The Pittsburgh Steelers will enter the 2019 NFL Draft with a plethora of holes to fill. The draft commences on April 25th at 7 p.m. est in Nashville, Tennessee. Thus leading fans to a couple of months of speculating far and wide on what positions they will target and who they will select. Let’s take a look at the Steelers top five draft needs.
Cornerback
The cornerback position is the team’s most glaring need. 2016 first-round selection Artie Burns has not worked out to the level Pittsburgh has hoped. Burns played so poorly this season that he was benched after the Week 7 bye, giving way to veteran Coty Sensabaugh. While Sensabaugh filled in admirably and brought some semblance of functionality to the position, he is far from the player you would like to have in a lineup vying for a Super Bowl. On the other side of this disaster is an aging Joe Haden. If you combine these two, you have to believe the Steelers might do what they often do with major positions of need: Double-dip at cornerback in the draft.
Inside Linebacker
Since the loss of Ryan Shazier to a gruesome neck injury, the Steelers have struggled to find a solution in the middle of the defense. Shazier was the leader of the unit and a true three-down player at the position. He was also a budding superstar, and his loss has been gigantic for the front-seven. To help fill the void, Pittsburgh signed veteran Jon Bostic in the offseason. While Bostic is a solid run-stuffer, he is a liability against the pass. Taking snaps from Bostic later in the season was L.J. Fort, who played well against the pass and showed good sideline-to-sideline speed; but his weakness was defending the run. All of this was punctuated by the Morgan Burnett experiment that failed due to injuries. When Burnett played, he was average at best filling in as a dime linebacker. Honestly, it was a difficult choice between inside linebacker and cornerback for the Steelers’ number one position of need, as both position groups desperately need big-time playmakers.
Outside Linebacker
It appears the team has struck gold with 2017 first-round pick T.J. Watt. However, things aren’t so great for the Steelers at the other outside linebacker spot. The team’s 2015 first-round selection Alvin “Bud” Dupree has underwhelmed during his tenure in Pittsburgh. The Kentucky product hasn’t progressed quite like the team had hoped for since his arrival. While he is not a total liability, the Steelers could use an upgrade. This position has depth issues as well. Hopefully, the staff will finally address the spot in this year’s upcoming draft.
Wide Receiver
No matter what happens with Antonio Brown, the Steelers have a need at the wide receiver position. Certainly, Brown’s absence would move this need up on the list. Leaving that situation out, let’s take a further look.
The Steelers spent consecutive second-round picks on wide receivers in 2016 and 2017. Landing pro bowl selection Juju Smith-Schuster in 2016 and James Washington in 2017. While Smith-Schuster is a game-changer, Washington struggled through his rookie season, leaving fans to wonder if he’s the answer as the team’s number three option. Behind Washington is a barrage of journeyman players: Ryan Switzer, Eli Rogers, Justin Hunter, and Darrius Heyward-Bey all played at some point over the last season. All of them being less than desirable number four options. The Steelers could use an infusion of new depth players. Currently, this isn’t a starting role need, so look for them to grab a wideout at some point later in the draft.
Defensive Line
While the Steelers have a stacked defensive line with Cameron Heyward, Javon Hargrave, and Stephon Tuitt, the team lacks depth behind these players. Daniel McCullers, Tyson Alualu, and L.T. Walton leave much to be desired as rotational players along the defensive front. Ideally, the team will be able to find a versatile lineman that can play anywhere along the line. This would greatly increase the unit’s ability as a whole to stay fresh later in games. Because we are talking depth here, it’d be shocking if the Steelers drafted a defensive lineman earlier than day three –– unless they come across a player that they simply cannot pass up on in the earlier rounds.
Lots can change between now and draft day. We’ll keep you updated right here at NFL Fan Blitz and revisit this list as we get closer to the draft.
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