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, Steeler Nation will be putting out our 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 PFF, Ben taking TDN, and I took PFN. Here is a link to last week's as well.
Here is Mike's Steeler Nation Mock Draft:
Mike wrote: "IT’S A TRADE! The Pittsburgh Steelers continue their unconventional offseason and decide to trade OUT of the first round with the Atlanta Falcons. In doing so, they get the Falcons 2nd round pick, swap 4th round picks, and get their 2023 1st round pick. The Steelers ultimately decided not to chase the dragon because their quarterback of the future is either already on the roster or they are stocking up for the 2023 QB Class.
With their first 2nd round pick, they select Kyler Gordon out of Washington. Gordon is the “other” cornerback from Washington, but in the long run could be the one to have a better NFL career. His size is not eye popping, when looking at the numbers, but he is very stout for his size. While he may need some work right now, Gordon is primed for a very long successful career. Christian Watson out of North Dakota State goes at pick 52 and he would fit in well as a #3. At 6’4’’ with 4.36 speed, the Steelers can optimize his natural ability similar to Chase Claypool’s rookie year, to help add more of a wrinkle to the offense. Nick Cross out of Maryland has ideal size at safety. Although he is rather tight hipped and lacks great fluidity, he makes up for being the thumper of the defense. An ideal compliment to Minkah Fitzpatrick. Kyren Williams out of Notre Dame may not have top end speed or size, but he is a complete back who should be the best backup we have had since DeAngelo Williams. Jayden Peevy out of Texas A&M is a 50/50 player. Sometimes he showed flashes of true ability, other times he looked sluggish. The Steelers will hope he learns from the likes of Cam Heyward to get a more consistent player. Logan Bruss out of Wisconsin can play both guard and tackle. He would be a long shot to make the roster but could become the Steelers last lineman given his versatility. Connor Heyward out of Michigan State finishes this group. Outside of being the younger Heyward, he can play both fullback and third tight end, proving to be a cheaper option than Derek Watt.”
Now let's take a look at Ben's Steeler Nation Mock Draft:
Ben wrote: "Starting at 20th overall, I jumped all over Trent McDuffie. McDuffie is one of the top rated cornerbacks in the draft and for good reason. I’ve been high on him for months, and that’s not going to change. I’d love to see him in Pittsburgh as the next great lock down corner in the AFC. Next, I took a bit of a reach with Isaiah Spiller. Spiller in tandem with Najee Harris could be the next “thunder and lightning” duo threat in the league. Seeing the current running back room, I see the Steelers drafting one. Then I took Leo Chenal next. Like the running back position, the Steelers need depth at ILB and Chenal would be a great rotational piece. After him, I grabbed Bryan Cook. The Steelers currently sit without a strong safety and Cook is a physical player who isn’t afraid of contact at the second level. I then added depth to the interior of the offensive line with Dohnovan West. West wouldn’t be considered as a starter in his first year, but he’d provide valuable plug and play depth at the guard position. Then, I addressed the slot receiver vacancy in Josh Johnson. Johnson is a tough, physical receiver who can pick up yardage after the catch and move the chains. As my final pick, I went after Jeffrey Gunter. Even though the Steelers have elite talent in both edge positions in Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt, depth behind them is lacking. Gunter would be an added depth player who could grow into a solid rotational guy."
Lastly, let's take a look at my Steeler Nation Mock Draft:
What I had to say about my mock: "Now, I think it would be unlikely that Chris Olave is the pick for the Steelers in the first round. Reason being is neither Kevin Colbert or Mike Tomlin were at the Ohio State Pro Day. The Steelers almost never draft someone in the first round that don't have either Colbert or Tomlin at their Pro Day, but I am making an exception here. Olave is too good to pass up in this situation and plays a position of need. Next I chose Jalen Pitre out of Baylor. The Steelers currently don't have a starting strong safety, which is the only position on the roster they don't have one penciled in. Pitre isn't the biggest being only 5'11" and 195lbs, but his in-the-box play style and physicality would fit with how the Steelers strong safeties are asked to play very well. I stick with the defensive secondary in round 3 as I have them selecting cornerback Mario Goodrich out of Clemson. His counterpart, Andrew Booth Jr., is getting all the attention, but Goodrich is a quality cornerback in his own right. As far as I can tell, he has zero missed tackles in run support in 2021, which screams him ending up as a Steelers cornerback. He is also sticky in coverage, but lacks playmaking on the ball which is why he isn't considered as an early pick. Switching back to offense, the Steelers need to find a reliable backup for Najee Harris, and Kyren Williams is exactly that, reliable. He underwhelmed at the NFL Combine running a 4.7s 40-yard dash, but he is arguably the most complete running back in this class from running the ball, blocking, and receiving. These later rounds are all about building depth with a chance at upside and that is why Amare Barno is a great pick here. Barno is a twitchy player on the edge and has experience in run support, rushing the passer, and dropping into coverage. However, he needs to pack on about 10-20lbs to have a shot as a consistent player on defense long term. Logan Bruss has both guard and tackle versatility which can help him make a roster, as he needs some technique work before he sees the field. He has very good bend and quick feet, but hands need to be cleaned up. Lastly, Clarence Hicks is someone I see as a special teams ace in the future with potential to develop into a solid starter down the road. He has an aggressive play style, but is on the smaller side and doesn't have great speed which will make it more difficult for him to succeed on defense until he becomes a more refined player."
All of these simulators obviously rank people in very different locations, but you can see trends, as well as some overlapping names. These different simulators now have all the same picks as the compensatory picks have finally been announced!
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! Click to comment below!
#SteelerNation
