The Pittsburgh Steelers used free agency to target big guys to play on the offensive and defensive lines. As Head Coach Mike Tomlin said in the team's pre-draft press conference with General Manager Omar Khan, the team doesn't have "any glaring needs," which meant the Steelers had plenty of options for two team insiders in their latest dueling mock drafts.
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Tennessee offensive lineman Darnell Wright (58) during morning football practice on campus.
Ray Fittipaldo and Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took their best guesses as to how the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft will go during a recent episode of the North Shore Drive Podcast with Christopher Carter. The veteran writers were completing the exercise without trades, but stopped to discuss the possibility of the Steelers needing to trade up.
In this scenario, both had the top tackles like Paris Johnson Jr. and Broderick Jones gone way before the Steelers' first selection at 17. There have been reports the team is eyeing a move up with the Tennessee Titans or Chicago Bears targeting one of the top players at the position. Fittipaldo also mentioned the possibility of the team doing business with the New York Jets to try and secure their preferred tackle.
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Steelers insiders Ray Fittipaldo and Brian Batko joined Christopher Carter to break down how they think the first round of the 2023 NFL will fall.
With other popular mocked selections to Pittsburgh like Joey Porter Jr. and Christian Gonzalez also off the board, Fittipaldo and Batko had a look at the model established in free agency and each took guys to build around in the trenches, the former taking Tennessee Volunteers offensive lineman Darnell Wright and the later selecting Iowa Hawkeyes edge rusher Lukas Van Ness. Van Ness had gone to the New England Patriots in Fittipaldo's draft.
Fittipaldo defended his choice saying this makes sense based on what he's heard about what the new regime in Pittsburgh is trying to establish.
"I’m going to go back to what I’ve always heard about this new regime. They want to build from the inside out," he said. "Almost every draft analyst believes he’s better on the right side or at guard, but hey, just get him in here and see where he fits best. Secondly, this draft is known for its depth at corner and so they can go get their corner at 32 or 49."
Batko supported his pick saying this is just a simple case of finding the best talent.
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Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward still remains a force, but at 33, the team might be interested in a long-term replacement.
"I think they would come into the media room afterward and say, 'Guys, best player available. I know we got a lot of guys on the d-line, but we couldn’t pass up on this guy,'" he said. "If any defensive lineman in this class is kind of your typical Cam Heyward successor, once he gets a little bigger and stronger, it’s probably Van Ness."
Steelers 2nd Round Options
While lots of options at cornerback remained with South Carolina's Cam Smith, and Georgia's Kelee Ringo, among some top second-round names, the two writers flip-flopped their picks and went for the other side of the line. Fittipaldo opted for Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White who the team met with for a pre-draft visit. Batko went for a mammoth of a man in Ohio State's Dawand Jones with the first day-two pick.
How would you feel about these selections? Do the Steelers need to trade up to secure a game-changing tackle? Comment below!
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