Each week, the Post-Gazette will recap the most interesting Steelers player grades released by Pro Football Focus, the scouting website that evaluates players’ performance on every play of every game. You can read more about the methodology here. For context, players are graded on a 0-100 scale.
Kenny Pickett (92.4) – Only Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady had a better grade among NFL quarterbacks in Week 17. And no one had more than the Steelers rookie’s four big-time throws, graded among the best throws across the league in a given week. Overall, the win over Baltimore on Sunday night was by far Pickett’s best game as a professional. His previous high grade was an 88.5 against Indianapolis in Week 12. He now has four grades of at least 70.0 in his past five games. So that’s an encouraging trend. But perhaps most encouraging: Pickett’s average depth of target Sunday was 9.8 yards. That’s well above his season average of 7.7 and suggests he’s improving his ability to get the ball to his receivers downfield and not simply connect on the easier short throws that have characterized much of his season to this point.
Mark Robinson (57.5) – Not a phenomenal effort by the rookie linebacker, who got extended run in place of Myles Jack and Devin Bush against Baltimore. That duo has started most of the season at the inside linebacker spots. However, PFF’s scouts believe he was at least as good, if not a bit better than those teammates have been in 2022. Jack’s season grade is 53.0 while Bush’s is 58.6. Robinson also came up with two stops, which PFF defines as plays that ended in a failure for the opposing offense. For context, Jack has just four such plays in his past seven games. It’s important not to overemphasize the importance of one outing statistically. Robinson still has a long way to go to be considered a credible threat to start in 2023. Sunday’s effort was a good first step in that pursuit, though. If he can be at least as good as Bush and Jack have for a fraction of the price, it could free the Steelers up to use their resources elsewhere this offseason.
Najee Harris (83.0) and Jayle Warren (80.5) – It was a great day for the Steelers running backs, who were both consistently elusive. Harris averaged 3.18 yards per carry after contact and forced three missed tackles against the Ravens. His 70 total yards after contact were the fifth most in the NFL in Week 17. Warren, meanwhile, forced one missed tackle and averaged 2.92 yards per carry after contact, putting both backs well above their season highs in that crucial category. Harris now has grades of at least 77.4 in three of his past five games and at least 66.4 in five of his past season, making this the best stretch of his young career. And Warren has been even better, posting grades of at least 67.5 in seven of his past eight. So all signs are pointing toward this being a potent backfield in the years ahead, especially if the Steelers can upgrade the offensive line a bit in the offseason.
T.J. Watt (85.4) – The reigning defensive player of the year’s presence has certainly made a difference for the Steelers defense since his return in Week 10 against New Orleans. The blocking attention he’s required has set the stage for teammates Alex Highsmith and Cam Heyward to have big days at different points. We had not seen a ton of individual brilliance from Watt until Sunday, though. His 85.4 grade was his best of the season and just his second above the 80 mark since his return. He totaled four pressures — a sack, two quarterback hits and a hurry. And his four stops were his most since Week 1 against Cincinnati, when he finished the game with five. He’s had just two in every game since. His overall run defense score of 87.5 was his best since Week 5 of last season against Denver, so his big day wasn’t just about getting after the passer, either. That’s a good sign as the Steelers look toward having a healthy Watt for all of 2023.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.
First Published: January 3, 2023, 3:15 p.m.