The mind is getting clearer, the cobwebs have been shaken and the focus is sharpening. Crystallization, you could call it.
After months of speculation, bolstered by data, insight and info from Mobile, Ala., (the Senior Bowl), Indianapolis (the combine) and plenty of college towns around or between, the Steelers’ draft plans will soon be unveiled. That means it’s time to take a stab at their seven picks for the 2023 draft, or at least how they’ll use the seven slots at their disposal.
Without further ado, here is my first, last and only official seven-round Steelers mock draft for this year (in an effort to anticipate and react to the unpredictability of the real thing, I used my personal preferred simulation website, nflmockdraftdatabase.com).
(Note: Ray Fittipaldo’s final seven-round mock draft will be released Wednesday morning.)
Round 1 (No. 12): Broderick Jones, Georgia OT
There’s been a trade.
Steelers receive: No. 12, No. 161 (fifth round), No. 188 (fifth round)
Texans receive: No. 17, No. 80
In my simulation, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. was gone and the plan coming in was to get Johnson or Jones to be the franchise left tackle. To do so, we had to leapfrog the Jets (No. 13) and Patriots (No. 14) and pick Jones. Is this too good to be true? Maybe. But it’s my mock and the computer let me do it. “He has such quick feet, he’s an easy mover, mirrors and slides in pass protection really well,” ESPN’s Todd McShay said of Jones on a conference call with reporters last week. “Two areas I thought have to improve: His hand placement is a little too wide, which is easily correctable, and he has to increase his lower body strength, both to anchor in pass protection and to be more dominant in the run game. But these are things that can be improved. Only 16 starts, you worry a little bit in that regard, but I would say he has the biggest physical upside, in terms of a tools standpoint, of any of the tackles in this class”
Indeed, Jones has longer arms (slightly) than our current left tackle Dan Moore Jr., but is far more athletic and — hopefully — nastier. That’s perfect for who we need protecting Kenny Pickett for the next decade, give or take. Thank you, Imaginary Texans.
The decision to make this move was made even easier by the top three cornerbacks — Christian Gonzalez, Devon Witherspoon and Joey Porter Jr. — going to the Lions, Falcons and Eagles in the top 10. With the top four quarterbacks off the board, Houston — who didn’t take one with the second overall pick — was willing to add an extra third-rounder to move down (and select Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba). That leaves open the question of who the Texans’ starting quarterback will be, but that’s not our problem. With three sixth-round picks, they didn’t mind throwing in one of those and their fifth in the swap.
Round 2 (No. 32): Keion White, Georgia Tech DL
We’re listing him as a defensive lineman because while most draft outlets call him an edge rusher, he’ll be a versatile piece up front in Pittsburgh. The top defensive lineman on our board (Clemson’s Bryan Bresee went 10 picks earlier), White is capable of playing on all three downs and in any defensive package. At 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, White will live on the South Side to get stronger and learn at the foot of Cam Heyward. We passed on versatile Alabama defensive back Brian Branch and several enticing cornerbacks (Emmanuel Forbes, Kelee Ringo and others) here to grab the guy who will succeed Heyward as the anchor of our defensive line. One of our 30 pre-draft visitors, White will be the next big guy getting after quarterbacks while also having the hustle to chase ball-carriers 20 yards downfield, if needed.
“White is a twitched-up edge rusher with a defensive tackle frame,” writes former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah, who ranks White his 28th-best prospect for NFL.com. “Against the pass, he has an explosive first step and can really bend at the top of his rush. He can convert speed to power and refuses to stay blocked.”
Round 2 (No. 49): DJ Turner, Michigan CB
The beauty here is the versatility. After losing a jack-of-all-trades cornerback in Cam Sutton, it’s wise to replace him with Turner, who played on the perimeter for the Wolverines but has a combination of size (5-11, 178) and athleticism (combine-best 4.26 40-yard dash) that suggests a move to the slot at the next level. With that straight-line speed, perhaps he’ll stick on the outside despite his small-ish frame. If not, he can be a dynamic coverage chess piece in our nickel defense.
“To me, the most technically sound corner in the draft,” said Chris Simms of NBC Sports, who rated Turner as his second-best prospect at the position behind Witherspoon. “There’s nobody better in technique. ... He’s awesome defending double moves. He can be the best nickel or outside guy [on a team]. And, oh yeah, he’s also the fastest guy in the draft. He’s got it all. He really does.”
