Tim Benz: Holes created in free agency leave plenty of options for Steelers in NFL draft
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After considering all those holes on the Steelers roster this offseason, one thing struck me about the upcoming NFL draft.
Can the Steelers really go wrong addressing any position at any point in next month’s selection process? Because I’m not sure that they can.
OK. They decided to retain Jordan Berry in free agency so a first-round draft choice to provide punting competition for him would be a bit redundant.
Maybe.
But aside from that, if the Steelers spend their first or second picks on just about any position group, would you complain? I wouldn’t.
After all, could you fault them for throwing some help at any of the multiple question marks that have been created on this team since their wild-card round loss last January?
Granted, maybe I’m speaking in absolutes too much. Let’s do some process of elimination then.
We can cross off wide receiver because keeping JuJu Smith-Schuster and Ray-Ray McCloud gives that position enough depth. Guard seems pretty set for at least this season with David DeCastro and Kevin Dotson.
Since Cameron Heyward got a contract extension last year and Tyson Alualu decided to come back instead of going to the Jacksonville Jaguars, I’d be surprised if they addressed the defensive line in the first or second rounds.
Yes, Vance McDonald retired. But Eric Ebron is still on the payroll at tight end. Florida’s Kyle Pitts will probably be gone by the time the Steelers pick. Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth has the franchise’s attention. But there may be good value in Miami’s Brevin Jordan, Notre Dame’s Tommy Tremble or Boston College’s Hunter Long in the mid-rounds. So going for a tight end in the first round would be a bit frivolous given the other needs on the depth chart.
After that, I’m game for just about anything in the first two or three rounds.
I know, I know. Running back and offensive line over the first two rounds, Tim. Don’t overthink it.
Hey, I hear you.
Keep in mind, though, the Steelers have only drafted one first-round running back since Tim Worley in 1989 (Rashard Mendenhall in 2008). The franchise’s last first-round tackle was Jamain Stephens in 1996.
And, while the names are far from exciting, Colbert has thrown a fair amount of what few available salary-cap dollars he had at the offensive line by signing Joe Haeg from Tampa Bay, B.J. Finney from Cincinnati, and Rashaad Coward from the Chicago Bears. Not to mention the two-year, $9.75 million contract he doled out to keep tackle Zach Banner.
Believe me, if the Steelers go RB/OT or OT/RB in the first two rounds, I’ll be right there applauding with you. Especially if the running back is Alabama’s Najee Harris.
That said, the offensive tackle pool is deep this year. And you can always find good running backs in the second or third round. I wouldn’t be shocked if Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin are tempted to replace Steven Nelson, Mike Hilton or Vince Williams with a first-round cornerback or inside linebacker.
We are all pumping up Cameron Sutton and Robert Spillane as worthy replacements. But Sutton is only one man. He can’t replace both Hilton and Nelson at the same time. And Spillane might be best served backing up two elite talents at inside linebacker.
The Steelers have had a hard enough time finding one standout at that spot. The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers just showed us how important doubling down on that position can be with Devin White and Lavonte David. With the Steelers’ Devin Bush coming back from an ACL tear, getting a second first-round stud inside wouldn’t bother me one bit.
As a reminder, South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn and Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton have both been in conversations with the Steelers during the pre-draft process.
Safety isn’t as pressing of a need. Minkah Fitzpatrick is solid at one spot. And Terrell Edmunds is … umm … capable at the other. Yet, I don’t think there would be a lot of complaining in Pittsburgh if a safety was taken in the first two rounds to challenge for Edmunds’ snaps.
Hmm, where else? Center to replace Maurkice Pouncey? Sold! Just because Finney and J.C. Hassenauer are currently on the roster, that doesn’t mean they have to stay there.
The franchise seems to have faith that Alex Highsmith can grow into a worthy starter at outside linebacker. I’m not as certain. I don’t expect an edge rusher to be drafted in the first two rounds. But I’d cosign if it happened.
Then there’s quarterback. If the Steelers use pick No. 24 — or decide to trade up — to acquire their genuine, perceived successor for Ben Roethlisberger, good for them.
Now, they better be right. They can’t miss on a move like that. It wouldn’t help this year’s team. But who cares? They’ve already started rebuilding, whether any of us want to admit it or not. Picking a new quarterback for 2022 — if they aren’t sold on either Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins — just accelerates that process.
Note, I said they can’t go wrong with any position group. They certainly can go wrong by taking the wrong guy even if they appropriately address a position of need. I’m certain the likes of Artie Burns, Jarvis Jones and Troy Edwards all ring a few bells.
They were all picks that made sense in terms of what gap on the roster they were trying to fill. But the player just didn’t pan out.
When that first round happens less than a month from now, 2021 may actually give us a draft that allowws us to believe the Steelers when they say, “We took the highest guy on our board.”
For once, that may be true, regardless of what position he plays. And it may be the right thing to do as well.