Steelers Super Bowl Odds Following the 2023 NFL Draft

With the NFL Draft in the rearview, the Pittsburgh Steelers are just concluding OTA's and beginning mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. Following the Draft, NFL betting sites have updated their NFL Championship futures odds. Not surprisingly, the Chiefs, Eagles, Bills and 49ers currently have the best odds to win Super Bowl 58 (with +600, +750, +900, and +750 odds, respectively). Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s odds to win the NFL Championship are +6000 according to Oddspedia.

Steelers Bolstering the League’s 10th-Best Defense

The Steelers selected four defensive players in the 2023 NFL Draft, hoping to improve the league’s 10th-ranked team defense. In round two, Pittsburgh selected cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from Penn State with the 32nd overall pick and selected defensive lineman Keeanu Benton from Wisconsin with pick 49.

Porter Jr. is the son of former Steelers standout, four-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XL champion, Joey Porter Sr. Despite his father’s success, he is determined to blaze his own path in the NFL. "It's going to be my flavor to it," said Porter. "It's me. It's not him. He understands that."

In Benton, the Steelers are getting a 2022 All-Big Ten third-team selection and someone that can play anywhere on the defensive line. DC Teryl Austin described the 49th pick as a “big, strong guy. Really active. Good hands.” For a big guy, Benton is extremely mobile and fast. “He’s got a good motor,” Austin said.

The Steelers selected another Wisconsin Badger in round four. As the 132nd pick, linebacker Nick Herbig will join his older brother, Nate Herbig, the free-agent guard signed this offseason. The first-team All-Big Ten LB led the Badgers with 11 sacks and 15 tackles-for-loss (TFLs). When asked about joining his brother in Pittsburgh, Herbig said, "The Steelers are everything I am about. Faith, family and football. It all felt right."

Defensive back Cory Trice Jr. was the Steelers' seventh-round selection. As an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, Trice Jr. started in 13 games last season and showed off his excellent press coverage skills.

Room for Improvement: Building on a Strong Finish

Perhaps the area most needed to be improved from last season is the Steelers' offense.  "We didn't score enough points is the bottom line, Steelers president Art Rooney II said. “In particular, not great red-zone efficiency. So, I think those are a couple things that I would identify that we clearly have to get better at."

Finishing the season ranked 22nd in red zone efficiency while scoring touchdowns on just over half of their trips inside the 20-yard line, Pittsburgh traded up three spots to select offensive tackle Broderick Jones 14th overall. The star tackle from Georgia was honored by the Associated Press to join the All-SEC first-team. Coach Mike Tomlin expressed excitement about Jones, commenting on his big-time upside. “He’s got a desire to be great. He’s highly competitive.” Jones is expected to make an immediate impact as tries to protect Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett.

The final two offensive selections were tight end Darnell Washington from Georgia, selected in the third round, and offensive lineman, Spencer Anderson from Maryland with the 251st pick in the seventh round.

For a team that failed to score more than 30 points in a game last season, there are several reasons for optimism that the team will be much improved on that side of the ball. For starters, Pittsburgh finished 7-2 after the bye last year and is returning a young core including stud wide receivers, George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, tight end Pat Freiermuth and running back Najee Harris. 

Coach Tomlin thought the draft went well, but acknowledged that any player’s potential is only as good as the work they put in. 

"We feel good, but obviously the quality of this weekend will be played out over the next three to five years in the careers of these people, and we've got some responsibility in terms of that work, as well," Tomlin said.