Steelers Draft Needs Assessment Part 2: Future Starting Needs

The Steelers have a ton of quick wants for the 2021 season that they’ll hope to deal with with their choices within the 2021 NFL Draft later this month.

However there’s one other class of want that the Steelers and all different NFL groups have, and it’s one the Steelers have usually been higher than most at addressing: future beginning wants. Each group hopes to fit their first-round decide right into a present gap of their lineup. In the first part of this three-part series, we took a take a look at the locations on the group the place the participant that’s at the moment on the prime of the depth chart wants an improve, and a rookie may presumably present it.

However the capability to see the place future holes will open and use lower-round picks on prospects that may develop with time into starters at these positions is far more tough.

In 2020, the Steelers carried out a grasp class on the idea, drafting gamers within the second spherical (large receiver Chase Claypool), third spherical (outdoors linebacker Alex Highsmith) and fourth spherical (guard Kevin Dotson) which have already labored their approach into part-time beginning roles as rookies and are slated to inherit larger ones in 2021 and 2022, with Bud Dupree and Matt Feiler transferring on in free company forward of Highsmith and Dotson and JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington getting into the ultimate seasons of their contracts at large receiver.

Whereas the Steelers have various quick wants, additionally they have future wants like they did final yr, and significantly with the group’s second and third day picks, they will goal gamers to suit right into a beginning lineup in 2022 or past.

TACKLE

Choosing up proper the place we left off, the Steelers may presumably look to improve both Zach Banner of Chukwuma Okorafor, the present projected starters at sort out, on this yr’s draft. However even when they don’t, sort out is a place of future want.

Okorafor is getting into the ultimate yr of his contract and Banner re-signed a two-year deal that will be straightforward for the Steelers to stroll away from following the 2021 season if he underperforms.

Meaning the Steelers may find yourself needing two tackles over the following few years, and their developmental prospects on the place have basically dried up. They’ve introduced in Joe Haeg as a stop-gap backup, however at 28, he’s not prone to turn into far more than that.

So whether or not or not the Steelers get a high-round sort out to push one in all Banner or Okorafor out of the beginning lineup, a improvement future starter could possibly be the kind of participant they’re in search of on days two and three.

TIGHT END

Eric Ebron will inherit a full-time starter’s function after the retirement of Vance McDonald, however Ebron is getting into the ultimate season of his contract and wasn’t precisely flawless himself in 2020.

Ebron continued his career-long propensity for drops and whereas apparently prepared, didn’t present a lot of a flair for blocking, one thing the Steelers have historically relied on from their tight ends an excellent bit.

Backups Zach Gentry and Kevin Rader don’t mission as future starters and don’t even at the moment mission to be good present backups (extra on that later), so an injection of expertise on the place is required.

GUARD

David DeCastro is getting into the ultimate season of his contract, and struggled in 2020, to place it mildly. Regardless of a Professional Bowl nod, DeCastro was rated because the No. 28 general guard by PFF in 2020, tied with rookie Dotson.

Even when DeCastro returns to that true Professional Bowl kind in 2021, it’s unclear if the Steelers can be fascinated with signing a then-32-year-old to a contact extension after this season.

Aside from Dotson, who seems set to inherit the left guard spot from departed free agent Matt Feiler, the Steelers should not have a lot in the way in which of younger developmental expertise at guard, with Finney, Haeg and Rashaad Coward anticipated to be regular veteran backups.

If DeCastro strikes on after 2021, the longer term starter on the place shouldn’t be on the group, and will actually be discovered later on this yr’s draft, because the Steelers mined Dotson out of the fourth spherical final spring.

CORNERBACK

The Steelers have quick wants at cornerback because of the losses of Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton, however they’ve a future want on the place, as effectively. Starter Joe Haden’s contract will void on the finish of the 2021 season, that means he’s set to hit free company for the second time in his profession.

So whether or not or not the Steelers discover replacements for Nelson and Hilton, or in the event that they find yourself utilizing Sutton inside or outdoors, they’ll have a future want at outdoors cornerback, as effectively. The lone developmental prospect on the roster on the place, Justin Layne, was handed by James Pierre for taking part in time final season — not an excellent signal the group sees him a future starter.

QUARTERBACK

Ben Roethlisberger’s contract will void after the 2021 season, making him a free agent, and whereas the Steelers’ franchise quarterback hasn’t made his plans for past 2021 official, it appears extra doubtless than not that this can be his closing season in black and gold.

Behind Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph has been the inheritor obvious for the previous couple of years, however didn’t reap the benefits of the chance supplied to him by Roethlisberger’s damage in 2019. Rudolph regarded higher in restricted motion in 2020, however can be getting into the ultimate season of his contract.

If the Steelers don’t prolong Rudolph, it could possibly be rapidly right down to reclamation mission and former Washington first-rounder Dwayne Haskins, who can be on a one-year deal, however can be a restricted free agent for 2022.

It appears laborious to check the Steelers drafting a quarterback extremely, given the quantity and urgent nature of their different wants, and so they don’t want a backup for this season, however they undoubtedly have a future want on the spot.