Pittsburgh Steelers 2018 NFL mock draft roundup v1.0
The mock draft season is upon us. Well, it really began as soon as last year’s draft was completed, but realistically speaking, it’s difficult to project where players may end up when you don’t even know the pecking order of who is picking where until the Super Bowl is over.
Even then, at this very moment, guessing where players may wind up can be a fruitless effort. Free agency, the NFL Combine, pro day workouts, and other variables will all play into an already unpredictable NFL Draft.
However, that doesn’t stop the speculation, which in many ways, is a fun exercise. With that in mind, I have pulled some of the early Steelers projected picks from around the web, along with comments about the pick (if available).
All picks are first round selections.
I also add my own two cents to the conclusion at the very bottom. Enjoy!
ESPN
Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa
What they said:
The Steelers still can use help on the outside, even after using a first-round pick on a CB in 2016 (Artie Burns)…
Jackson is a long corner and an absolute ball hawk who led the nation with eight INTs. His timed speed at the combine will play a big role in where he gets drafted.
Bleacher Report
Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
What they said:
Rashaan Evans had two productive years at linebacker, and he put enough on film to suggest he can handle a starting job in the NFL. The Alabama prospect displayed the ability to stay on the field for short-area coverage assignments and take shots at the quarterback on designed blitzes.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has a long road toward recovery. He has movement in his legs but doesn’t have the ability to walk on his own. The 25-year-old confirmed KQRS reporter Michele Tafoya’s report via Twitter:
đź’Ż correct https://t.co/aQFwl3M02m
— Ryan Shazier (@RyanShazier) February 5, 2018
General manager Kevin Colbert should add a versatile asset to the linebackers room, someone who can play all three downs. In addition to package flexibility, Evans brings leadership qualities as an outspoken starter of a championship program.
FanRag Sports
Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
What they said:
The injury to ILB Ryan Shazier will likely force the Steelers’ hand in this draft class. Shazier is a terrific talent who was a centerpiece of the Pittsburgh front for the past several seasons, but Shazier needs to be focused fully on his health and the Steelers will have to look elsewhere for someone to hold down the middle.
Enter Evans, who has made great strides during his brief stint as a starter at Alabama. Evans has awesome athleticism and versatility, traits that are well-known requirements to play Shazier’s role.
Sporting News
Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
Via Trade — Pittsburgh Steelers (from 49ers)
What they said:
A second massive trade-up for a quarterback: The Steelers make a deal in a similar move to what the Chiefs did a year ago for Patrick Mahomes. Pittsburgh can trade its first-round picks this year and next year in order to select Ben Roethlisberger’s future replacement.
247Sports
Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
What they said:
The career of Ryan Shazier is in doubt, which means the team has to prepare for his absence. The Steelers have taken a linebacker in the first round in four of the last five drafts.
Walter Football
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
What they said:
Teams believed Lamar Jackson would return to school, but he has opted to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft. Jackson has amazing upside because of his huge arm and great mobility, but he needs to work on his mechanics and ball placement. Sitting behind Ben Roethlisberger for a year or two would be ideal.
SB Nation
Arden Key, Edge, LSU
What they said:
The Steelers need a player who can create pressure off the edge because thus far Bud Dupree hasn’t been that player. Key is raw, and has some off-field questions to answer, but he’s at the least a good edge rusher.
CBS Sports
Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State
What they said:
While Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t indicated he’s ready to call it quits, that time is coming soon, possibly after the 2018 campaign. Rudolph is a similar style quarterback with a large frame who thrives from inside the pocket.
NFL.com
Rashaan Evans – LB, Alabama
What they said:
Evans fits beautifully in the Steelers’ defense. He’ll be able to play inside or outside.
Conclusion
After the Steelers parted ways with Todd Haley, and promoted Ben Roethlisberger’s BFF, QB coach Randy Fichtner, to offensive coordinator, there has been nothing short of comments alluding to Big Ben wanting to play for several more years. Speaking on the subject last week, team president Art Rooney II had even mentioned “reworking” Roethlisberger’s contract, which could be to create cap space as well as keep the franchise quarterback on the team for longer than previously envisioned.
For that reason, another three or four years of Big Ben would mean ANY quarterback drafted in 2018 by the Steelers would collect dust on the bench. Initial rookie contracts carry a maximum of four years. If selected in the first round, a team may opt for a “fifth-year option” and retain the player one more season, before a make or break decision on whether to keep them or move on.
I can’t picture a scenario where the Steelers decide to create a Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning/Andrew Luck situation in Pittsburgh. A top prospect whom they highly value would have to fall in their lap, much like Rodgers did with Green Bay. The Colts situation was different, as no one knew if Manning would recover from an entire season away due to injury; they also had the top pick and a tempting go at another 10-15 year franchise QB.
I would not have passed on that opportunity either.
However, even though the Steelers don’t appear to have many pressing needs on the roster, I still can’t see them going for broke on a luxury QB pick with their top pick. I can’t even see them doing it with any pick this season, as they already started developing Josh Dobbs, a fourth-round pick last season. Landry Jones is serviceable and likely going nowhere (and he is under contract for one more season at a minimum).
That leaves the most glaring of the roster concerns: inside linebacker. As noted by the draftniks above, no one knows Ryan Shazier’s future. Including Shazier, 3 of the 4 inside linebackers from the opening week depth chart could become free agents following the 2018 season. (Sean Spence, who was signed following Shazier’s injury, is not currently signed to the team either.)
That’s why Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans makes the most sense of the predictions made above. Several of the analysts recognized a greater need to address the future of the Steelers defense rather than a signal caller who will never see playing time.
ESPN’s Todd McShay is still stuck on giving the Steelers a cornerback, however. This pick makes more sense than a QB, but that all depends on if the Steelers feel comfortable with their current array of corners which include Artie Burns, Joe Haden, Mike Hilton, Cam Sutton, William Gay, and Brian Allen.
Four of the six joined the team last season (Haden, Hilton, Sutton, Allen) while Burns enters year three and the veteran Gay could be on his way out. Should Pittsburgh go with best available versus forcing a position of need, McShay’s pick is intriguing.
Otherwise, my smart money is on investing once again in a linebacker. Whether that be a replacement for Shazier or another edge rusher (pending what the team decides on with Bud Dupree entering year four of his rookie contract) I don’t see how the pick is made without the “four” in the 3-4 defense in mind.
