Steelers 4-Round Mock Draft: Options Aplenty For Pittsburgh

Some in the Pittsburgh Steelers media put out multiple mock drafts, update them throughout the offseason and then lead it all up to a big finale. Others prefer to keep all the homework and scratch paper behind the scenes until we are peeking over the final days before the NFL Draft is finally upon us. So, let's keep it simple and see how the first four rounds of picks could work out for the Steelers.

Steelers Lock Down Tackle In First Round

There weren't many surprises in the sixteen picks leading up to the Steelers' selection, but that doesn't mean the final choice was cut and dry. While offensive tackle led is at the top of team needs, cornerback, Cam Smith, was available at 17, which led to some trepidation. In the end, being able to lock down the offensive tackle position for the Kenny Pickett era was too much to pass up.

Darnell Wright, the 6-5, 335-pound right tackle out of Tennessee, is the player that both Pickett and Najee Harris will be most ecstatic about. Wright has experience playing on both the left and right side of the offensive line. With depth being at the forefront of the entire Steelers' front office, being able to bring in a versatile, massive, aggressive mauler with plenty of college experience (2,746 snaps) made this a relatively straightforward pick.

Also Available: Smith, Quentin Johnson (wide receiver), Calijah Kancey (defensive line)

Solutions And Surprises In Second Round

With offensive tackle taken care of, the next pick had cornerback written all over it. As it turned out, the choice was both obvious and incredibly difficult at the same time. The Steelers had their pick at cornerback with Smith still falling further from the first round, but Deonte Banks, the dynamic cornerback out of Maryland, was also available. 

Despite the allure of Banks, being able to first lock down offensive tackle and still get a top-tier cornerback in Smith seemed almost meant to be. Smith brings an NFL-ready style to go along with a beautiful 4.43 40-yard dash time, but don't discount his cerebral abilities as he also scored in the upper percentages for the RAS (Relative Athletic Score) with a 9.68 (10 being the highest).

Also Available: Banks, Derick Hall (edge), Jack Campbell (linebacker)

The Steelers' second pick in the second round (49th overall) brought the first surprise of the day. With both offensive tackle and cornerback taken care of, the pressure significantly eased off the Steelers' draft room. The selection quality was still incredibly high at the 49th spot, with safety and the defensive line still on Pittsburgh's mind, but a talent fell much further than expected and landed right in the Steelers' lap.

Zay Flowers out of Boston College was thought to be long gone by this point, but somehow Flowers slipped past every other team and some more than once. The Steelers have a long tradition of bringing in rookie receivers regardless of the kind of positional group they already have. 

While this may have seemed strange when it had happened in the past, it allowed the Steelers to have freedom when contract talks came up (Antonio Brown over Mike Wallace, for example). Having a veteran presence in Allen Robinson, the newest addition, means that Flowers won't just have competition right off the bat, but can expect a mentor as well.

Also Available: JL Skinner (safety), Sidy Sow (offensive guard), Bijan Robinson (running back)

Steelers Shore Up Secondary In Third Round

With cornerback checked off of their needs list, the Steelers found themselves sitting at the 80th overall pick with a plethora of safeties to choose from. The position was absolutely on their mind, but Pittsburgh had a total of four different safeties that in one way or another could be added to the secondary group. 

Deciding to bypass Jartavius Martin, Gervarrius Owens, and Sydney Brown (all safeties), the Steelers decided to bring Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker, Kaevon Merriweather onto the team.

Merriweather may not be a plug-and-play prospect, but his high character, coachable attitude and impressive potential ceiling all combined to show the Steelers that with the right system and surroundings, he could become something special.

Also Available: Martin, Owens, Brown), Drew Sanders (linebacker), Mazi Smith (defensive line)

Fourth Round Keeps Defense On Steelers Minds

Thanks to a few picks that lined up rather perfectly with their needs, the Steelers go into the Fourth Round without any glaring holes that may bring undue pressure. Instead, they know where they'd like to add depth and simply need to see which players available best align with what they are looking for.

Linebacker was always a depth priority for the Steelers (unless something higher up had fallen differently), so being at this point and being able to see a player like Yasir Abdullah was exactly what Pittsburgh was hoping for. Abdullah, who played at Louisville is a fast linebacker who had 19.5 sacks in his last two collegiate seasons. 

He made the most of his invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas in 2023, allowing teams to get a bigger scope of what he is able to bring to whatever defense he played for. Knowing that speed and athleticism were something sorely missed in the Steelers linebackers room lately, Abdullah has 4.47 speed that will have his coaches eager to let him fly around.

Also Available: Jordan Battle (safety), Julius Brents (cornerback)

Steelers Hit Every Mark For 2023

Looking at the Steelers' depth chart before and after this mock draft gives one hope for not just the the 2023 season, but for the next five to seven years potentially. Wright at tackle, Smith at cornerback, youth and talent added at receiver in Flowers, plus the excellent depth/rotational additions that Merriweather and Abdullah leads to this being a home run of a draft.

Nothing is ever certain when it comes to the NFL Draft, but if the Steelers follow their gut and the intelligent voices in their draft room, every Steelers fan should be smiling when the draft wraps up!