2023 Combine Performances Of Polarizing Steelers Social Media Favorites Could Send Fans Back To The Drawing Board

The Pittsburgh Steelers have built a reputation for building through the draft. They are not perfect at the process but with only nine losing seasons since they hired Chuck Noll in 1969, Pittsburgh has got it right a lot more often than they have gotten it wrong. They have kept themselves in the playoff conversation for decades. The down periods for the Steelers are measured much differently than the rest of the NFL.

The Steelers managed to go 9-8 in 2022 and established that Kenny Pickett is going to be the franchise quarterback they go forward with and that the current roster is full of holes. Pittsburgh found out the defense is a TJ Watt injury away from being average and the offensive line improved but still lacks an anchor. The secondary was full of players who are realistically cornerback twos, but they led the NFL in interceptions. The Steelers still need a clear shutdown corner, but the good, not great corners all over the defense is an interesting strategy.

When the combine began, Joey Porter Jr was the player most commonly associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers in mock drafts on ESPN and CBS. Porter was thought of as the third-best cornerback available and Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon have rated ahead of him and are likely to be gone when the Steelers draft at pick 17. After the combine performance Porter headlined the CBS sportswriter Chris Trapasso’s list of combine losers, he observed the following:

“From a measurement perspective, Porter and his gargantuanly long 34-inch arms were obvious winners,” Trapasso observed. “Working out, not so much for the Penn State study with NFL bloodlines, especially when comparing to his cornerback contemporaries in this class. Look, this isn't a stock-plummeting effort. It just didn't stack up to the other perceived top corners in the class.”

Porter’s combined performance compared to other top cornerbacks who were fighting to be the third name called in the NFL draft, like Deonte Banks for example, just wasn’t as enticing. The Steelers have an unofficial affinity for University of Maryland football players and Banks and workout warrior Jakorian Bennett left Indianapolis as rising players while the Penn State Nittany Lions corner tossed out an anchor. 

Steelers’ social media has been abuzz for a month about Jordan Addison. Somehow the Cincinnati Bengals, after two successful seasons, have caused a large portion of fans to decide they are the franchise to emulate in building a roster. Addison was never Ja’Marr Chase, and the NFL combine might have at least mercifully put the speculation at 17 to bed. 

Addison is only 5'11" and 173 lbs, has hands that are almost the exact same size as Kenny Pickett and ran a subpar 40-yard dash. If you are counting, that is three pounds more than Calvin Austin III. He is three inches taller but almost .25 seconds slower. If the Steelers are going to pick a wide receiver and Addison is available in the third round, it is a fit. But in the top 50? A small slow guy who has to compete with a small fast guy is not a solution. There are wide receiver options who will be available at 49,80 and 120 who are better fits to play in the slot. 

Steelers Offensive Tackle Solution Might Be Influenced By BYU Tackles Stellar Performance At Combine

Peter Skoronski is probably still the number one tackle on NFL draft boards, but Broderick Jones and Darnell Wright should not slip past the Steelers at 17. Blake Freeland is hard not to love in the third round as an alternative, but Skoronski’s short arms paired with the performance of the two SEC tackles could land him in the lap of the Steelers at 17. 

If he is available without trading up, then Omar Khan and Andy Weidl will look like geniuses if they beat Roger Goodell to the podium. It would be the second year in a row the ideal pick for the Steelers falls in their laps, but Jones or Wright should provide a grand consolation prize for the black and gold at 17 if someone else takes the Northwestern product before they pick. 

The Steelers are not giving any hints but the case for a franchise left tackle at 17 has never been stronger, but a lot can happen between now and the end of April.

What do you think Steeler Nation? Did Porter and Addison’s poor showings at the combine put you squarely in the offensive line camp at 17? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq. 

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