Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 14.0: A final look at the Steelers latest mock draft projections

24

Apr 2019

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We take one last look at 10 of the latest mock draft offerings from some of the more notable names in the business.

After the trade of defensive end Frank Clark from the Seattle Seahawks to the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday afternoon, the experts have been forced to amend their final projections ahead of Thursday. However, for those yet to change their boards, the exchange of the 29th overall pick should have no impact on the names slotted to the Pittsburgh Steelers in our final look at the latest mock drafts offerings from around the NFL Draft community.

Over the last 14 weeks, we have looked at 130 contrasting offerings from some of the more well-known names in the business, with five different defensive players standing out from the pack as the most popular names to project to the Steelers in that time.

For the last time this year, we have 15 more mock drafts worthy of review:

Charles Davis, NFL Network – CB, Greedy Williams, LSU

“The buzz on this Steelers pick is that they’re likely to go CB. The question is, which one? In this case, it’s the lengthy guy from the Bayou, who possesses great speed and excellent ball skills.”

(Previous pick – CB, Byron Murphy, Washington)

Chad Reuter, NFL Network – LB, Devin Bush, Michigan

“Sometimes inside linebackers become available later in the first round than their talent would warrant, providing great value. The Steelers pinch themselves that a player like Bush is still on the board.”

Round 2 – CB, Greedy Williams, LSU – “Guys like Josh Jackson and Isaiah Oliver ended up lasting well into the second round in 2018, and Williams is the top-tier CB prospect who could very well be available in Round 2 this year.”

Round 3a – WR, Miles Boykin, Notre Dame – “Boykin won’t be an Antonio Brown-type playmaker but he should help take pressure off JuJu Smith-Schuster on the outside.”

Round 3b – Edge, Ben Banogu, TCU – “While Pittsburgh picked up Bud Dupree’s option for 2019, his inconsistent play might lead the Steelers to take an edge rush prospect like Banogu on Day 2.”

Round 4 – RB, Mike Weber, Ohio State

Round 5 – TE, Alize Mack, Notre Dame

Round 6a – OT, Trey Pipkins, Sioux Falls

Round 6b – OG, JOshua Miles, Morgan State

Round 6c – DT, Isaiah Buggs, Alabama

Round 7 – LB, Ulysees Gilbert, Akron

(Previous pick – LB, Devin Bush, Michigan)

Rhett Lewis, NFL Network – CB, Greedy Williams, LSU

“The Steelers could use some reinforcements on the perimeter, especially if they’ve grown weary of Artie Burns. Maybe Pittsburgh would prefer Washington CB Byron Murphy here, but I like Greedy.”

(Previous pick – first mock)

Cris Collinsworth, Pro Football Focus – WR, Marquise Brown, Oklahoma

“Even though the Steelers and Mike Tomlin are great at developing receivers in the lower rounds, the loss of Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell screams for something exciting for Big Ben. ‘Hollywood’ Brown is so lightning quick and fast, it makes it very dangerous to ever play man coverage against him. The danger here is the foot injury that may not be healed for the start of the season even though he says it will. If the Steelers are looking for a splash pick, Brown is the most exciting player in this draft class.”

(Previous pick – first mock)

Steve Palazzolo, Pro Football Focus – WR, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford

“Another good wide receiver fit, Arcega-Whiteside has led the draft class in contested catches in each of the last two years, as he combines incredible physicality and body control at the catch point. He’s also adept at getting off the line of scrimmage to go with 4.49 speed, making him one of our favorite receivers in the class despite inconsistent evaluations in the draft community. Arcega-Whiteside needs to be paired with an aggressive quarterback, making him a good match with Ben Roethlisberger.”

Round 2 – LB, Te’Von Coney, Notre Dame

Round 3a – Edge, Maxx Crosby, Eastern Michigan

Round 3b – WR, Emanuel Hall, Missouri

(Previous pick – LB, Devin Bush, Michigan)

Albert Breer, MMQB – CB, Rock Ya-Sin, Temple

“The chance of White or Bush falling here is slim, which puts the team’s long-time corner need back on the forefront. Among the top guys, there are some character concerns on LSU’s Greedy Williams and Georgia’s Deandre Baker, and some questions about the athleticism of Washington’s Byron Murphy and Vandy’s Joejuan Williams. Which leaves a very interesting corner prospect as the cleanest one, in a year in which the Steelers could use a safe play.”

(Previous pick – first mock)

Peter King, NBC Sports – CB, Rock Ya-Sin, Temple

“Imagine the first cornerback off the board being a guy who played one year at Temple after transferring from the Presbyterian (S.C.) College Blue Hose, and who will have one of the great names in the history of whatever team drafts him. Word on the scouting street is that Mike Tomlin loves Ya-Sin, and with White and Bush off the board at a position of great Steeler need (linebacker), Pittsburgh opts for a physical 5-11 3/4 corner who made tremendous plays in his one season of (fairly) big-time football.”

(Previous pick – first mock)

Josh Norris, Rotoworld – CB, Greedy Williams, LSU

“The Steelers have struck out in drafting corners, and certainly have thrown us curveballs in some recent first rounds. Williams has great ball skills, presses and could allow Steven Nelson to play in the slot.”

