As we all know, it's mock draft season and our Pittsburgh Steelers are picking at 17 and 32. Every news source is putting out articles with the three W's; who, when and why. This gives the team a lot of flexibility and leaves a lot of talent on the table. There are a plethora of needs that the team faces this off-season and every single mock draft that I have looked at has shown the Steelers addressing their needs in different ways. When teams find themselves in that position, there is only one answer... take the best player available.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II introduces Omar Khan as General Manager in May of 2022. | Maya Giron / Post-Gazette
CBS put out a one round Mock Draft Monday morning that shows the Steelers choosing to take Bryan Bresee, who played three years for the Clemson Tigers. CBS writer, Kyle Stackpole takes a deeper dive here for Steeler Nation:
"The No. 1 high school player in the country a few years ago didn't have his best season in 2022, but the Clemson product still has everything you want in a formidable interior disrupter. With Larry Ogunjobi and Chris Wormley set to become free agents and Cam Heyward entering his 13th season, having Bryan Bresee will ensure the Steelers continue to have a fearsome defensive front.
The 6 foot 5 inch, 305 pound interior defensive lineman is a player who can absolutely improve the defense in a big way. A young man that came out of high school as a number one prospect was able to deliver as a freshman with 23 tackles, 4 sacks, and a forced fumble. This stat line and contribution led to him being awarded as the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately, '21 and '22 offered difficulties for Bresee that limited him.
In 2021, an ACL tear 4 games into the year cut his season short, and in 2022, he missed 4 games due to a kidney infection. Also in 2022, Bresee experienced the loss of his 15 year old sister, Ella, to brain cancer. There aren't enough words in the world to appropriately address how that may have impacted him and his family. Regardless of missing time, Bresee still was able to put up 13 tackles, as well as 1.5 sacks in '21 and 15 tackles and 3.5 sacks in '22.
While injuries and missed time are very often a concern for players coming out of college, they may not be in this circumstance. There has not been any evidence that the missed time has negatively effected the ability of Bresee to still put numbers on the stat sheet. Bouncing back from an ACL tear and dealing with personal struggles, Bresee still showed that he could disrupt the run and pass. Also, I believe that the shortened seasons may have allowed for Bresee to preserve himself for the NFL, albeit incidentally. Bresee now finds himself two years removed from his ACL injury and fully ready to make the leap.
USATSI
Bryan Bresee celebrating.
This draft pick is an absolute steal if it can actually happen with other mocks having him gone before 17. It's true, Bresee has the talent to be picked much earlier than 17. If he falls though, the Steelers need to be sprinting to the podium and calling out his name. A dominant interior lineman allows other proven Steelers talents Cam Heyward, Alex Highsmith, and TJ Watt to cause offensive coordinators everywhere to wake up in a cold sweat.
Defensive line is becoming a very expensive role and free agency this year even with a lot of good options. The addition of Bresee allows more flexibility with the cap, with future decisions about other players contracts, and the ceiling of what could be the next great Steelers defensive player. Time will tell if Stackpole got this mock right and we will see a hundred more iterations before it's all said and done.
Am I the only one who would be stoked to add this jersey to the collection? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, Steeler Nation!
