Pittsburgh Steelers Get A Big Boost To The Secondary In PFF Simulator Mock Draft 2.0

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Omar Khan will end the suspense of who they will pick in the 2023 NFL Draft a little over a month from now. The Steelers have set themselves up with five picks in the first four rounds of the upcoming draft and have an opportunity to convert those picks into cornerstone pieces of the franchise. The suspense is palpable, so there is only one thing to do, have the completely at the mercy of the simulator Mock Draft 2.0.

Steelers Find Big Bodies To Anchor The Offensive And Defensive Lines In PFF Simulator Mock 1.0

Just a reminder, I will be using the default settings on the Pro Football Focus simulator, and I am bound by who is available. You can visit the PFF website and play around with the simulator here. You don’t need a PFF account to run your own version, so I encourage you to do your own, it’s a lot of fun but fair warning it is addictive. Enough introduction, away we go!

Round 1 Pick 17

Brian Branch S Alabama Crimson Tide- The top three offensive tackles Broderick Jones, Paris Johnson Jr and Peter Skoronski were off the board, so it is time to look to the defensive side of the ball. In my first mock draft, I selected Bryan Bresee over Calijah Kancey and both were available but things have changed. Branch was not available during the first simulation. The Steelers need a safety and a slot corner. Branch has a unique skill set. He is skilled enough to play the slot cornerback position in Nickel and Dime sets and is a playmaking safety in the base. An all-Alabama Crimson Tide safety tandem with Minkah Fitzpatrick feels like the right thing to do.

Round 2 Pick 32

Dawand Jones T Ohio State Buckeyes- Jones might be more comfortable in the WWE at 6'8" tall and 375 lbs. but he is entering the NFL draft. Jones is not a left tackle but when he descends from the beanstalk on game day, he exploits his size and dominates. Jones is not fleet of feet, but his size makes up for it. The success of Orlando Brown Jr for the Kansas City Chiefs bodes well for his transition to the NFL. Jones is the top option available at this point and the Steelers will be happy with the best tackle on the board and can’t pass him up here.

Round 2 Pick 49

Emmanuel Forbes CB Mississippi State Bulldogs- Before the combine, Forbes was rarely available this late in a mock draft. He may have the stickiest fingers as a defensive back in this draft and he is 6'1" tall and ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and demonstrated great athleticism. Unfortunately, he stepped onto a scale and at 166 lbs, he is very skinny. Forbes played a lot of zone coverage in college but when called upon he demonstrated he was adept at playing press corner. The Steelers should sit him next to his fellow second-rounder at the training table and find 10 lbs to put on him. Forbes doesn’t just look to break up passes and when he gets his hands on the ball he is looking to score and has the ability to light up the scoreboard. 

Round 3 Pick 80

Nick Herbig Edge Wisconsin Badgers- Herbig is an overachieving freak athlete who will probably move to an inside linebacker in the NFL. Herbig is a little too short at 6'2" tall to play the edge full-time in the NFL. Herbig can provide depth on the edge while he transitions to ILB. He is an insanely athletic player with a high motor and the last time the Steelers picked a Wisconsin Badger with a high motor it worked out. He isn’t TJ Watt, but his brother is already on the team and the Steelers love family acts.

Round 4 Pick 120

Moro Ojomo DL Texas Longhorns- Andy Weidl finds a big body in round four to pair with DeMarvin Leal who should provide plenty of help for Cam Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi as they build a devastating defensive line rotation. Ojomo is already a superior run defender and could give Heyward much-needed rest throughout the season on early downs. He projects as a 3-4 defensive end and at pick 120 provides a quality player that should thrive in Pittsburgh.

Round 7 Pick 234

Stetson Bennett QB Georgia Bulldogs- It is a great story, Bennett went from walk-on to back-to-back NCAA Championship victories. He is only 5'11" but screams long-term backup quarterback. Bennett is never going to be a franchise quarterback, but he wasn’t supposed to start for the Georgia Bulldogs either. He won’t supplant Mitch Trubisky in year one, but he has time to get ready for the gig holding a clipboard this season.

Round 7 Pick 241

Matt Landers WR Arkansas Razorbacks- This has Steelers gem written all over it. Landers is 6'4", and he spent four seasons at Georgia. He was stuck behind a talented group of wideouts including George Pickens. He transferred to Toledo initially and then finished at Arkansas last season. Landers was one of five receivers to run a sub 4.4 40-yard dash and he did it twice at the NFL combine with times of 4.39 and 4.37. He isn’t great at contested catches and needs to be more physical but there is a reason Landers is available. Seems like Pickens will have a shadow in year two if they go in this direction.

An actual A grade for this effort! Branch's versatility probably should earn him a higher grade than a B at 14 considering he was going in the top 10 a month ago but figuring out PFF's grading formulas is slightly easier than Astrophysics and way more complicated than boot camp. 

The very best tackles, tight ends and wide receivers just didn’t present themselves again in this version. Safety and slot cornerback is important to the defense and getting Branch who can do both and allowing a ball hawk like Forbes to work into the lineup while adding weight could give the Steelers who led the league in interceptions last season an even better result this season. A healthy TJ Watt and the addition of Patrick Peterson should help as well.

What do you think Steeler Nation? Please post your mock drafts and let me know how you grade out! You can comment below or post them on my Twitter @thebubbasq.

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