Pittsburgh Steelers’ brass successfully building through the draft
By Ryan Brennan
The 2017 NFL Draft was an extremely important one for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ future, keeping them together will be the mission.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were coming off a Conference Finals loss to the New England Patriots after making the playoffs as a Wild Card team. They were riding hot, but were left with the 30th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and an extra third round pick.
The Steelers would end up drafting 8 players, with 6 of those players still relevant today — 4 of them extremely relevant. Despite having a low pick in virtually every round, the Steelers cashed in all over the field.
Let’s break it down.
Round 1, Pick 30
OLB T.J. Watt
I’m sure there are many teams that are mad to have passed on T.J. Watt out of Wisconsin, who was presumed to be a late-first, early-second round prospect. The Steelers had a need for some pass-rush help, and a player like Watt fits perfectly in their 3-4 scheme. The fanbase has wrapped their arms around Watt as this pick has shown to be a home run.
Round 2, Pick 62
WR Juju Smith-Schuster
Drafted in the second round as a depth skill player that would hopefully provide competition at a receiver group that included a struggling Sammie Coates and a Martavis Bryant coming off a suspension, Smith-Schuster has exceeded expectations alongside Antonio Brown. With Brown out of the picture, he heads into 2019 as the No. 1 receiver for Big Ben — call that a score.
Related Story. Juju Smith-Schuster is making the Steelers proud this year. light
Round 3, Pick 94
CB Cameron Sutton
The Steelers also needed some depth at cornerback, more specifically help with man coverage. What they found was a cornerback from Tennessee that played in man coverage almost exclusively in college. After spending two seasons with the team, Sutton is having a strong training camp. With slot corner Mike Hilton taking snaps at safety, it could open the door for Sutton to see more regular time. Either way, this third round pick is steadily on the rise.
Round 3, Pick 105
RB James Conner
What a story behind local Pittsburgh Panther running back James Conner. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2015, Conner fought back to return to college football the following season. The Steelers drafted him a year later in the third round to compete for the backup running back job that was left vacant by DeAngelo Williams. Not only did he win the job as Le’Veon Bell’s backup, but would be named starter last season during Bell’s holdout. He heads into 2019 as the feature back once again, and no Bell in the picture.
Round 4, Pick 135
QB Joshua Dobbs
With Ben Roethlisberger not getting any younger, it was time to start searching for a backup quarterback to hopefully develop into a future starter. Luckily, with Ben Roethlisberger playing like he’s still 25 years old, he’s gifting the team some time to figure things out. Headed into 2019, Dobbs is still in contention for backup quarterback, despite drafting Mason Rudolph in the 2018 draft. It has been a fairly tight race so far this training camp, with Dobbs showing some signs of capability.
Round 5, Pick 173
CB Brian Allen
Allen was added to an already-tight cornerback room that was 7 players deep at the time. Although Allen received praise from Steelers’ coaches as more than a late round draft pick, most of his playing time has come on special teams. In 2019 training camp, Allen has had his stock rise as Artie Burns’ stock dips. If he can still provide special teams help, with versatility as a corner and safety, he can still make the roster and compete for backup roles.