ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s 1st mock draft shows Steelers selecting OLB

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. released his first projections for the 2021 NFL Draft on Tuesday, with the Pittsburgh Steelers choosing Tulsa outside linebacker Zaven Collins at No. 24.

In eight games this season, Collins had 53 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss, plus four sacks, four interceptions and one forced fumble. Collins swept the honors for national defensive player of the year, winning the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

If the Steelers are unable to reach a new deal with free agent linebacker Bud Dupree, the position could become a need.

Here’s what Kiper had to say about Collins:

“Pittsburgh lost five of its last six games after starting 11-0, and holes were exposed, particularly after edge rusher Bud Dupree tore his ACL in early December. And with Dupree now a free agent, this would be a pick to grab a replacement. Collins is a do-everything linebacker who had four sacks, four interceptions (two for TDs) and two forced fumbles on the way to winning the Nagurski Award last season. At 6-4, 260 pounds, he could slot into Dupree’s position and excel at getting after quarterbacks or dropping into coverage to confuse offensive coordinators. Collins is a really intriguing chess piece for a smart defense. The Steelers could also think about offensive line with this pick.”

And in case you were hoping the Steelers would take a quarterback to replace Ben Roethlisberger, Kiper has Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence going No. 1 to the Jaguars, BYU’s Zach Wilson No. 4 to the Falcons, Ohio State’s Justin Fields No. 7 to the Lions, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance No. 8 to the Panthers and Alabama’s Mac Jones No. 15 to the Patriots.

Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons is projected to go ninth overall to the Broncos.

Earlier this month, ESPN colleague Todd McShay’s mock draft had the Steelers selecting Alabama running back Najee Harris.