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2023 Pittsburgh Steelers. Banged up team loses to Buffalo. Looking ahead to 2024 now (9 Viewers)

I liked yesterday picks. Mistake was not trying to do that chiefs deal where they traded for pick 21. Gave 29 and a 3 and 4. Would have been perfect. But instead Colbert is so out of touch he tried to actually trade UP to 15

 
Honestly, if you told me on Wednesday that we would reach for Pickens in the 1st after that WR run, got Leal in the 2nd, and had Pickett fall to us in the 3rd, I've have been really happy. 

I didn't want a QB and I wish they went elsewhere, but if they had their pick of every QB and chose Pickett, I'm going to hope that they really see something special and see him as a franchise QB, aka top 8 potential. Pickens has injury concerns but I think he has the potential to be an excellent #1 WR and I'm very happy with that pick. His on the field fight, the DB hit him in the head first and he came back at him, not ideal, but has happened to a fair amount of WRs. Would you take Mike Evans on the Steelers? Because he has fought with a DB on the field before...

The Leal pick could be a steal, at the beginning of the pre-draft process he was potentially a 1st rounder, and last year people were saying he could go top 10 in 2022. He's got speed, run stuffing ability, and the ability to get after the QB. I'm glad we took DL in the top 3 picks and give him a chance to learn from Heyward while he's still in his prime. 

We should have traded back with the Chiefs and gotten the extra 3rd and 4th round picks, that was definitely a mistake, but thank goodness we at least didn't trade up!

These guys are Steelers now so they have my 100% support. If it goes poorly I trust that the new GM will make whatever decisions are best for the Steelers (see Josh Rosen / Kyler Murray). 

My current best case scenario for 2022 is that Trubisky and Pickett battle it out in camp and that Trubisky is barely better than Pickett, but both are excellent. Then Trubisky starts the year and leads us to success, and with 1 year left on his deal we can trade him for a 1st or 2nd. I think the likelihood of that happening is probably 5%, but would be awesome. 

 
Day 2 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Day 1 

Kevin Colbert doing Kevin Colbert things. He’ll make one pick that makes you want to throw your TV through the wall and then the rest of the draft will look straight gold.

 
If Pickett is what most people think he is, I hope that they aren’t afraid of a quick pivot if they’re staring CJ Stroud or Bryce Young in the face next year. Seems highly unlikely to happen with the rest of the roster but overall that’s my biggest concern is Cutler’ing the process due to sunk cost fallacy.

 
steelers1080 said:
Honestly, if you told me on Wednesday that we would reach for Pickens in the 1st after that WR run, got Leal in the 2nd, and had Pickett fall to us in the 3rd, I've have been really happy. 

I didn't want a QB and I wish they went elsewhere, but if they had their pick of every QB and chose Pickett, I'm going to hope that they really see something special and see him as a franchise QB, aka top 8 potential. Pickens has injury concerns but I think he has the potential to be an excellent #1 WR and I'm very happy with that pick. His on the field fight, the DB hit him in the head first and he came back at him, not ideal, but has happened to a fair amount of WRs. Would you take Mike Evans on the Steelers? Because he has fought with a DB on the field before...

The Leal pick could be a steal, at the beginning of the pre-draft process he was potentially a 1st rounder, and last year people were saying he could go top 10 in 2022. He's got speed, run stuffing ability, and the ability to get after the QB. I'm glad we took DL in the top 3 picks and give him a chance to learn from Heyward while he's still in his prime. 

We should have traded back with the Chiefs and gotten the extra 3rd and 4th round picks, that was definitely a mistake, but thank goodness we at least didn't trade up!

These guys are Steelers now so they have my 100% support. If it goes poorly I trust that the new GM will make whatever decisions are best for the Steelers (see Josh Rosen / Kyler Murray). 

My current best case scenario for 2022 is that Trubisky and Pickett battle it out in camp and that Trubisky is barely better than Pickett, but both are excellent. Then Trubisky starts the year and leads us to success, and with 1 year left on his deal we can trade him for a 1st or 2nd. I think the likelihood of that happening is probably 5%, but would be awesome. 
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The patriots spun that pick into a 4th this year and a 3rd next year. 

 
I fully expected them to take two wide receivers at some point in this draft. Their wide receiver room is not that impressive beyond the top two guys, and I don't think there's any way in hell they'll pay both Johnson and Claypool.  They're basically stocking up for the future in a deep class, imo.

