Mock draft season is upon us as you can't seem to scroll through any website that covers the NFL without seeing their latest and greatest 2022 NFL Mock Draft.
Each Monday, SteelerNation will be putting out their 3M's Mock Drafts by three writers (Mike Stiffler, Matt Papiernik, and Ben Michaelian) who will be rotating through three mock draft simulators. We all coincidentally have a name leading with the letter M, hence the catchy title.
The three simulators we will be rotating through are Pro Football Focus', Pro Football Network's, and The Draft Network's. By doing three different simulators and rotating through them all it will give everyone a good feel of who will be available and how the Pittsburgh Steelers draft could shake out this April.
Below are the three mock drafts for this week. We started with Mike taking PFN, Ben taking PFF, and I took TDN.
Here is Mike's:
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Mike wrote: "A wide receiver in the first round?! Yes. For this mock draft, I think the Steelers are doing the smart thing with their money in free agency and investing it into the offensive line. With this being said, JuJu Smith-Schuster would be walking away from the Black and Gold, leaving a huge hole behind. Slide in Chris Olave and he can step in as the WR 2/3 for the Steelers. Olave would allow both Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool to slide inside in 3 wide receiver sets and create mismatches. Olave is one of the best route runners in the class and has the speed and natural ability to be a deep threat for the Steelers. Kyle Gordon is a steal for the Steelers in the second as the Steelers badly need cornerback depth. Per PFF, in 722 career coverage snaps, he has never allowed a touchdown. Daniel Faalele is Zach Banner 2.0 for the Steelers next project at tackle. The Steelers finish their draft with some Black and Gold legacies in Quentin Lake (Carnell Lake) and Connor Heyward (Cam Heyward)."
Now let's take a look at Ben's:
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Ben Wrote: "Ok, here we go. Of course I went Trent McDuffie at 20. Absolutely love him as a guy who can shut down half the field and work well with Minkah Fitzpatrick. I may have taken Chenal a bit earlier than I wanted, but I see him and Moore (who I took in the 3rd) as both value picks on the 2nd day. I love Moore as that true slot WR, similar to a Hines Ward. I'm assuming JuJu isn't going to re-sign, so that's why I have a WR so high up. Then I addressed the o-line. Fortner is listed as a center, but he's versatile along the interior - like a better JC. Van Demark is another low risk high reward tackle who was effective at the blindside spot, which is what the Steelers need. I then took White as one of those change of pace backs with Najee Harris. I think White is one of the most underrated RB's in this draft and he's a great pick i the later rounds. Finally, I took Connor Heyward, which I think we can all agree is the right move. He's a Derek Watt/Eric Ebron in one package. He'd be great paired with Pat Freiermuth in 2 tight end sets."
Lastly, let's take a look at mine:
What I had to say: "It was weird when I finished and I saw I spent the first three picks on defense, but it worked out this way in terms of value. I also think the Steelers spend a lot of money in free agency on offense fixing the offensive line. Trent McDuffie is arguably my favorite cornerback in the draft for the Steelers. So when he was there at 20, it was nearly impossible for me to pass on him. His physicality and tenaciousness is exactly what the Steelers love. Both Jones and Muma are studs in the center who could be long term solutions at key positions. Tyson Alualu is under contract for next season but won't be around forever at his age, and we all know about the Steelers LB room... Rosenthal is arguably the highest upside offensive lineman in the draft after the opening round, so he will need some development. Both Tyquan Thornton and Ty Chandler are late round sleepers that couple bring some big place to the offense, as Thornton has track like speed and Chandler had several big plays throughout his career."
All these simulators always obviously rank people in very different locations, but you can see trends in all of these as well as some overlapping names. Let us know below what you think of all of our mocks we did this week and who you think would be good prospects to look into!
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