Those traits are why Turner got the call here ahead of some bigger corners (Julius Brents, Darius Rush) and smaller slot types (Clark Phillips, Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson). And getting a corner here was crucial because, remember, that third-round pick is gone and we’re done until No. 120 overall.
The main regret here would be missing out on an inside linebacker in the first three rounds, but if we didn’t sacrifice that pick, Dorian Williams of Tulane would’ve been the guy. Alas, he didn’t last until ...
Round 4 (No. 120): Nick Herbig, Wisconsin OLB
Yes, the brother thing again. After signing backup guard Nate Herbig in free agency, Nick is now on the radar, by virtue of Steelers tradition. But this isn’t a charity pick; the younger Herbig can play. You watch his highlights and he actually looks like the store-brand version of the fellow Badger he models his game after, T.J. Watt. With his motor, that sounds like the ideal No. 3 pass rusher behind Watt and Alex Highsmith. At 6-2, 240, the prototypical size of a Steelers outside linebacker is lacking, but hey, it’s Day 3. And you know what? If it turns out he’s just too small to get it done, Herbig can get a look at off-ball linebacker, too.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will walk into the media room shortly after with a smile on his face and say something about how everyone knows how the Steelers love bloodlines and keeping it in the family, but follow it up with “this guy’s a football player in his own right.”
Dane Brugler of The Athletic sums up his No. 79 prospect as such: “Overall, Herbig isn’t built to handle multiple gaps or align in closed areas in the NFL, but he has the explosive get-off, hand usage and backfield instincts to pester quarterbacks. While currently not a true every-down NFL player, his impact will be felt as a sub rusher and offers additional value if he evolves his off-ball skills.”
Round 5 (No. 161), from Texans: Charlie Jones, Purdue WR
The first of the two Day 3 picks acquired in the hypothetical trade is something of a luxury addition, though he was a pre-draft visitor to the Steelers. After bringing in veteran Allen Robinson, the Steelers’ wide receiver depth chart is fairly crowded. But Jones can come in and compete for slot duties immediately. At 5-11, he’s significantly bigger than Calvin Austin and his 4.43 40 at the combine is nothing to scoff at.
“He possesses above average ball skills and has a feel for positioning and focus that creates a solid win rate on his contested catches. He can play zone-beater all day long and has the route savvy to keep improving his short-area separation. “He possesses above average ball skills and has a feel for positioning and focus that creates a solid win rate on his contested catches,” reads his NFL.com profile from Lance Zierlein. “He can play zone-beater all day long and has the route savvy to keep improving his short-area separation.”
Round 6 (No. 188), from Texans: Daniel Scott, California S
Again, enough moves were made in free agency (Damontae Kazee coming back, Keanu Neal coming in) to overlook drafting another safety. But with the extra pick, we’ll take one who visited before the draft and has familiarity with assistant defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander, who actually recruited Scott to Cal. Like Jones, White and the other Jones, he occupied one of their 30 pre-draft visit slots.
“He struggles some in man coverage; I don’t think that’s going to be his forte, especially vs. athletic tight ends,” former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman wrote for the33rdteam.com ahead of Scott’s performance in the Senior Bowl. “But this is a solid Day 2/Day 3 prospect. I think he should contribute on special teams early in his career and should develop into a starter down the line.”
Round 7 (No. 241): Travis Dye, USC RB
Did anyone notice we need more competition in the backfield? And that Benny Snell morphed into a core special teamer in addition to being the No. 3 rusher? Dye can vie for the chance to do that job on a cheap rookie contract.
Round 7 (No. 251): Tommy DeVito, Illinois QB
A Syracuse transfer, DeVito finished strong with the Illini, completing 69.6% of his passes for 2,650 yards and 15 touchdowns to four interceptions for an 8-5 team. At 6-2, 212 pounds, he’s kind of Kenny Pickett Lite, especially being from New Jersey and having the same offseason quarterback trainer. Not that the Steelers want to make a habit of spending their final pick of every draft on a backup quarterback, but a guy like DeVito surely would be more prepared to take No. 3 reps than Chris Oladokun was coming from the FCS level a year ago. Pre-draft visitors and presumed late-round targets Jaren Hall and Clayton Tune were long gone.
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: April 24, 2023, 1:05 p.m.
Updated: April 24, 2023, 6:14 p.m.