As for Austin, he's certainly s fantastic returner/deep guy and pretty much has no fear... which is a good thing because he is a Smurf roaming the Land of the Giants.

Good player, and productive in that Memphis system, but I'd be lying if I said the size didn't concern me some

 
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Leeroy Jenkins said:
Two fullbacks. Who are brothers of two of our best players. Why??
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Pretty sure you just answered your own question.

I mean, Ironhead III does have great hands.  Of course he is also fat, slow and (for a TE) short.

Actually, isnt Watt(Derek) a FA?(actually see now that isnt until '23)

 
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Welp, I guess Mason may want to contact his real estate agent?

At least I can ignore the rest of this business now. I think it's time for another drink.

 
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Leeroy Jenkins said:
I actually liked him as our last pick. But not when you went pickett in first. And wasted two other picks. 
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Yeah I certainly don't have anything at all against Oladokun as a 7th rounder.  just doesn't make much sense in context.

I don't think Austin was a wasted pick, necessarily, if that is one of the ones you're talking about.  Heyward wasnt a good use of that pick though.  I know zero about the linebacker from Ole Miss that they took, but at least that was a position that needed some depth

 
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No offensive lineman taken doesn't surprise me that much. I would have been looking at late right tackle prospects, but I assume the Steelers front office prolly feels like they spent a good chunk of their free agent money so far on offensive lineman, soooo....

A fullback and TWO quarterbacks though?  seems wasteful.  they could have had a fourth camp arm in a couple of hours for "free", so they must like oladokun a lot more than any of the others who look to be available. 

Whateverrrrr.  any position they take here with the 7th rounders aren't likely to do much more than compete in camp and get cut anyway.

 
Honestly, I'm probably more cheesed that alleged Steeler "fan" at the end there called Banny "John Bannister" than I am about any of the picks. :)

 
Relax boys,  probably half of the players taken today will be cut and really most of what we think we know about them is what we’ve read on internet draft sites.  

What Mel Kiper and other draft experts think doesn’t mean squat.

 
Reported UDRFAs so far (take with grain of salt.  im not vetting sources)

Jaylen Warren, RB, Oklahoma State

Chris Owens, OL, Alabam

Mataeo Durant, RB, Duke

Bryce Watts, CB, Massachusetts

 
steeler6 said:
Just read his bio and it reminds me of Dri Archer. 
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I don’t expect fantasy relevance from Austin but I think he could at least have some JJ Nelson-esk days. Archer was always a project. Austin has a pretty complete route tree and had one of the top yards of seperation in the class. 
 

https://twitter.com/mattharmon_byb/status/1520463028868722688?s=21&t=AaheAe9yT4-qBpGecQ5Vvw

https://twitter.com/coryraanalytics/status/1500155310836752385?s=21&t=AaheAe9yT4-qBpGecQ5Vvw

https://twitter.com/dpbrugler/status/1489735700719325187?s=21&t=AaheAe9yT4-qBpGecQ5Vvw

 
Now that the draft is over GM Kevin Colbert will be stepping down.  Here is what the Steelers have done under Colbert (since 2000):

  • 3 Super Bowl appearances, 2 NFL Championships
  • 226 wins (2nd most in NFL)
  • 14 playoff berths
  • 10 division titles
  • 21 non-losing seasons
He's also drafted 24 pro bowl players and 7 1st team all-pro players.  During his reign the Steelers have been among the league's best.

A job well done!

 
steeler6 said:
Just read his bio and it reminds me of Dri Archer. 
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This comparison is criminal. Calvin Austin III is small, but that should be where the similarities stop. He's a legitimate great WR and if he was 3-4 inches taller he probably would have been a 1st or 2nd rounder. Hear Frisman Jackson talk about him and it sounds like he wanted him regardless of if he plays special teams or not. Also, we sniped the Ravens who were planning to take him with the next pick. 

 
Does the drafting of Austin III mean Diontae is gone after this year? It would be true to history if that were true — just curious of homers’ thoughts. 

 
Godsbrother said:
Now that the draft is over GM Kevin Colbert will be stepping down.  Here is what the Steelers have done under Colbert (since 2000):

  • 3 Super Bowl appearances, 2 NFL Championships
  • 226 wins (2nd most in NFL)
  • 14 playoff berths
  • 10 division titles
  • 21 non-losing seasons
He's also drafted 24 pro bowl players and 7 1st team all-pro players.  During his reign the Steelers have been among the league's best.

