The Pittsburgh Steelers had a pretty significant overhaul within their front office after the 2022 NFL Draft. General Manager Omar Khan took over for Kevin Colbert and a new assistant general manager was brought in as the organization was able to snag mastermind, Andy Weidl from the Philadelphia Eagles.
While it is absolutely Khan's show to run, having a guy like Weidl who helped to win a championship in 2017-18 and build a perennial powerhouse currently is a great person to have on your side. In their first official off-season together, Weidl will have a significant role in putting together the draft board.
Steelers’ owner Art Rooney II introduces Omar Khan as the team's new General Manager in May, 2022. | Maya Giron / Post-Gazette
Steelers Fans Should Look At Asst. GM Andy Weidl's Draft History And Be Excited For The 2023 NFL Draft
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has been around the team for a long while and has a good idea of how things are run in Pittsburgh. In a recent chat with fans, he was asked about the impact Weidl may have the next few months leading up to the draft, as well as his role on draft night itself.
The key differentiating factor is that Weidl is an incredible evaluator of talent and he will certainly have his opinion heard on draft-eligible players, but at the end of the day, Khan will be making the final decision.
"Let's make one thing clear: Andy Weidl put together the draft board when he was with the Eagles, which means he ranked and rated all the prospects. But he didn't make the picks. Howie Roseman, the GM, made all the draft choices. Andy Weidl is not going to make the draft picks for the Steelers."
Former Eagles Vice President of Player Personnel Andy Weidl (left) alongside old colleagues, Howie Roseman (middle) and Nick Sirianni (right). | Chris Franklin / NJ Advance Media / NJ.com
The Steelers need help in a number of areas, but this specific topic of how Weidl will approach his draft board shouldn't come as a surprise. Dulac believes it will be very similar to what has been built in Philadelphia: a strong front on both sides of the ball:
"But he will be responsible for putting together the draft board and evaluating the talent. I believe he will lean toward what you see in Philly -- dominating lines of scrimmage," Dulac wrote.
Pittsburgh often got bullied in 2022 at the line of scrimmage. Whether it was a defensive lineman quickly getting into the backfield on both run and pass plays, or an opposing offensive line controlling the Steelers' defense front, especially on fourth and short situations. Weidl's incredible history of building strength in the trenches could be seen early in the draft according to Dulac:
"They plan to add a more-than-decent offensive linemen in the early rounds of the draft."
Steelers offensive tackle, Dan Moore Jr. warms up for a regular season game during his rookie year in 2021 at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: JSKO_PHOTO)
There's no doubting that Pittsburgh needs some significant help on both sides of the line of scrimmage and don't be surprised if the draft is heavily tailored towards the big men up front both ways. Sure, cornerback, wide receiver and linebacker may also be needs, but just take a look at the Eagles current offensive and defensive lines. It'd surely be nice to have that kind of dominance in Pittsburgh.
Do you agree that the Steelers need to emphasize the line of scrimmage when it comes to the 2023 NFL Draft? Let us know in the comments below!
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