Steelers mock draft: Adding a quarterback sleeper and strengthening the offensive line

Steelers mock draft: Adding a quarterback sleeper and strengthening the offensive line.

The Pittsburgh Steelers used an old-school strategy at the 2023 NFL Draft, going for the trenches early and often in an attempt to revert to their ground-and-pound heritage despite having a new front office.

Omar Khan took the field with his first-ever selection as the general manager. He addressed the offensive line and gained notoriety as the “Khan Artist” by trading up to choose Georgia lineman Broderick Jones. In order to maintain their emphasis on the line of scrimmage, the Steelers selected defensive lineman Keeanu Benton in the second round and then tight end Darnell Washington, who is so large that he proudly refers to himself as the “sixth lineman.”

Assistant general manager Andy Weidl clarified a few days later what the picks meant in terms of the new front office’s mentality, in case there was any doubt.

Weidl declared, “We want to be a big, physical team.” The Pittsburgh Steelers are who we are. Through the lines, you construct. You put money into that. Football is that. That will always remain the line of scrimmage in football in our minds.

The arrival of Isaac Seumalo as a free agent and the Jones selection helped the offensive line start to become better. It’s no accident that the Steelers developed into the fifth-best rushing assault in the NFL (145 yards per game) from the moment Jones earned his first start at right tackle in Week 9 until the end of the year.

The hire of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith by the Steelers this summer seems to be a further commitment to their run-heavy philosophy. He had four rushing attacks that placed in the top 10 during his five seasons as a play caller (three in Atlanta and two in Tennessee). In terms of rushes, the Titans placed third in 2019 and second in 2020. In terms of rushes, the Falcons placed third in 2022 and ninth in 2023.

The offensive line needs to be turned from one of the team’s obvious flaws into a strength if this is the offense the Steelers want to play.

Round 1 (No. 20): Overtime GA’s Amarius Mims
Khan struck a good balance between need and value in his initial draft, which was one of its strongest features. The Steelers’ greatest chance to do the same this year would seem to be to address the offensive line, the secondary, or — maybe — the defensive line with choice No. 20, based on how the board is breaking.

Terrion Arnold of Alabama, Quinyon Mitchell of Toledo, Cooper DeJean of Iowa, Nate Wiggins of Clemson, and Kool-Aid McKinstry of Alabama are all projected to be around the spot where the Steelers pick at cornerback. Any would allow Pittsburgh to partner Joey Porter Jr. with another young corner.

Dane Brugler, draft analyst for The Athletic, ranks Jackson Powers-Johnson, the top center on the offensive line, No. 20 on his Big Board. The Rimington Award Winner is a player the Steelers may want to consider seriously picking in this round. Let’s assume, though, that a few of the best tackles are still available for this exercise. Though there’s no guarantee any will still be available, Tyler Guyton of Oklahoma, Amarius Mims of Georgia, and Taliese Fuaga of Oregon State would all be excellent choices here. This week, in our beat writer mock draft, Fuaga and Mims were removed, so my colleague Mark Kaboly picked Guyton for the Steelers.

When the Steelers traded up to acquire Jones last year, they received one, albeit a very inexperienced, Georgia tackle.

The 6-7, 330-pound Mims, who is gler’s 17th player and 18th on the consensus big board, has only made eight starts in his college career. That might make him more palatable to the Steelers. However, he receives a first-round rating due to his length, athletic feet, and body control. The Steelers would have two dependable tackles for many years to come if he showed he was ready, even though he might not start on Opening Day.

Others thought about: Oregon C. Iowa DB Jackson Powers-Johnson DeJean Cooper, Oklahoma Overtime Tyler Guyton, DT from Illinois Newton, Texas DT Jer’Zhan T’Vondre Sweat.

Round 2 (Las Vegas, No. 44): C West Virginian Zach Frazier
Estimated trade: For No. 44, the Steelers trade Nos. 51 and 120 to the Raiders.
The Steelers are in an intriguing position to choose a center in the draft if they wish to go above Mason Cole. Powers-Johnson, the best player at that position, will most likely still be available with the 20th pick. However, if they hold out until the second round, there’s a potential that Duke’s Graham Barton, Powers-Johnson, and Frazier—all three of the top three centers—will be gone.

We worked out a fair transaction using the Rich Hill trade value chart to make sure the Steelers got their guy. In exchange for Frazier, who currently stands at 45th on our consensus big board and 36th on Brugler’s rankings despite sustaining a fractured leg in November, the Steelers would forfeit one of their two fourth-round picks.

Frazier sounds like an old-school Steeler who could be a wonderful addition to their future the more you read about him. Frazier became a four-time state champion wrestler after growing up in Fairmont, West Virginia, a small town located 90 miles south of Acrisure Stadium and just outside of Morgantown. Off the field as much as on it, he was a perfectionist, earning a 3.89 GPA in college. He received the Iron Mountaineer Award three times, which is given out by his colleagues to the player who works the hardest in the weight room regardless of position.

QB Spencer Rattler of South Carolina, Round 3 (No. 84).
The Steelers only have one quarterback under contract (Mason Rudolph is a free agent) after releasing Mitch Trubisky. With Smith in charge, the organization seems willing to give QB1 Kenny Pickett one more season to see what he looks like.

But since the class of quarterbacks for next year isn’t expected to be very strong, it makes sense to add an upside arm in the middle rounds. They have their best chance to perform in the second or third round. Many have conjectured that Bears quarterback Justin Fields would fetch in a trade a second-round pick. Bo Nix of Oregon and Michael Penix of Washington are anticipated to.

Rattler would be a fascinating substitute. His raw stats were impacted by playing behind a subpar offensive line at South Carolina, despite his exceptional physical gift. During the Senior Bowl, he was among the players who made the most impressions on the media. Rattler’s gradual development and ascent up the depth chart over time is hoped for.

Others thought about: DT Michael Hall Jr. of Ohio State, WR Xavier Legette of South Carolina, S Cole Bishop of Utah, and CB Kalen King of Penn State

ILB/S in Round 4 (No. 121) Miami’s James Williams
Although inside linebacker and safety are positions the Steelers need to fill, their value usually increases in the third or fourth rounds. Williams would suit in the Steelers’ scheme rather nicely. Although he played safety throughout whole collegiate career, it is anticipated that he would go to off-ball linebacker in the NFL. During the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, head coach Mike Tomlin made a point of shaking Williams’ hand.

Was this (your) first season as a linebacker, he asked? Yes, I told him,” Williams remarked. “He said, ‘You look good,'” Keep improving. And keep being who you are.”

Williams would be a good chess piece in the Steelers’ three-safety scheme because of his versatility. He might be cast, like Terrell Edmunds and Keanu Neal, as the box safety in certain packages. He might play more like a pure inside linebacker in the base defense or in other situations. If he falls into the fifth or sixth round, I’d like this choice even more.

Others thought about: Luke McCaffrey, WR for Rice; Texas ILB LSU DT Jaylan Ford Mekhi Wingo