The Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a fantastic start in 2020, winning each of their first 11 games before fading down the stretch. Pittsburgh went on to lose five of their last six games including a Wild Card loss to the Cleveland Browns. The 12-4 record looks good, but plenty of work needs to be done.
Once the calendar hit December, the Pittsburgh offense seemed to shut down. The Steelers went four straight games of scoring less than 20 points down the stretch, and they looked like a much different team than we had seen the first few months of the season. Ben Roethlisberger just turned 39 years old and announced he will be back this year, and it remains to be seen if Pittsburgh will do something at the quarterback position during the NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 Draft Picks
Round 1: No. 24, RB Najee Harris
Round 2: No. 55, TE Pat Freiermuth
Round 3: No. 87, G Kendrick Green
Round 4: No. 128, OT Dan Moore Jr.; No. 140, LB Buddy Johnson
Round 6: No. 216, LB Quincy Roche
Round 7: No. 245, CB Tre Norwood; No. 254, P Pressley Harvin III
Team needs
Offense: Quarterback
Something will likely need to be done for the future of the quarterback position with this franchise, but there doesn’t appear to be an easy solution this year. With Roethlisberger back, it gives the Steelers another year to figure it out. Maybe the organization can fix Dwayne Haskins Jr., a recent first round draft pick by the Washington Football Team who is just 23 years old. We’ll see if a move gets made at the QB position for Pittsburgh but where they are drafting and the lack of assets makes it appear they won’t get one of the top quarterbacks available.
Defense: Cornerback
The Steelers could use some help in the secondary at the cornerback position. While they re-signed versatile defensive back Cam Sutton to a two-year deal recently, Pittsburgh will need to replace the production of Mike Hilton, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, and Steven Nelson, who was released and is now a free agent. The cornerback position is as important as ever with so much passing in the NFL, and the Steelers would be wise to go get one in the draft.
Dream first pick
Caleb Farley, CB - Virginia
Caleb Farley is one of the biggest wild cards in this year’s draft, but if he falls to the Steelers, they would be wise to take a shot at him to help out their secondary. He could be one of the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft class, but he is set to undergo microdiscectomy, which is a procedure for his back. This could be enough to scare teams away, but if the Steelers do their homework and find out this surgery will not impact him significantly, they could get a steal later in the first rounds with Farley, who some say is the best corner available.