The Pittsburgh Steelers rarely allow rookies to start. They often wait a year or two in the wings, learning from the established starters before earning their first start. 2021 is a bit different. The Steelers were horrible at running the football last season, so much so that they drafted offensive players with their first four picks to make a bigger commitment to running the football. Now with the departures of Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, and James Conner, there were three starting positions up for grabs, and the rookies worked hard to try and earn first team reps.
Najee Harris was drafted in the first round and is expected to be the next feature back of this franchise. We have heard stale arguments from analysts that have never played the game stating, "you never take a running back in the first round," but I strongly disagree. Najee Harris was the best running back in college football last year. He is effective in the running and passing game, rarely fumbles, has an incredible work ethic, and an enormous commitment to his community. You don't find guys like this in any round but the first. Now we find Harris as the starting running back, as expected, and there is a lot of excitement within Steeler Nation to see this incredibly talented back break some big plays for the black and gold.
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Pat Freiermuth was a surprise pick for some in the second round. Where most analysts were expecting a lineman, the Steelers went out and grabbed a huge position of need by selecting the undisputed second best tight end in the draft to help block in the running game, as well as make plays with his excellent hands down field. Now 'Muth' is listed as one of two starting tight ends along with Eric Ebron. If the Steelers are committed to running the football, it was essential to add a tight end with better blocking than Ebron.
Kendrick Green was selected as a center in the third round. Although he was an excellent guard in college, he showed his potential to be a center in the NFL by playing the position at the Senior Bowl. His athleticism was too much for the Steelers to ignore, and they had him listed as the backup center to J.C. Hassenauer. Although he took all the first team reps in practice and games, he was finally listed as the starting center on this week's depth chart, which came as no surprise to anyone.
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Dan Moore Jr. was a bit of a surprise in the 4th round. Not a surprise that the Steelers drafted a physical tackle that has an angry streak in the running game, but a surprise that the Steelers selected four straight offensive players with their first four picks. Moore was expected to be the backup swing tackle and extra tackle in short yardage situations, but with Zach Banner being placed on Injured Reserve, Chukwuma Okorafor moved from left tackle back to his starting position from last year at right tackle. Moore is now the starting left tackle for Week 1.
So for a team that rarely starts rookies, the Steelers now have all four of their first round picks starting on offense Week 1 of a season. I can't find another year in the Super Bowl era where they have had so many starters that they just drafted to start the year. Kudos to general manager, Kevin Colbert and head coach, Mike Tomlin for addressing their needs so early in the draft. Although their intent wasn't to have to draft so many starters immediately, it's a good thing that all of them have shown that they can play football at a high level so early in their careers.
Which rookie are yinz looking to see the most this upcoming season? Click to comment below!
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