NFL Draft HQ: Who Steelers might pick, position breakdowns, mock drafts

The 2020 NFL Draft will be very different from year’s past.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the seven-round event will proceed as scheduled starting Thursday night and continuing through Saturday. But it will not be held in Las Vegas and will be missing any of the circus-like atmosphere it had garnered in recent years.

Teams will make picks remotely and each organization’s scouts and coaches won’t convene in the proverbial war room to provide input on potential picks and evaluate possible trades.

Prospects and their families will not convene at a draft site, meaning no first-round picks will walk across the stage and get a customary bear hug from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. (You will be able to boo him, though, virtually.)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have only 6 overall picks, starting with the 49th overall in the first round. Here’s what the team has:

• Round 2, selection 49

• Round 3, selection 102 (compensatory)

• Round 4, selection 124

• Round 4, selection 135 (from Miami, from Tennessee)

• Round 6, selection 198

• Round 7, selection 232

Tribune-Review sports writers Joe Rutter, Chris Adamski and Tim Benz have dug into what the Steelers are looking for in the 2020 NFL Draft. They also looked at all the top players available at each position and also put together who they think the Steelers will take. (See the stories below.)

The 2020 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on NFL Network, ESPN and ABC. Follow @TribJoeRutter, @C_AdamskiTrib and @TimBenzPGH on Twitter for live coverage of the draft.

MOCK DRAFT

• Joe Rutter’s mock draft: Steelers to target playmakers, line help early in NFL Draft

This mock for the Pittsburgh Steelers is the first and only one that I have produced. It required minutes of research — OK, maybe an hour — while trying to factor logic and positional need into the equation.

Hey, it worked last year when I correctly predicted four players the Steelers would draft. Didn’t get them all in the correct round, but in this space a year ago, I pegged Devin Bush, Benny Snell, Isaiah Buggs and Diontae Johnson as future Steelers. Read more.

• Chris Adamski’s mock NFL Draft: Unique circumstances don’t unsettle Steelers’ plans

The conference-call format, lack of recent in-person visits with prospects and diminished draft capital all contribute to plenty of added intrigue. There could be some eyebrow-raising surprises, from the Steelers and other teams. Read more.

Here is a positional breakdown of the NFL Draft.

QUARTERBACK

AP

Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts.

• Steelers profess no QB need, but could they be tempted by Jalen Hurts?

The Steelers insist they have no need for another quarterback on their roster when the draft is held in less than two weeks. Everyone with a say in the matter, from team president Art Rooney II to general manager Kevin Colbert to coach Mike Tomlin, has stated publicly there is comfort in having Rudolph as the No. 2 behind Roethlisberger. Devlin Hodges, Paxton Lynch and, to a lesser extent, J.T. Barrett will compete for the third spot. Read more.

• NFL QB breakdown: Burrow, Tua highlight top-heavy class

RUNNING BACK

AP

Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor.

• Subpar ground game last season may prompt Steelers to target RB early

Steelers running backs collectively produced one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Consider James Conner’s 464 yards rushing were the fewest by a team leader since a rookie named Don Shy had 341 in 1967, and that is one reason the Steelers went 8-8 and missed the playoffs for a second year in a row. Read more.

• NFL Draft RB breakdown: D’Andre Swift looks to extend list of Georgia standout backs

WIDE RECEIVERS

AP

TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor.

• TCU’s Jalen Reagor could be playmaker Steelers seek in 2nd round of NFL Draft

In JuJu-Smith Schuster, James Washington and Diontae Johnson, the Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the youngest wide receiving trios in the NFL.

If the organization follows through on its intention of grabbing another playmaker on the second day of the NFL Draft, that group could get even younger and become a quartet in 2020. Read more.

• NFL Draft WR breakdown: CeeDee Lamb, Alabama receivers highlight class

TIGHT ENDS

AP

Dayton tight end Adam Trautman.

• Lack of need at TE comes during good year for Steelers

Since selecting Heath Miller with the No. 30 overall pick in 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted a tight end in the first three rounds on just one occasion.

In 2007, they used a third-round pick on Matt Spaeth. In the dozen drafts that followed, only Jesse James in 2015 and Zach Gentry last year merited even a fifth-round selection.

