An obsessed Yinzers theory on the Steelers upcoming draft:
I believe that we all know what happens whenever we assume, but with the NFL draft about a month or so away, mock drafts have begun to come out rapidly for all teams.
The Steelers are a relatively well put together roster, especially defensively considering they are the highest paid defensive unit in the National Football League. They still have holes, though. I’ve spent a lot of time putting together my personal theory of their five most crucial areas of need when the draft hits Green Bay in about a month. Let’s go through these positions of need together!
1) Quarterback - probably the most obvious position of need on most people’s list. The quarterback position has been an area of concern since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
The Steelers have missed on Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and now Russell WIlson and Justin Fields.
The Steelers may have another opportunity in a month or so to take a swing on drafting their next franchise quarterback. With each passing day, I find myself Absolutely enamored with the idea of Jaxson Dart being taken at No 21 for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I know a lot of Steelers fans will balk at them taking another quarterback so early given the Pickett experiment, but the objective reality is, Dart is significantly better than Pickett. Dart has improved each season at Ole Miss, finishing with career highs in yards and touchdwowns in 2024. The aforementioned Pickett had one good year, and the Steelers were by all accounts, tricked by the smoke and mirrors that was Pickett’s final year at Pitt.
Dart finished his career at the top of most Ole Miss passing records and is a rising prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft.
2) Defensive Line - another crucial area of need given the current state of the Steelers defensive line. Future Hall of Famer Cam Hayward is more than likely in his final year. Young nose tackle Keanu Benton, despite showing promise, is young and lacks experience. That’s not to say a guy like Benton cannot take the next step.They do not have enough depth on the defensive line, given the age of the aforementioned Hayward, the Steelers need to get younger.
The Steelers did sign, former New England Patriots defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale. Ekuale, 31, is a low end starter and a high end rotational piece who will be an extra body to a defensive line that needs help badly.
3) Defensive Back - The Steelers surprised some by signing 34-year-old veteran cornerback Darius Slay after the Philadelphia Eagles released him. Slay, to me, Is viewed as a Joe Haden signing that hopefully will become a fan favorite and will still have enough gas in the tank to help this team take the next step. The Steelers still need help in the secondary. . Minkah Fitzpatrick has not been as consistent and he is another year older. Joey Porter Jr. has struggled at times with penalties and will line up across from Slay. Corey Trice has talent and an upside if he can stay healthy. The Steelers lost cornerback Donte Jackson via free agency to the LA Chargers. The Steelers should look to the draft to add depth to the backend.
4) Running back - after Najee Harris left in free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers were left with Jaylen Warren. They signed Kenneth Gainwell form the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Gainwell played behind Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia, and Gainwell is viewed as a solid backup option with quick feet, solid hands, and good strength. One could make the argument that Warren was their starter for the final stretch of the season, as Harris’s workload became nearly nonexistent near the end of the year. More and more teams are getting away from taking running backs early, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Steelers took a running back in the later rounds, or if they even signed somebody outside of the undrafted class as they did with Warren not too long ago.
5) Wide Receiver - this final one was a tossup for me. I don’t think the Pittsburgh Steelers are a football team that have nearly as many holes as people think that they do. I think if they were to hit on the quarterback position finally, it would make all of these other positions mentioned here a lot easier to figure out. Even after the Steelers traded for elite talent DK Metcalf, the Steelers definitely could use another body to even out that room. With the likes of Pickens and DK being your (hopefully) elite duo for the future, the other aspects of their wide receiver room leave quite a bit to be desired.Calvin Austin is on the smaller side, but has the speed to be effective in the slot. Roman Wilson was injured and missed his whole rookie season in 2024, but has the tools and upside to become a No. 3 receiver.
The NFL Draft is approaching quickly, and it will be interesting to see what Omar Khan, Andy Wehidl and Mike Tomlin have up their sleeve to get this team back to winning playoff games and making a run at Super Bowl No. 7.