatility. In the case of Herbig, while he is an edge rusher, he could be used off the ball as well, adding to his potential for snaps. As for Anderson, the most likely path to playing time for him will likely not be as a guard but as a back up center with a chance to see playing time in the event that starter Mason Cole needs to miss any time.
What grade did the Pittsburgh Steelers get on their draft?
All things considered, this draft class embodies the persona that the Steelers organization and the city of Pittsburgh have long cultivated, a decidedly non-flashy collection of players that will come in, do their job, and make the whole better. In terms of immediate value, the team did well finding three immediate starters and one player that figures to see significant snaps in his rookie season. In doing so the team earns an A for these efforts. As it relates to long-term value, two of their three late round picks have a definite path towards playing time and are likely to serve as direct backups to the starters ahead of them. As such, the Steelers here, too, get an A grade.
Not all drafts have to be incredibly exciting, especially if the results can contribute to the delayed excitement of hoisting a Lombardi down the road, as Pittsburgh hopes is the case in their near future.
