By Matt Papiernik, @Matt_Papiernik on Twitter
SteelerNation.com
Welp. The 2020 NFL Draft season has come to a close, so now it is time to move onto the 2021 NFL Draft, right? I guess there is a full NFL season in between these two events... but we'll worry about that later.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 season has two likely outcomes in my eyes. The first is quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returns and performs similarly to how he did in 2018 prior to his injury. This scenario would likely lead to a playoff appearance, and hopefully a deep run with a chance of winning another Super Bowl.
The other scenario is that the Big Ben doesn't return to form, or he gets injured again. This obviously would be awful for the Steelers, and then they would have to determine if Mason Rudolph is the heir apparent to Roethlisberger, or if they would want to make a run at someone like Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft.
In this scenario, I am making the assumption Roethlisberger comes back close to his former self, and the Steelers make it at least into the playoffs.
The Steelers currently own their own first, second, third, and fourth round picks. While they traded away their fifth, sixth, and seventh round picks, they did manage to add a sixth round pick and two seventh round picks back. In addition, they also will likely receive at least a 4th round compensatory pick for losing Javon Hargrave this off-season, but I didn't include that here. This leaves the Steelers with some solid draft capital for next year.
First Round Pick - Walker Little, OT, Stanford
The Steelers currently have three offensive tackles slated for free agency next off-season (Alejandro Villanueva, Zach Banner, and Matt Feiler), so they will definitely need to add to their offensive line early. Little is a very good pass blocker who doesn't let defenders put much pressure on the quarterback. He is also solid as a run blocker, but can struggle when asked to move up to the second level. Little likely would've came out this year and been a first round pick if it wasn't for a knee injury early in the season.
Second Round Pick - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
Yes I know the Steelers currently have Eric Ebron and Vance McDonald on the roster. However, both of them are on essentially what can be viewed as one-year deals, and the Steelers have ignored the tight end position in the draft for far too long. Pitts is a tremendous receiver and can offer some immediate assistance in the passing game. He shows flashes as a run blocker, but he needs to add a little strength and weight to be a significant factor there at the next level.
Third Round Pick - Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
Right now the Steelers have a dynamic duo at cornerback in Joe Haden and Steven Nelson. However, Haden is going to be 32 by the 2021 NFL Draft, and they will need to start thinking of an eventual replacement for whenever Haden decides to hang them up. Stokes possesses some great cover ability as he is able to mirror opposing wide receivers in addition to playing the ball well. Stokes does have an issue of getting boxed out by larger receivers and hasn't shown a great ability to support in the run game. As his body continues to mature those should improve.
Fourth Round Pick - Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State
James Conner is in his last year of his contract and there is a serious debate on whether the Steelers will resign him. If they don't, they will need to add a running back and Sermon would be a good replacement. Sermon is a powerful runner who always manages to gain yards even when he is hit in the backfield. Sermon is also likely the best pass blocker in the class, which is rare and huge plus. However, Sermon likely won't be a very high pick simply because he likely won't test well, due to not having long breakaway speed.
Sixth Round Pick - Naquon Jones, DT, Michigan State
Jones is a very, very large man standing in at 6'4" 340lbs. In limited action he has shown surprising quickness and burst for a man his size. Unfortunately he hasn't been on the field for heavy snaps so there are questions around his conditioning and motor over an entire game. Luckily for the Steelers, he would likely only play 30-40% of his snaps at most early on as a nose tackle which would allow him to build up his conditioning for longer stretches.
Seventh Round Pick - Monty Rice, LB, Georgia
Devin Bush made a lot of people forget the Steelers used to have a hole to fill at linebacker with his play as a rookie. However, they now have depth issues again as they released Mark Barron and lost Tyler Matakevich this off-season. Rice is a very talented player and a special athlete. However, he hasn't shown the instincts you would want for a linebacker in the middle of the field and hasn't shown the ability to play man to man coverage much. He should be a great special teamer due to his athleticism.
Seventh Round Pick - JD Spielman, WR, Nebraska
Spielman is a very interesting player. He possesses good deep speed, good acceleration in and out of cuts, the ability to make contested catches outside his frame. However, he is likely limited to slot duties as he is limited in size. He stands in at 5'9" 180lbs, which will shy a lot of teams away with questions about his durability in the NFL. He does also provide some value as a returner as well with two touchdowns in the return game in college.
Predicting who the Steelers are going to take next year is incredibly tough, especially not knowing the outcome of this season for both the NFL and college football. However, based on their current roster makeup the players above make a lot of sense.
Let us know below what you think of the 2021 Mock Draft above and who you would like to see the Steelers target below!
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