Thanks to the free-agent signing of Eric Ebron, that streak should live on for one more year. Read more.

• NFL Draft TE breakdown: Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet leads thin class

OFFENSIVE LINE

AP

LSU offensive lineman Lloyd Cushenberry.

• Steelers seek interior OL depth, but group lacking in NFL Draft

If draft positional groups were assembled like NFL power rankings, this year’s interior offensive linemen crop would be the equivalent of the Cincinnati Bengals. Read more.

• Time might be right for Steelers to find replacements at tackle in NFL Draft

• NFL Draft OT breakdown: Alabama’s Jedrick Wills grades highest at deep position

• NFL Draft G/C breakdown: Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz top center in lackluster class

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

AP

LSU linebacker Jacob Phillips.

• Steelers’ evolution at inside linebacker could include additions in NFL Draft

Steelers’ evolution at inside linebacker could include additions in NFL DraftAbout this time in 2019, the Pittsburgh Steelers were finishing up an eight-month process of spending four draft picks and $13.45 million in guaranteed money into fortifying the inside linebacker position. A year after those investments, the Steelers still seem to have work to do at the position. Read more.

• NFL Draft linebacker breakdown: Production galore from this class

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

AP

Penn State defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos.

• Deep class of edge rushers could come into play for Steelers in NFL Draft

Depth at outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers entering the NFL Draft looks similar to what the team had available in Week 8 of the 2019 season. Read more.

• NFL Draft OLB/Edge rush breakdown: Talented position doesn’t end with Chase Young

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN

AP

Penn State defensive lineman Rob Windsor.

• Penn State DT Rob Windsor could provide late-round depth for Steelers line

Once overlooked by recruiters in his home state, Robert Windsor is hoping he fares better on a national scale. The former Penn State defensive tackle, who left home five years ago when Wisconsin was too late in offering a scholarship, is looking to find a place in the NFL. Read more.

• NFL Draft DL breakdown: Auburn’s Derrick Brown tops talented group

SAFETIES

AP

Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

• After investing 2 recent first-round picks at safety, Steelers likely to look elsewhere early

Based on their record last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were slotted as the No. 18 pick of the first round of the 2020 draft.

Though the league’s annual selection meeting begins Thursday, the Steelers are already content with what that draft capital will reap — a versatile, athletic playmaker of high-pedigree who is a perfect for their defense and for whom the scouting community was nearly unanimous in asserting was worthy of being selected as a top-12 draft pick.

• NFL Draft safety breakdown: Pair of SEC products lead class

CORNERBACKS

AP

Penn State defensive back John Reid.

• Penn State’s John Reid undervalued as CB prospect, draft analysts believe

Penn State is expected to have one former player taken in the first round of the NFL Draft in pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos. Another Nittany Lions alum will go on the second day when wide receiver K.J. Hamler gets the call.

Others will be taken on the third day, including a 5-foot-10, 187-pound cornerback that could be one of this year’s most underrated prospects. Read more.

• NFL Draft CB breakdown: Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah has top spot locked down

MORE COVERAGE

• NFL Draft analyst: Perfect sleeper replacement for Javon Hargrave, OLB options for Steelers

Luke Easterling of Draft Wire said that this draft features both athletic pass-coverage types in that range as well as big, physical run thumpers. Read more.

• NFL Draft analyst: Draft ‘sets up really nicely’ for Steelers’ offensive needs

Luke Easterling of Draft Wire says, despite trading their first-round pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Steelers are still likely to walk away happy from this year’s draft haul. Read more.

• Second to none? Steelers’ top pick is from round in which they’ve had mixed results

For the first time since 1967, the Steelers traded their first-round pick and entered the annual NFL draft Thursday without a selection among the first 32. Heading into Day 2 of the festivities Friday, the Steelers aren’t scheduled to go on the clock until the 17th pick of the second round (No. 49 overall). Read more.

• Watch live: NFL Draft-A-Thon to raise money for first responders battling coronavirus pandemic

TribLIVE is partnering with video-hosting platform SendtoNews to bring readers a live stream of the NFL’s three-day virtual fundraiser beginning Thursday night that will benefit six charities — selected by the NFL Foundation — that are battling the spread of covid-19. Read more.

