Steelers NFL Draft recap: Who the Steelers selected and analysis
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2021 NFL Draft picking four new offensive players, four new defensive players and a punter.
Here is a recap of the Steelers 2021 NFL Draft Picks with quick bio boxes and analysis:
Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 NFL Draft Picks
Round 1: No. 24
Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
The Pittsburgh Steelers got the running back they waited all night — and arguably the past three months — to select when they took Alabama’s Najee Harris with the No. 24 overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday.
“We were very excited he was there for us,” general manager Kevin Colbert said. “When we went through our scenarios, it was a very easy decision for us.”
At 6-foot-1, 232 pounds, Harris gives the Steelers a bruising, productive back they have lacked in recent seasons.
• Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Najee Harris
Round 2: No. 55
Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State
Five years after Heath Miller retired, the Pittsburgh Steelers made their most aggressive move yet toward replacing him by taking Pat Freiermuth with their second-round pick Friday evening.
The 6-foot-5, 251-pound Freiermuth, the 55th overall pick, was the second tight end selected in the draft, coming 51 picks after the Atlanta Falcons took Florida’s Kyle Pitts at No. 4.
• Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth
Round 3: No. 87
Kendrick Green, G, Illinois
With the No. 87 pick of the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers got the center they coveted to replace retired Maurkice Pouncey.
The Steelers selected Illinois’ Kendrick Green, a 6-foot-2, 305-pound redshirt junior. Green played guard as well as in the pivot for the Illini, but the Steelers will use him to anchor the middle of the offensive line.
Green has large shoes to fill with the departure of Pouncey, who retired in February after 11 NFL seasons that included nine Pro Bowl selections. He’s ready for the challenge.
• Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Illinois G/C Kendrick Green
Round 4: No. 128
Dan Moore Jr., OT, Texas A&M
The third day of the draft opened Saturday with the Steelers selecting an offensive player for the fourth pick in a row. Tackle Dan Moore Jr. was selected in the fourth round with the No. 128 overall selection.
Moore, a 6-foot-5, 311-pound senior, made 36 consecutive starts at left tackle over his final three seasons. He also played as a freshman, making one start at left guard before switching to the outside.
• Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Texas A&M OT Dan Moore Jr.
Round 4: No. 140
Buddy Johnson, ILB, Texas A&M
If nothing else was known about an inside linebacker prospect, targeting the one who was the leading tackler on the SEC’s best defense is a pretty good place to start.
Not that Buddy Johnson’s new position coach knew his statistical resume.
“I don’t look at the production numbers, OK?” Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky said soon after the Steelers took Johnson with their second of two fourth-round picks Saturday. “I look at the film, and I see production, and I say, ‘Oh, this guy’s a good player.’
• Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Texas A&M ILB Buddy Johnson
Round 5: No. 156 (From DAL through PHI and MIA)
Isaiahh Loudermilk, DT, Wisconsin
Entering the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers had 11 players capable of playing somewhere on the defensive line on their offseason roster.
And despite that position group being universally regarded as the weakest in this year’s class, the Steelers traded into the fifth round Saturday to grab another big body for their front three.
The Steelers sent a 2022 fourth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins and selected Wisconsin defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk with the No. 156 overall choice.
• Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Wisconsin DE Isaiahh Loudermilk
Round 6: No. 216
Quincy Roche, LB, Miami
Growing up near Baltimore, Quincy Roche was well aware of the Pittsburgh Steelers from their fierce AFC North rivalry with the Ravens.
Now that he’s the Steelers’ newest outside linebacker, Roche is more than ready to change allegiances. He’s just hoping the rest of his family complies, too.
“I’m in a house full of Ravens fans, but I told everyone today that I don’t even want to see the color purple,” Roche said after the Steelers used their sixth-round choice on the edge rusher from Miami (Fla.).
• Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Miami OLB Quincy Roche
Round 7: No. 245
Tre Norwood, CB, Oklahoma
Tre Norwood is listed on the NFL’s official draft website as a cornerback, but when the Pittsburgh Steelers’ official Twitter announced the team picked him in the draft, it labeled Norwood a safety.
Coach Mike Tomlin took an entirely different tact. When he announced the selection of Norwood with the 245th overall pick, Tomlin termed Norwood a “Swiss Army Knife/utility bSteelers in the moments after the draft ended ack/safety.”
• Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Oklahoma CB/S Tre Norwood
Round 7: No. 254
Pressley Harvin III, P, Georgia Tech
After making four consecutive picks on defense, the Pittsburgh Steelers closed their portion of the NFL Draft on Saturday by switching to special teams.
Pressley Harvin III, the strong-legged punter from Georgia Tech, was the Steelers’ second pick of the seventh round, No. 254 overall.
