Post Cam Sutton Departure: M&M's 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft

The 2023 offseason is in full swing, as the Pittsburgh Steelers are doing their homework on how to best improve their roster for 2023. Whether it is taking a hard look at the impending free agent class, or scouting the 2023 NFL Draft prospects, there is no doubt Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan have their hands full. 

With all that said, that means that mock draft season is upon us. Each week, both Ben Michaelian and I will be teaming up to share a pair of mock drafts with all of Steeler Nation. We will be utilizing two separate mock draft simulators, one available at Fanspeak.com and the other at PFF.com, and alternating back and forth between them. This time of year, mock drafts can change from day to day, let alone week to week, as the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine has wrapped up and Pro Days will be heating up. Check out our two mock drafts from this week below, as Ben utilized on Fanspeak's simulator and I will be working with PFF's.

Matt's Mock Draft For The Steelers

Matt's Thoughts

It is obvious that the Steelers really are taking a hard look at adding to an already star-studded defense through this upcoming draft based on their meetings from the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. Combine that with losing Cam Sutton to free agency, means they will likely target a corner early. I ended up doing that with the team's first pick by selecting Deonte Banks. Banks has been steadily climbing draft boards as teams dug into his tape from this past season, and his excellent combine performance only added fuel to the fire. We also know how Tomlin loves his Maryland guys. 

Next I had to add to the defensive front seven, and Mazi Smith adds a lot. Smith is a well built nose tackle that possesses surprising quickness to pair with his great upper body strength. The Steelers need to get a true nose tackle to help fortify their defense, so Smith made a lot of sense here. 

Protecting QB Kenny Pickett should always be on the team's mind from here on out, so selecting someone like Steve Avila who can come in and be an immediate starter on the left side would go a long way to helping with that protection. Avila has good starting experience at both center and left guard, so the Steelers can decide where he fits best with current center Mason Cole. 

Getting into these middle rounds, I always look for guys who can contribute early on at least a rotational basis, but have upside. Both DeMarvion Overshown and KJ Henry do just that. Overshown is a former safety that has sideline to sideline speed, as well as the needed aggression to play downhill. This past year he showed good improvement in his play speed, meaning the game is starting to become more instinctual for him as a linebacker. Henry is also a great athlete that can hopefully provide the Steelers with a rotational edge player they have been lacking. Henry has good quickness and get off, but needs to improve holding the edge in the running game to become an every down player. 

The two seventh round picks in these mocks are always fun because it highly depends on how the first five selections went. Here are two names I really like as upside late dart throws with Brandon Hill and Noah Gindorff. Hill is a good athlete for the safety position and plays well with the ball in front of him, but is slow to key in on and react to the offenses scheme at times. Playing behind Minkah Fitzpatrick should definitely help him improve in that regard. Gindorff is a giant and would be a good compliment to Pat Freiermuth, which the team desperately needs as they love to utilize two tight ends. 

Ben's Mock Draft For The Steelers

Ben's Thoughts:

It looks like lightning struck twice for me. For the second straight week, I was able to start the draft with seeing Christian Gonzalez available at the 17th overall spot. This was obviously a no-brainer. He has top-10 talent and he was a steal at that point. The Steelers need major help at the cornerback position in the secondary and Gonzalez is the kind of player you can leave on an island and trust he’ll shut down that half of the field; something we haven’t seen in Pittsburgh in decades. 

Next, I stayed on the defensive side of the ball and dipped into the University of Pittsburgh pool with Calijah Kancey. Kancey tested well at the combine and the Steelers need to reload along the interior of the defensive front. He’d pair well with Cameron Heyward and wouldn’t have to be the anchor on the line as a rookie, but he’ll definitely grow into that when the time comes. At the 49th overall spot, I went with a position not a lot of people think is a high priority. Darnell Washington is a bulldozer of a blocker and would be a great one-two punch for the Steelers’ offense who, for an organization who loves to run two tight end sets, has had trouble establishing a strong duo. Adding Washington would be a great value pick for the Steelers at that spot. 

After Washington, I went back to the defense with linebacker Henry To’o To’o. The Steelers need help at the inside linebacker position and To’o To’o would be a great depth piece to start. He’s a heavy hitter inside and works well within a zone-based scheme. Next, I went with an outside edge rusher in K.J. Henry. The Steelers will need depth at that spot and it is hard to determine if they’ll be able to afford Alex Highsmith’s services beyond his rookie contract. Henry has ample technique and versatility to lay the solid groundwork for his development. He could easily be a starter by his second or third year. 

In the final round, I started with another “Swiss-army knife” defender in Quindell Johnson. Head coach Mike Tomlin loves those versatile defensive backs who can line up wherever he needs them and Johnson fits exactly that. Not to mention, the Steelers still don’t have much of a succession plan at the strong safety position and they’ll need their options on the depth chart to help address that. Finally, I added offensive line depth with T.J. Bass. Bass is a large, physical presence at the guard position and could be a nice back-up to James Daniels and Kevin Dotson. He has a lot he’ll need to get coached up on, but as the 241st overall pick, it makes sense to take that risk.

Let us know below what you think about our mock drafts this week in the comments below.

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