• Prospects ready for closeup on NFL draft night from home

Yetur Gross-Matos would have liked to have been in Las Vegas for the NFL draft on Thursday night, but the Penn State defensive lineman is OK with participating from home. Read more.

Tribune-Review

Devin Bush, Pittsburgh Steelers first round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, speaks to the media Friday, April 26, 2019 at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

• Unlike last year, Steelers could go in several directions with top draft pick

When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded up 10 spots and selected linebacker Devin Bush with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, it hardly constituted as a surprise.

This year presents a different storyline for the Steelers, and it’s safe to say that neither president Art Rooney II nor general manager Kevin Colbert can predict who the Steelers might grab with their top pick. Read more.

• North Hills’ Zach Sammartino hopes to make a name for himself in the NFL

Zach Sammartino, a North Hills graduate, played on the offensive line at Dartmouth the past five seasons, starting at guard the past two. He’s looking ahead to the NFL Draft this weekend, hoping to hear his name called in the later rounds. Read more.

• Tim Benz: Ripple effect of Steelers going with a WR or RB early in draft

Based on the amount of pre-draft articles, sports-talk air time, and Twitter traffic I’ve encountered, lots of Steelers fans are quite interested in the idea of their team taking either a running back or a wide receiver with their first pick of the NFL Draft. That’s at No. 49 overall.

Some would like their second pick (No. 102) to be used on the remaining position of those two options as well. Read more.

• Despite ‘feeling good’ about Steelers’ QBs, Kevin Colbert won’t rule out drafting one

While he reiterated the Pittsburgh Steelers “felt good” about Ben Roethlisberger’s health and expressed satisfaction in Mason Rudolph as a backup, general manager Kevin Colbert did not rule out selecting another quarterback in the NFL draft later this week. Read more.

• Steelers’ Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin ready for ‘spectator’s view’ when NFL Draft begins

The NFL scheduled a trial run with owners, general managers and coaches Monday afternoon to work out the kinks of the league’s first virtual draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers, in essence, will conduct a second one Thursday night. Read more.

• Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss how the draft may impact Steelers trades

Tim Benz and Mark Madden focus on the NFL Draft. We both see the logic in the Steelers drafting a skill-position player in the second round. But what becomes of JuJu Smith-Schuster or James Conner if that happens? Could either of them be traded?

• Mock NFL Draft predicts Steelers take Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor

The only quarterback who definitely won’t fall Thursday night in prime time is Joe Burrow. The situation remains fluid for Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jordan Love.

• A QB with Steelers’ 1st pick? ESPN’s Mel Kiper projects team will draft Jalen Hurts

It’s mock draft season — and with no “real” sports seasons going on, NFL Draft projections are arguably getting more publicity than ever. No one’s mock drafts get more play than Mel Kiper’s, either. And Kiper has quite the eyebrow-raising projection for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first pick in next week’s draft.

• As Steelers try to replace NT Javon Hargrave, value could be found in NFL Draft

In 2016, a rookie third-round draft pick beat out a more established player to win the starting nose tackle job with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Javon Hargrave, from Division I FCS South Carolina State, was chosen over Daniel McCullers to fill the void after nose tackle Steve McLendon left via free agency.

• Tim Benz: Canceling the NFL Draft would hurt incoming players, help no one

I have zero problem with the draft progressing as scheduled. First of all, we’re all supposed to stay inside our houses these days anyway. What keeps people inside their homes to sit on their butts and watch television more effectively than the NFL Draft?

• Steelers adjusting to changes in NFL Draft preparation, player evaluation

Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin have been grounded while dealing with a radical change in the draft evaluation process never before seen in the NFL. Pro days are out. So are in-person visits with prospects at team facilities. The Steelers, like every other NFL team, are learning to cope.

• Mel Kiper Jr., Steelers’ Kevin Colbert weigh in on new-look NFL Draft

With the bravado of a 19th century ringmaster, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last week proclaimed the show must go on as it pertains to the league’s annual draft.