With it being now over a week since the 2023 NFL Draft began, I feel even more confident about the Pittsburgh Steelers going into the 2023-24 season. The Steelers were able to address all of their needs as they filled the holes at offensive tackle, cornerbacks, defensive tackle, and more. This draft overall led to Pittsburgh getting their bang for the buck as they were able to bring in tremendous value.
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Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 first round draft pick Broderick Jones meets with the press for the first time.
Three of the Steelers draft selections going in the first round according to analyst
During draft season, one of the biggest resources for fans to look at are mock drafts from professional analysts. Arguably the biggest analyst out there is NFL Network's, Daniel Jeremiah.
Looking at Jeremiah's final first-round mock draft, it should get Steelers fans excited. In his final mock that occurred just 24 hours before the first round started, he had three of the Steelers draft selections going in the first round.
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Daniel Jeremiah on the mic doing an interview.
The first Steelers player he had going in the first round is an obvious choice in who the Steelers took in the first round which was an offensive tackle, Broderick Jones. In this final mock, he had Jones going to Pittsburgh, but not having to trade up to pick 14. They were able to stay at 17 and get their guy. I think throughout the entire draft process, everyone knew that Jones was going to be a first-round pick and the chances of him falling out were slim to none. In the end, the paring of Jones and the Steelers was a match that everyone saw from the start.
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Broderick Jones celebrates in the 2023 National Championship after a second quarter touchdown.
The next Steelers selection that Jeremiah had going in the first round is a player I think everyone would go in the first, which is Joey Porter Jr. Originally, I thought that Porter was for sure going to be a top 20 pick. In this mock, Jeremiah has the Jacksonville Jaguars getting Porter falling to pick 24. With the Steelers getting him at 32, I think this could be one of the steals of the draft and was someone that I thought we were going to take with pick 17. With what Jeremiah said about the Jaguars potentially getting him is how I felt with him at 32:
"I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jaguars drafted an offensive lineman here, but with Porter sliding down, he’s too good to pass up."
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Penn State cornerback, Joey Porter Jr. was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The last Steelers selection that Jeremiah had going in the first round was defensive tackle, Keeanu Benton. In this mock draft, he has Benton going to our AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals with pick 28. Benton would fall all the way to pick 49 to the Steelers and could be yet another great value pick. Benton is going to strengthen what was a weak defensive line in Pittsburgh and what could be yet another steal of the draft going to the Steelers.
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Keeanu Benton (#95) celebrates a big stop against Minnesota.
With just these three Steelers being projected to go in the first round of this mock draft, I think that it is worth mentioning that the Steelers got another guy who had projections to be a first-round talent in Darnell Washington. Many people believe that he could be the best tight end in the entire draft and if it wasn't for health issues, I think he would have gone a lot higher than when Pittsburgh got him with pick 93.
So, what do you think Steeler Nation? Who do you believe was the Steelers' biggest draft steal? Let me know in the comments below!
