New Mock Draft Has The Steelers Making Surprise Pick From Their Own Backyard Again In 1st Round Of 2023 NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers have little over a month to determine who will put on their jersey on day one of draft night. Despite indications that the team is eyeing an offensive lineman or a cornerback with pick 17, one team insider targeted another potential position of need, the defensive line, for the selection in April. 

The team doesn't appear to have a pressing need for the position in the offseason with veteran leader Cameron Heyward coming off of his sixth straight Pro Bowl season, Larry Ogunjobi coming back on a three-year deal after proving to be a valuable contributor when healthy, and DeMarvin Leal looking to make a significant leap in 2023. While they might be set for next year, Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly of The Athletic likes the idea of taking a swing on Calijah Kancey from the University of Pittsburgh with the first-round pick to solidify the unit going forward.

"The Steelers let neighbor Aaron Donald slip through their fingers in the 2014 draft. They won’t make that mistake twice," he said about his selection in the publication's second mock draft with team insiders. "With Cameron Heyward turning 34 in May, it makes total sense."

Why The Steelers Should Target The Pitt Defensive Tackle

The comparison to Aaron Donald is certainly lofty given his career resume since coming out of Pittsburgh and Kaboly acknowledges that, but the resemblance is just too uncanny to not pull the trigger if he's there when the Steelers are on the board. 

"Though Kancey has a long way to go to come close to matching Donald’s career, the similarities are eerie — same college, same style, same athleticism, and same size," Kaboly wrote in defense of his pick. "Kancey shot up the draft board after running a 4.67-second 40-yard dash at the combine. He’s undersized for what the Steelers look for in a defensive tackle, but everything is out the window with the new front-office regime of GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl."

It might seem like a bit of a luxury pick with starting positions likely already sorted on the defensive line for 2023, but bringing in Kancey to learn from Heyward and Ogunjobi could prove to be a strong selection by the organization for the long-term outlook of the position. Giving both he and Leal some reps during the season could help their development as players, but also help to keep the older veterans fresh as both spent time dealing with injuries last year. 

According to NFL Network's Lance Zierlein, Kancey "is going to be a hit-or-miss run defender due to his lack of mass and length," but will be "a nightmare for offenses as a pass rusher." With the Steelers' aggressive approach to finding thumpers in the run game at the inside linebacker position in free agency, Kancey might be given a little more leeway to learn in the run game or even just be used rotationally on passing downs. 

After going 17 years between selecting the last two Pitt Panthers picked before Kenny Pickett, James Connor (third round in 2017), and Hank Poteat (third round, #200), Kaboly would like the Steelers to buy a lottery ticket on Kancey's upside and go into their own backyard for first-round picks in back to back years. 

So, Steeler Nation, do you like the selection of Kancey in the first round? Who would you want the team taking at pick 17? Let us know in the comments or on social media. 

#SteelerNation