Sizing up the Steelers draft
Even as I get older and start to lose interest in things that used to mean the world to me, I still take a genuine interest in the NFL draft, especially when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With the team being uncharacteristically active in free agency this season, it makes me hopeful that they will feel a little gutsier than in previous years when it comes to their early-round selections.
Now don’t get me wrong, I still have a pretty strong realist side to my personality. I know they aren’t going to make any wild trades to soar into the single-digit picks. However, I think that a young and improving defense combined with one of the best offensive lines in football affords them a little flexibility.
Think of it this way … If you were to compare Pittsburgh’s drafts to a trip to the grocery story, they have almost always come home with milk, eggs and toilet paper, the essentials of any modern existence that will allow you to be ready for any storm or disaster that could come your way. After signing competent, albeit somewhat injury-prone, players to fill gaps at inside linebacker and safety, maybe the Steelers could throw a box of Froot Loops into the cart, instead of immediately going for the Raisin Bran.
I wholeheartedly believe that this should be the year that the search for Ben Roethlisberger’s successor gets pushed to the top of the to-do list. The 2018 draft class is chocked full of seemingly NFL-ready quarterbacks and while I know Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen will all be long gone before the Steelers get called to the podium at pick No. 28, there should still be quality at the position.
Many of the students I interact with that have the time, energy and interest to truly research the draft can’t stop talking about Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph. I have to admit there is a lot to like about him.
The senior was thrust into the starting job as a highly-touted freshman following a pair of injuries to those in front of him on the depth chart and never gave up the job over four successful seasons. He threw for 13,267 yards and 90 touchdowns with the Cowboys and was intercepted just 26 times over 1,415 attempts. He played in four bowl games, including the 2017 Camping World Bowl. Rudolph connected on 21-of-32 passes for 351 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a win against a top-25-ranked Virginia Tech team.
If Rudolph is off the board, I see the Steelers waiting yet another year to find the man to fill Big Ben’s big shoes. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson just seems like way too much of a project for a team and fan base that truly expects winning records every season. Washington State senior Luke Falk has the size (6-3, 211), speed (4.79 in the 40) and accuracy (70 percent completion as a senior) that intrigues pro scouts. Playing in Mike Leach’s wide-open spread offense will likely keep him from going higher on the weekend.
If quarterback is not in the cards, the Le’Veon Bell saga just may put running back into the team’s plans in round one or two. While Saquon Barkley would make a Penn State fan like myself probably pass out from pure delight, that just isn’t happening. Instead, a trio of SEC backs may just be on the team’s radar.
LSU’s Derrius Guice and the Georgia duo of Sony Michel and Nick Chub all put up gaudy numbers against the conference’s notoriously elite defenses. I have heard some initial reports that Guice has already drawn some interest from the team, but all three are similar in build at around 5-11, 220-pounder with 40-yard dash times around 4.5. If all three are available and the Steelers are convinced they need a safety net in case the mercurial Bell decides to go AWOL, it could ultimately come down to the ability to catch the football and how they perceive each blue chipper’s intangibles.
The 2018 NFL draft gets going on Thursday, April 26, and wraps up on Saturday, April 28. Hopefully, there will be something creating a bit more buzz than the usual linebacker or cornerback pick that this team has become known for in recent history.