I have to admit Steelers Nation, I don’t have a lot of experience in doing mock drafts. That’s why I decided to try my hand at one recently, and I must admit, the results were fabulous.

With the picks below, the Steelers are set for their future at a number of positions. I firmly believe if the draft ended this way, the Steelers could choose the best player available in next year’s draft, to make their franchise even stronger!

Round 1

Myles Garrett (DE, Texas A&M)

Don’t ask me how, but the Steelers got a steal in the first round, solving their outside linebacker problems with a player who was considered the best in the draft… but had a monumental “Aaron Rodgers” style fall. Team after team passed, not believing the hype until Pittsburgh came calling at pick 30.

One unnamed source was quoted:

“We couldn’t be sure we weren’t picking Myles Jack, so we passed.”

I’m ecstatic to get this physical specimen in the first round. I must admit, I too thought about passing on him here. If I thought teams might pass twice, I may have gone another direction here. I think the Steelers have a more pressing need than taking an edge rusher, but I didn’t want to press my luck on Garrett not being there when the Steelers picked again in the second round.

Besides, I get my guy in round two anyway!

Round 2

Davis Webb (QB, Cal)

Let’s face it: Ben Roethlisberger isn’t getting any younger.

Or healthier.

Ben hasn’t been playing all 16 games, and with his recent retirement talk, I almost passed on Garrett to take Webb in the first round. I mean, how could I not take Big Ben’s heir apparent? Webb is six-foot-five and nearly 230 lbs. of immovable object. He threw for 37 touchdowns with Cal last year. However, I felt Garrett’s value was too good with the 30th overall pick and waited to see if Webb would be here in the second. Boy did I get lucky!

An AFC scout had this to say about Webb’s college days:

“He obviously is going to need coaching after being in those offenses at Texas Tech and Cal. I think he has enough between the ears to unlearn some of his bad habits and start to get things right. I see another Nick Foles if you give him time to develop.”

I feel like the other teams got really suckered by looking at the wrong physical attributes of a Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson, so Pittsburgh gets another steal. Just look at NFL.com’s draft profile of Webb, which compares him to Brock Osweiler.

How could you go wrong?

Round 3

Joe Mixon (RB, Oklahoma)

The Steelers needed another running back who has off-field problems like they need a hole in their head, but Mixon was too great of a value to pass up here. If it weren’t for hitting a woman years ago, I believe he could have had a first round grade.

However, Joe promises those days are behind him. I believe him too. If Le’Veon Bell were to slip up again, the Steelers get a player who will be there to pick up the pieces. A capable runner, Mixon has also caught 65 passes for 894 yards and nine touchdowns over his last two seasons at Oklahoma. He can also return kicks, a big bonus for the Steelers.

He will also be a reliable backup in case Bell gets hurt, which is ironic because that who he’s compared to in his NFL.com draft profile: Le’Veon Bell!

Adam Shaheen (TE, Ashland)

This isn’t the first time Mike Tomlin fell in love with a mammoth man he saw standing across the field. Several years ago, the Steelers head coach noticed Alejandro Villanueva on the opposing sideline, and just had to have him on the roster.

Villanueva put on some size (he’s 6’9″ 320 lbs.) and successfully converted from tight end and defensive end in college to a left tackle in the NFL.

Shaheen is a 6’6″ 278 lbs. tight end who adds roster depth behind an unreliable Ladarius Green and former fifth-round pick Jesse James. If all else fails, Shaheen can eat more Chipotle and possibly change positions like Big Al did. Regardless, the idea of putting this big body next to Villanueva’s must make offensive coordinator Todd Haley salivate!

Round 4

Brad Kaaya (QB, Miami)

The last time the Steelers selected a quarterback in the fourth round, it was Landry Jones in the 2013 NFL Draft. Several years later, they have chosen Landry’s successor in the same round.

Yes, Landry’s successor: Jones is only under contract for two more seasons, and the value here was too good to pass on for Pittsburgh. With Ben’s playing days winding down, the Steelers double down on the position. I was purely picking Webb based on his size comparison to Big Ben, but Kaaya could be the quarterback Webb might not. Pittsburgh’s pick here makes sure they have a quasi-replacement for Ben (should Webb not work out) and a competent backup and replacement for Jones as well.

The move reeks of the Washington Redskins drafting of Robert Griffin in the first round and Kirk Cousins in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. That move paid dividends for them, so the Steelers took a page from their strategy to help shore up any potential problems that could arise at the quarterback position in the near future.

Round 5

Ryan Switzer (WR, North Carolina)

I bet you were wondering when the Steelers would make a real investment in their offense this draft. Well, wait no longer!

