A new week means it's time for a new Mock Draft prospect suggested for the Pittsburgh Steelers by CBS. A lot of names have been floating around as different analysts try to nail what teams will do in a few months, and each time it seems like teams end up with different players to fill different needs. This week in the Mock Draft done by Ryan Wilson, the Steelers continue to focus on the defensive side of the ball with pick 17. That much has been consistent across all of the different versions we have seen CBS put out regardless of author. For today's iteration, it's Brian Branch from the University of Alabama. Let's dive in and see how this would look if it is the case.
AP Photo/Vasha Hunt
Alabama's Brian Branch lines up.
Steelers' 17th Pick?
Should the Steelers consider taking a 6 foot, 200 pound defensive back who has mainly played safety for the Rolling Tide? Below is the justification that we get from Wilson on why this pick makes sense:
He's a sure tackler, can blitz off the edge, and is solid in coverage. And if Nick Saban trusts him, that's all you need to know about his NFL prospects.
How sure of a tackler is Branch? Well in the 2022 season, he had 90 total tackles with 58 of them being solo, which is up pretty significantly from his 55 total tackles in 2021. At 90 tackles, he was third on the Alabama squad. Looking at blitzing, the numbers also went up from the '21 season where he had 1 sack to the '22 season where he was able to gather 3 sacks. Finally, in coverage, Branch snagged 2 interceptions and 7 passes defended.
Just looking purely at numbers these may not be the most exciting stat lines in this year's draft from this position, but they do support the justification that Branch is a well rounded defensive back. Branch also was counted on to be the leader of the secondary for one of the best collegiate teams in the nation and that alone shows the kind of impact he can have. By looking at the other mocks just by CBS alone, we see Branch being mocked to the Green Bay Packers at 7, or the New York Jets at pick 13. The consensus is that he definitely should be going in the early or mid first round and has the talent to be a first year contributor.
You'll hear it time and time again, I've even said it in previous articles, but this may be the prime example of taking the best player available at the time of the pick. Branch looks to be a reliant "Swiss Army knife" type of DB and that would only improve the defense. With the Steelers, he won't have the pressure of carrying the secondary that he may with other teams and that could allow even more development and growth which only make this fit better.
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It is especially promising that he comes from Alabama and could link up with another Alabama alumni that was our team MVP, Minkah Fitzpatrick. With the future of Terrell Edmunds and Cameron Sutton as an uncertainty and a secondary room that could ABSOLUTELY improve, maybe Branch is the answer to multiple questions. If this is an option at pick 17, it not only improves the defense, but it allows for a tremendous amount of flexibility for other picks and for free agency.
Do you have an opinion about this fit, Steeler Nation? Drop a comment and we can talk about it!
