Re-drafting the Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 NFL Draft: Part 3

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It was just two weeks ago the Steelers completed the 2019 NFL Draft, so it seems like a good time to go back and see where things might have been different.

With the first five selections in the books, there are still spots which need to be filled to finalize the 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers draft. Critics of the first two articles point out how I ignored certain positions without the series being completed. I deviated from the Steelers draft, as I have done in years past. My depth charts concerns were not those of General Manager Kevin Colbert.

This series was more of a fun redo using hindsight and hypothetical trades based upon teams that traded out of their slot. Using the Jimmy Johnson draft value chart, I tried to make it as realistic as possible for the moves I made. I just made a lot more trades than Steelers GM Kevin Colbert ever has.

Commenters criticized the first two articles over the lack of drafting an inside linebacker. As I stated previously with Vince Williams, Mark Barron and Jon Bostic, there was not a clear path for a starting inside linebacker to play. So the trio would be a bandaid until the 2020 draft when one would be taken early. That being said, it is finally time to pull the trigger on an inside linebacker who will add depth and would be given a chance to grow into being an NFL inside linebacker. That linebacker is Mack Wilson

Received

2019 fifth-round pick No. 149

Compensation

2019 sixth-round pick No. 175

2019 seventh-round pick No. 207

2020 sixth-round pick.

(The Oakland Raiders moved out of pick 149 for a total of 31.6 points according to the draft value chart. The Steelers trade value is 28.2 for the two 2019 picks and the rest is made up with the 2020 sixth rounder.)

The former Alabama Crimson Tide was a polarizing player for draftniks. The three analysts at The Draft Network highlights this with their differing evaluations. With Barron and Williams under contract for the next two seasons, that would give Wilson time to marinate to become more consistent at the next level. His solid coverage skills could allow him to see the field in sub packages early in his career.

For only the second time in the draft, the Steelers stand pat with their last pick, #192. The departure of a tremendous amount of offensive weapons the past two seasons is concerning. With the offseason addition of speedy wideout Donte Moncrief, second-year wideout James Washington, and the addition of 2019 second round selection Irv Smith at tight, concerns are not tossed aside but dampened. Eli Rogers is not a world beater manning the slot but he is a favorite target for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in big games the past two seasons. Rogers accounted for 12 receptions for 99 yards in the playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Week 17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. This is the reason wide receiver was not high on the draft board.

What is lacking from the receiving corps is a tall wide-bodies receiver with solid hands and a skill set to aggressively go after contested passes. That is solved with the selection of Kevin Harmon.

The former North Carolina St. product plummeted in the draft because of his 4.6 40 yard time at the combine and could not surpass the time at his pro day. Where Harmon excels is the use of his body to shield defenders from the ball and catch contested passes. His outstanding body control allows for Roethlisberger to use the sidelines and back shoulder passes. Harmon delivered nearly 15 yards per reception in 2017 and 2018 while surpassing the 1,000-yard mark both seasons.

Clearly, Colbert and the Steelers organization were not as concerned about the holes that I perceived them having. Otherwise, the draft would have gone in a different direction. I am very concerned with the current depth chart at tight end and safety. Who fills the void left by Morgan Burnett in dime situations and big nickel? How much of a drop off will the offense see with Xavier Grimble on the field when Vance McDonald misses games? Those two questions will not be answered until the season is underway. With how I conducted the draft, those questions would not be so worrisome, not to mention other positions I accounted for in the draft.

Draft summary.

Pick #30: CB Byron Murphy

Pick #42: TE Irv Smith Jr.

Pick #56: S Nasir Adderley

Pick #70: CB David Long Jr.

Pick #141: RB Qadree Ollison

Pick #149 ILB Mack Wilson

Pick #192 WR Kelvin Harmon

Green Bay Packers 2020 fourth round pick.