Yes, the picks for Webb and Kaaya are good for the future. Yes, Mixon and Shaheen are offensive additions but they project to be backups as rookies (barring any serious injuries to Pittsburgh’s starters). With the major need at EDGE out of the way with the selection of Myles Garrett, and Roethlisberger’s heir(s) also taken, the Steelers next priority is getting a guy who can be that number two receiver next to Antonio Brown.

I know they signed Justin Hunter during the offseason, and Martavis Bryant should be reinstated, but what happens if he slips up again? What if Darrius Heyward-Bey and Sammie Coates can’t stay healthy? Are Eli Rogers, Demarcus Ayers and Cobi Hamilton good enough to get it done?

They weren’t in the AFC Championship game so even with all of those receivers, the Steelers had to get some more insurance.

Switzer is that guy. He’s only 5’8″ but adds another AB-like receiver to a stacked depth chart. The North Carolina product also doubles as a special teams return man, something he excelled at in college.

The coaching staff loves versatility and Switzer could easily replace Brown on punt returns in 2017 (something Rogers couldn’t do, and Ayers was drafted for but never materialized doing). I love this pick personally, and a fifth round selection has very little risk at this point for a player who seldom drops the ball and runs crisp routes in high gear.

Round 6

Chad Kelly (QB, Ole Miss)

I know what you’re thinking: another quarterback?!

Yes indeed. See, the Steelers need to make sure they get this position right. Teams such as the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills have wasted years’ worth of draft picks on taking one quarterback at a time, with none of them working out.

Enter Chad Kelly, the nephew of former Bills and Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. I’d bet on genetics alone that Kelly could be a decent pro, but I’m betting more on his future than his past. Injuries and off-field issues unfairly caused Kelly to drop this far. He may have gone undrafted entirely but I wasn’t going to take that chance.

With Zach Mettenberger in the final year of his contract, I may as well plan to replace all of the Steelers quarterbacks. Kelly is someone I could see sitting for a year or two to learn, and potentially upgrade his value to the team over time like the Cincinnati Bengals have done with A.J. McCarron or New England Patriot always do with their QBs.

Imagine if Webb or Kaaya don’t pan out but Kelly does. Kevin Colbert would look like a mad genius, and solidify his spot as a Hall of Fame General Manager in the process.

At this point, we don’t expect any picks to make it, so if this one blows up in his face, no one will remember. Sure Antonio Brown and Vince Williams were taken in this round, but there are much (much) more who’s names will be forgotten that were taken at this time as well.

Kelly is a homerun value at this spot.

Round 7

Greg Ward Jr. (WR, Houston)

At this point in the draft I thought to myself: why stop with quarterbacks and receivers with your last pick?

So I didn’t, and did one better: I took a player who played both in college!

For all of the reasons mentioned above, the Steelers have to get their passing game in order, and that’s what this Houston quarterback/receiver does. He officially worked out at the draft as a wideout and entered college as the same.

Besides, the Steelers have already set a precedent with converting quarterbacks to receivers. Antwaan Randle El entered the draft the same way after having been a signal caller in college, and Hines Ward (same name, no relation) played under center in high school and dabbled throwing the ball in college too.

Therefore I only made sense to take a similar chance on another Ward with the seventh round selection.

Conclusion

I got everything I wanted and then some. I entered this draft chewing my nails about getting a good pass rusher and instead picked a great one. I was seriously considering picking three edge rushers in a row until Garrett wiped my previous draft plans clean.

I could now focus on other areas of concern, such as finding someone who could step in if Big Ben does retire. Think of the possibilities of having Webb or Kaaya stand in for Ben. I won’t sleep on Kelly’s pick either. Honestly, no one wanted to sign Landry Jones in the offseason and no other franchise showed interest in claiming Mettenberger off of waivers. It was time to reload with young gunslingers.

I know I may have overlooked the secondary, but the best defense is a good offense. And is it ever stocked with weapons now. Shaheen and Switzer should take the heat off of AB and Mixon gives the Steelers a plan B for Bell. With a healthy Green and a reliable Bryant: look out!

But back to the defense: no one else was going after Ross Cockrell, so he’ll be back. Coty Sensabaugh‘s signing helps relieve any worries over William Gay and Senquez Golson. They should be okay and even if they are not, the Steelers always scan the waiver wires like hawks for cornerbacks. They did so with Antwon Blake, Brice McCain and Cockrell, and even traded for Justin Gilbert last season. They’ll make due, but they also won’t have to with an offense primed to put up 40-plus the next few years!

And if you made it this far… April Fools!

Did we get you? Comment below!