Harvin was the only punter taken in the draft.
• Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Georgia Tech P Pressley Harvin III
2021 undrafted free agents
Could Shakur Brown or others make impacts? A look at Steelers undrafted free agents
After drafting only six players last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers upped that by 50% in selecting nine players in the 2021 draft. But the draft isn’t the only means of rookie talent acquisition.
Like all NFL teams, the Steelers made some signings of undrafted free agents in the minutes and hours following the conclusion of the draft Saturday.
Here is a deeper look at the Steelers’ crop of 2021 undrafted free agents.
From Clairton to PSU to the Steelers, Lamont Wade signs as undrafted free agent
When he played at Clairton, Lamont Wade had 26 scholarship offers before he chose Penn State and went on to play in 47 games, with 22 starts.
But it took only one phone call to give him, perhaps, the greatest thrill of all. Wade, a four-time letterman and three-time WPIAL champion at Clairton, signed with the hometown Pittsburgh Saturday evening.
More coverage, analysis
Keith Butler believes early picks on offense will lead to rested Steelers defense
Keith Butler couldn’t be blamed for wondering when the Pittsburgh Steelers would draft a player to help his defense.
He watched running back Najee Harris go in the first round Thursday. He sat by as the Steelers took a tight end and an interior offensive lineman Friday. The Steelers began the fourth round Saturday by taking a tackle.
It didn’t rankle the Steelers’ 64-year-old defensive coordinator one bit. He knew the focus in the early part of the draft would center on rebuilding the line and fixing the NFL’s 32nd-ranked running game. And he was fine with that.
Steelers check off several boxes in procuring 9 NFL Draft prospects
An NFL Draft that continued its course down the road to fixing the league’s least effective running game took a U-turn for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.
After using a fourth consecutive pick on an offensive talent, and second in a row along the line, the Steelers turned their attention finally to defense. The next four selections were used on that side of the ball before their draft concluded with the Steelers taking the only punter selected in the draft.
“We think we’re a better team today than we were yesterday,” general manager Kevin Colbert said about the nine-member class, which was enhanced by the acquisition of a fifth-round pick. “That’s always the goal coming out of this process.”
Tim Benz: After Najee Harris, Steelers’ draft choices are more about future than present
I’m a fan of the new Pittsburgh Steelers draft class, even if I’m a bit confused by it.
Because what I like about it in 2021, I’ll love about it in 2022.
Which is good. Drafts are about building a foundation for the future. The problem is that the franchise made it look like it was teeing up a final big swing at a Super Bowl.
Tim Benz: Steelers addressed many needs in the NFL Draft. Here are some that remain.
I’ll say it again. I like the 2021 Steelers draft class. I don’t have much to rail against when it comes to the players they selected.
However, the Steelers couldn’t patch all the gaps on their depth chart. Even with nine picks over seven rounds.
But now let’s turn to the fun part: complaining about what (or who) the Steelers failed to draft.
Tim Benz: What’s not to like about Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth pick, other than he’s not a lineman?
I’ve got little to complain about when it comes to Steelers second-round draft choice Pat Freiermuth. The Penn State tight end was projected by some to be a Heath Miller-type tight end long before the Steelers drafted him. He’s illustrated the good receiving skills and some blocking ability on the Big Ten level to warrant those projections.
“I’m a versatile tight end,” Freiermuth said Friday night. “I’ll stick my face in and block defensive ends. And I’ll go out there and make some plays in the passing game. Whatever I’m asked to do.”
Tim Benz: Steelers got the best player at their biggest position of need. That’s enough ‘value’ for me.
During Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers got the player most analysts feel is the best player at their biggest position of need.
All the way down at pick No. 24.
It was a good night. Let’s not “yeah, but” ourselves to death on this one. OK?
Yes. I know Alabama’s Najee Harris is a running back. And I know running backs have been devalued by injury concerns and many modern NFL metrics.
First Call: ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. gives Steelers lowest NFL draft grade; Kendrick Green’s focus already on starting center job
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Steelers a “C+” grade for 2021. No team received a lower grade from Kiper than them.
“I’m a big fan of Najee Harris but am almost always against taking a running back in the first round,” Kiper said.
Kiper went on to say that he thought the Steelers got little help for the upcoming year or the future.
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers draft decisions don’t always add up
I liked the Steelers’ first draft pick — until they made their second pick.
After the Steelers made their third pick, I felt OK again.
Picking Alabama’s Najee Harris at No. 24 made perfect sense. He was the best running back in the draft. Harris will make an immediate impact.
https://triblive.com/sports/mark-maddens-hot-take-steelers-draft-decisions-dont-always-add-up/
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