This year’s NFL Draft means a lot to the Steelers. They have plenty of holes.
James Conner isn’t a No. 1 back, not even when he’s healthy (which is rarely).
The Steelers don’t have a true No. 1 receiver: JuJu Smith-Schuster tried, but isn’t. He’s a complementary piece, maybe just a slot receiver.
Nose tackle Javon Hargrave departed and hasn’t been replaced. Depth is thin at plenty of places, namely edge rusher, inside linebacker and safety. If Matt Feiler moves from right tackle to left guard, the tackle position has enough quantity but lacks quality.
So if you think the return of Ben Roethlisberger at (or near) 100% is enough to get the Steelers to the playoffs, think again.
The Steelers most need a running back. They can get by with their receiving corps, especially now that 6-foot-4 tight end Eric Ebron adds a big target. Edge rusher is a legit need despite having T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree. Watt will get a long-term contract at season’s end. Dupree won’t. He’s currently franchise tagged. The Steelers need depth currently, a replacement for Dupree after.
The Steelers don’t have a first-round pick. That further complicates. They traded theirs for All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, which doesn’t help on offense.
Instead of picking No. 18 overall, the Steelers don’t choose until No. 49. That makes the draft boring on a local level. The Steelers have one pick in the draft’s first 100.
Signing former Pitt back LeSean McCoy out of free agency to split duties with Conner would be exciting. McCoy, 31, averaged 4.6 yards per carry with Kansas City last season. The price would have to be right, but that would alleviate one concern.
McCoy made the NFL’s all-decade team. (Problem is, it’s last decade’s.)
After inking McCoy, take a receiver with pick No. 49. The draft is flush with excellent receivers: Twenty-five could go in the first four rounds.
If that scenario coalesces, my vote goes to Michael Pittman of Southern Cal. Another big target at 6-4, he makes catches in traffic.
The Steelers might have to patchwork at edge rusher behind Watt and Dupree, picking Dupree’s successor in the 2021 draft. They can make do with Tyson Alualu at nose tackle, especially given how few snaps get spent in the base 3-4 defense.
Of course, the Steelers might blow these musings to smithereens and take an edge rusher or inside ‘backer at pick No. 49. The NFL thinks offense first. The Steelers don’t.
Draft “expert” Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN says the Steelers will select Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts at pick No. 49. There is zero chance of that. Roethlisberger’s time is tight. He wants players who can help now, not a successor to groom. (Wasn’t that supposed to be Mason Rudolph?)
The Steelers never won with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell because they were toxic.
They haven’t won with Conner and Smith-Schuster because they’re not good enough. Their time in Pittsburgh is likely coming to a close. Each is entering the final year of his entry-level contract.
Conner is too often hurt and not very effective when he’s not. He missed six games last season, only rushing for over 55 yards once. The cancer survivor and Pitt product is a good story. He’s an unreliable player. The Steelers would be crazy to extend him.
Smith-Schuster proved last season that his big output in 2018 was courtesy of space created by Brown’s presence. He missed four games because of injury, was subpar in games he did play and was outperformed by rookie Diontae Johnson. If Smith-Schuster does poorly in 2020, the Steelers won’t want him. If he excels, he figures to want more money than the Steelers are willing to pay.
The timetable for 2020 will be knocked askew by the pandemic. The Steelers’ assembly in the offseason will be all the more important because of that. Signing McCoy would be a good first domino.
