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Florida State's Cam Akers, left, looks for an opening in the Syracuse defense during the fourth quarter Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, in Tallahassee Fla.
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Ray Fittipaldo's final 2020 Steelers mock draft

AP

Ray Fittipaldo's final 2020 Steelers mock draft

It doesn’t take a football savant to figure out what the Steelers need when they finally get to make their picks Friday night. Their offense in 2019 was one of the worst in the league, finishing 30th in total offense and 27th in scoring. It was a disaster all around.

And yes, Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending injury in Week 2 certainly played a big part in the decline. However, it should be noted the Steelers weren’t a well-rounded offense when Roethlisberger was healthy in 2018. They were 31st in rushing with Roethlisberger playing all 16 games.

Clearly, this is an offense that is in need of some additional playmakers to help Roethlisberger as he enters the final two years of his contract.

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The Steelers didn’t have a receiver that could consistently attack the deep portions of the field last season, especially the middle of the field. That’s one reason grabbing a receiver with their first pick (No. 49 overall) in the middle of the second round is a strong consideration.

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The Steelers need a fast receiver that can back off safeties, be a deep threat and be versatile enough to also make plays in the short and intermediate areas of the field. This is a deep draft for receivers — one of the best in years — so the Steelers could get a receiver early. It’s also so deep they could wait until the third or fourth round to grab one.

The Steelers also desperately lack speed at running back, but they won’t have the same luxury in the later rounds if they want to get an impact running back. The best ones are expected to be off the board by the end of the second round.

The wild card scenario remains a defensive player because the Steelers are razor thin at dime linebacker/hybrid safety after the release of Mark Barron.

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This year more than ever, expect the Steelers to hold true to their drafting methods. That means prospects from power five schools; players that have NFL family bloodlines and/or the Steelers have familiarity with college coaches; and high-character players that were captains or team leaders in college.

Here is my final 2020 mock draft:

2. (No. 49) — RB Cam Akers, Florida State (5-10, 217): Akers is a complete back capable of staying on the field all three downs and would be the feature back of the future for the Steelers. He’s fast (4.47 in the 40-yard dash at the combine), productive (2,874 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns), and he’s well-rounded (69 career receptions) with the size to hold up in pass protection.

Other possibilities for the Steelers in this spot: wide receivers Jalen Reagor of TCU and Michael Pittman of USC, and safety Grant Delpit of LSU.

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3. (No. 102) — WR Devin Duvernay, Texas (5-10, 200): The Steelers take advantage of the depth of this receiver class with their compensatory pick at the end of the third round. Some very good prospects will still be available in this portion of the draft. Duvernay is one of the fastest receivers in the draft, timed at 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. One of the nation’s top recruits in 2016, Duvernay was a late bloomer. He wasn’t a big part of the offense before last season, but what he did for the Longhorns last fall was eye-opening: 106 receptions for 1,386 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also was named a team captain. For the Steelers, he can line up in the slot and do what he does best: get yards after the catch. He’s not a refined route runner, but that will come in time with coaching. For now, he’s good enough to make an instant impact as a third or fourth receiver, giving the Steelers some much-needed speed in their receiving corps.

4a. (No. 124) — OLB Anfernee Jennings, Alabama (6-2, 256): The Steelers need to add depth to their outside linebacker room, and they need a player with starter potential to develop behind Bud Dupree, who is playing the 2020 season on the franchise tag. Jennings can do just that. He’s a well-rounded 3-4 outside linebacker with experience at the position. And while he’s not a prospect with elite athletic traits as a pass rusher, he is stout against the run. Jennings is exactly the type of player that can thrive in the Steelers defense. He also served as a team captain last season.

4b. (No. 135) — C Nick Harris, Washington (6-1, 302): One change with the new CBA is bigger roster sizes. Now teams will be able to dress a true backup center on game days. In previous years, the Steelers and other teams would dress a reserve lineman only if he was capable of playing center and guard, or guard and tackle. Position flexibility was huge. It remains important, but the new rule opens the door for players that strictly play center. “I think one thing we've acknowledged this year with the ability to address the extra offensive lineman on game day, that's going to help the center-type player because in the past if you couldn't play two positions, it was hard to get a jersey on game day, and it's something we've talked about,” Colbert said this week. “A lot of times when you're talking about offensive linemen, we look at position flexibility and the ability to play more than one spot. But now, because we will be able to address that extra offensive lineman, I think that changes our thinking and then we'll adjust as the different rules come into play over time.” The hard part is projecting where linemen with no position flexibility fit into the draft. Harris can be the backup center until Maurkice Pouncey retires, and then he’d have a chance to compete for the starting job. End of the fourth round seems like to a good place to get a backup that might someday turn into a starter.

6. (No. 198) DL Rashard Lawrence, LSU (6-2, 308): The Steelers have to replace nose tackle Javon Hargrave, who signed with the Eagles in free agency. Lawrence is a high-energy player on the inside that can help the Steelers when they play their base defense. He has room to grow as a pass rusher, but he has the intangibles the Steelers are looking for in their prospects. He was named a team captain as a sophomore and was a team-first player throughout his college career.

7. (No. 232) ILB Evan Weaver, California (6-2, 237): After losing Mark Barron and Tyler Matakevich, the Steelers need some quality depth at inside linebacker. Weaver can step in and help on special teams while competing for a job as the backup to Vince Williams. He’s basically a younger and slightly more athletic version of Matakevich and someone linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky can mold into a contributor.

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Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.

First Published: April 22, 2020, 10:00 a.m.

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