Steelers Pattern Means Bad News For Jordan Addison-Kenny Pickett Reunion At Pick #17

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin loves to attend pro days for college prospects. Tomlin and former general manager, Kevin Colbert had attended every first-round pick's pro days since they drafted Maurkice Pouncey in 2010. The organization's 2023 brass, Tomlin, Andy Weidl, and Omar Khan did not attend the USC Trojans gathering and, instead, went to the Iowa State Cyclones workout. The move is bad news for a Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison reunion at pick #17 in the 2023 NFL draft.

The last time the Steelers skipped a first-round pick's workout was Evander “Ziggy” Hood and it served as a lesson for them that Tomlin has not forgotten. Hood was a solid, but not spectacular player for the Steelers in his first five seasons and ended up playing for four teams in five seasons to close out his career. Compared to Jarvis Jones, Artie Burns, and Devin Bush Jr, it is hard to call him a bust, but if his career was a balloon it did not retain the air you expect from a first-round pick.

The Pittsburgh head coach enjoys attending the organized pro days at various colleges and thrives in the environment. Tomlin famously denied any interest in coaching college football in 2021, but watching him interact with college prospects, it is apparent that he would be great at it. The Steelers take every opportunity to interact with incoming professionals at the senior bowl, combine and pro days.

There is no denying that Pittsburgh needs to add a wide receiver with the apparent departure of Steven Sims. The wide receiver room currently consists of two top 20 receivers according to ESPN analytics: Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. The remainder of the room is Calvin Austin III, who has not played a down and is a speed merchant coming off a foot injury that cost him his rookie season. The other player is Anthony Miller who has suited up for 1 game in two seasons for the Steelers, but does have a 50-catch season in 2019 on his resume.

The Steelers, more than any other organization in football, are bound by tradition. The Steeler Way is real and it has served them well for six decades. Khan has broken away from tradition by signing Patrick Peterson in free agency and he has been more aggressive than Colbert was during his tenure. He didn’t break the bank for Peterson, but he did indicate that older free agents would at least be considered going forward.

Tomlin is a big presence in the process with Khan and Weidl so it is probably a sign that the Steelers would not break tradition at #17 and select Addison in the first round. Addison had a lackluster performance at the NFL combine and if he were to tumble down the draft board into the second round, it doesn’t mean the Steelers would ignore the opportunity at #32. The unofficial tradition only applies to first-round draft picks.

An Addison-Pickett reunion has been a popular narrative on social media and despite being a little underweight and a little slower than expected 40-yard dash time, the USC receiver won't slip far into day two of the NFL Draft, if at all. The normally beautiful weather in Pasadena, CA did not cooperate on Tuesday, and Addison did not rerun the 40 in adverse weather conditions. The Steelers’ decision to not attend his work out may have been because there was not anything of value to see. It could also hint at a far enough fall to still select him this April. 

Steelers Kenny Pickett And Jordan Addison Seeking A Reunion In The NFL 

Addison or any wide receiver at 17 has always seemed like a reach on a team that employs Weidl to run its draft board. All bets are off at #32 and #49 after addressing the interior line and inside linebacker positions during free agency. The Steelers have been rumored to be linked to Odell Beckham Jr., but using virtually all of the remaining cap space on an aging wide receiver coming off major knee surgery is a bridge too far, even for Khan.

A wide receiver who drops near the draft with questions about his performance that run contradictory to his tape sounds like a recipe for another day two success story at wide receiver for the Steelers. Maybe it isn't bad news for the former Pitt Panthers, after all. 

What do you think Steeler Nation? Would you be happy with Addison at #32 or should the Steelers wait and go in a different direction? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.