(Previous pick – CB, Byron Murphy, Washington)

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports – CB, Greedy Williams, LSU

“Their cover units have had issues for a long time. Williams is a top cover player, but he does need to tackle better. He would be a Day 1 starter.”

(Previous pick – CB, Greedy Williams, LSU)

Will Brinson, CBS Sports – CB, Byron Murphy, Washington

“The Steelers would love a linebacker here, but there’s just no real way to trade up for one so they settle for a top corner.”

(Previous pick – LB, Devin Bush, Michigan)

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports – WR, D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss

“HELLO. Arguably the most polarizing offensive non-quarterback in this class lands to help replace Antonio Brown. Awesome fit with Ben Roethlisberger’s downfield prowess”

(Previous pick – CB, Deandre Baker, Georgia)

Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports – CB, Byron Murphy, Washington

“Byron Murphy is our top cornerback and the Steelers don’t overthink it here. They really need help in the secondary, Murphy is a special talent, and he’d be the obvious replacement to 2016 first-rounder Artie Burns, who was benched midway through last season. Murphy isn’t as athletic as, say, Greedy Williams, but he wowed teams at the combine with his drill work and his game tape backs it up.”

(Previous pick – TE, Noah Fant, Iowa)

R.J. White, CBS Sports – TE, Noah Fant, Iowa

“I think the Steelers could be looking at inside or outside linebacker at No. 20, but with all the clear Round 1 talent at both positions gone, they pivot to taking a receiving weapon at tight end in Fant. He’s not going to be a blocking option like Jesse James, but he’s a heck of a receiver who makes the offense more dynamic.”

“The Steelers start Day 2 with one of the excellent second-round options at free safety in Gardner-Johnson, who can also be an option as a slot corner if the defense sees that as a bigger need. There’s enough receiver talent in the top 75 overall that the Steelers should feel comfortable waiting until the third round to take one, and here it’s Butler who slips due to concerns about drops. It’s also possible guys like Kelvin Harmon or J.J. Arecga-Whiteside are available at No. 66. The other third-rounder brings in some edge rush talent in Ximines, a small-schooler who will help the pass rush immediately and could develop into T.J. Watt’s running mate.”

“Lamar brings great size at inside linebacker and provides the team some depth at a position of need. Powers is probably a reserve option at guard rather than someone who can fill the hole left by Ramon Foster’s eventual departure, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see the team pick a starter at the position earlier in the draft instead. The Steelers trade two of their sixth-rounders to get another pick in the fifth for Homer, who can serve as good depth behind Conner and has the ability to function as a starter if needed. Sheffield has the traits to shine but needs to be coached up before being relied upon, while Mack is more depth at tight end.In a recent Pick Six Podcast mock draft, I had the Ravens trade ahead of the Steelers to land a falling Devin White. If that were to happen here with Bush, it would basically be a worst-case scenario for the Steelers, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they explore a move a few spots up to secure the talented Michigan linebacker once White is off the board.”

Round 2 – S/CB, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson

Round 3a – WR, Hakeem Butler, Iowa State

Round 3b – Edge, Oshane Ximines, Old Dominion

Round 4 – ILB, Tre Lamar, Clemson

Round 5 – OG, Ben Powers, Oklahoma

Round 5 – RB, Travis Homer, Miami

Round 6 – CB, Kendall Sheffield, Ohio State

Round 7 – TE, Alize Mack, Notre Dame

(Previous pick – LB, Devin Bush, Michigan)

Doug Farrar, Touchdown Wire – LB, Devin Bush, Michigan

“The Steelers need obvious help all over the back seven of their defense, and if you told me they were taking the best cornerback available, I would be especially unsurprised. But if they want the best defensive player left in this particular mock, it would be hard to pass on Bush, the undersized (5’11”, 234-pound) but rocked-up linebacker with the ability to blitz, cover, and blast through gaps to stop the run. This team really needs a tone-setter on defense, and Bush could be that right away.”

(Previous pick – CB, Byron Murphy, Washington)

Dan Kadar, SB Nation – LB, Devin Bush, Michigan

“If Bush is available at No. 20 — perhaps an impossibility — he could be the play for Pittsburgh. He can finally fill the spot that was unfortunately vacated by Ryan Shazier and give the Steelers of a big boost of athleticism on defense.”

(Previous pick – CB, Byron Murphy, Washington)

After weeks full of mocks involving just a handful of names, the experts are now all over the place with the draft barely 24 hours away. Regular favorite Byron Murphy hardly gets a look in, named in just two of our 15 offerings. LSU cornerback Greedy Williams is our winner this time around for only the second time in 14 weeks, with the other perennial favorite Devin Bush coming in one place behind.

Temple cornerback Rock Ya-Sin and Ole Miss wide recover D.K. Metcalf both make their first appearance with our experts, while Iowa tight end Noah Fant is back for only the second time this year. As more mock drafts emerge ahead of Thursday night we will add them to this list.