A job well done!
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Any truth to the rumors that Louis Riddick may be taking over? He seemed to drop a bit of a hint at his commencement speech at the Pitt graduation yesterday (I was in the audience).

 
Maybe Im the only one. I liked the Pickett selection. For one thing, he genuinely wants to play in Pittsburgh. Im surprised more Steelers fans aren't fired up about getting a Pitt Panther. 

But perhaps because I think he's going to be good too. 

 
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Well, that was an interesting draft, to say the least. Two WRs traded for 1st round picks during the draft, a blitz of 1st round trades and a crazy run on WRs, the Pats taking a 4th rounder with a 1st round pick, the Seahawks taking no QB and most of the QBs lasting until the 4th round. The Steelers definitely didn't take everyone I wanted, but really happy with picks 2-4. 

  • Pickett - Surprise over Willis, 0 surprise that it was a QB after Hamilton and Davis were gone. They had their choice of all the QBs and got the one they believe in. Still wish we traded down with KC, but if he develops into a franchise QB then it's good we didn't risk it (however unlikely that may be). 
  • Pickens - The guy I wanted, believe he'll be a great WR for us. Think this confirms that either Claypool or Diontae or both don't get a 2nd contract from us. Hopefully we can trade them if we're not keeping them instead of just losing them in FA. Tag and trade could happen with Diotae if he's not extended this training camp. If he is extended, Claypool could be traded this year or next. 
  • Leal - Got a DE with lots of potential to learn from Heyward. Insurance if Tuitt doesn't come back, and if he does then our D-line should be lights out this year. Ideally, Loudermilk and Leal learn from Tuitt and Heyward and then in 2-3 years they carry on the dominant tradition. 
  • Calvin Austin III - Yes, he's tiny. He's also very fast and was very productive in college. He should be able to help in the slot and on special teams and WR was one of our biggest needs in this draft. We had Diontae, Claypool, a WR abandoned by Chicago, and a WR cut by the Ravens who knew they were trading their 2nd best WR. It was obvious we needed 2 WRs in this draft. 
  • Connor Heyward - Probably a reach, but we all knew he was joining the Steelers. He's apparently going to be a TE for us. Would not be shocked if he was 95% special teams to start, but our TE coach kept talking up his pass catching ability and ability to fight through tackles. My opinion is that this pick signifies that Derek Watt isn't getting another contract and we're reducing our cap hit by ~$3 million for someone who plays a similar role.
  • Mark Robinson - He's a 7th rounder, their odds of making the team are relatively low. He's a developmental player and sounds like a pet project of Flores. He was a RB prior to getting a shot on the defense scout team at Ole Miss so he's been a linebacker for 1 year and was able to get 91 tackles and 3 sacks. Flores sounded like a kid in the candy store when talking about his potential. He could easily not make the team or get relegated to the practice squad, but someone that is able to latch onto the position that quickly is definitely interesting, and ILB was a potential need. 
  • Chris Oladokun - Colbert: "We'll have 4 QBs in camp". Steelers fans after they add a 4th QB: 😲 He's going to come in and compete. There's probably a 90% chance he ends up on our PS, but if he surprises and is able to show decent ability, then I think there's a high chance Mason/Mitch gets cut or traded. If another team loses a starter or backup, then I think we could trade Mason or Mitch, and if not, then I think Mason could be cut to save $3 mil. This only happens if Oladokun is excellent in camp/preseason. 
The Steelers also are signing Damontae Kazee to a 1-year deal, presumably the backup to Edmunds/Minkah. 

I wish they had gotten a safety and CB, in addition to more O-line help, but they didn't have the draft capital to get every position that could be improved/given more depth. If they think that Pickett is a franchise QB, then fine, use a 1st (thank goodness only 1). The main ire seems to be with the 6th & 7th round picks and those are always crapshoots. If Robinson and Heyward end up being special teams contributors, then that's good enough. If Heyward and Oladokun play well enough in camp/preseason to allow us to cut the players ahead of them (Watt and Mason) to save ~$6 million in cap space, then those picks were worth it. 

 
higgins said:
Does the drafting of Austin III mean Diontae is gone after this year? It would be true to history if that were true — just curious of homers’ thoughts. 
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No, it doesn't mean anything definitively. The Steelers had Diontae and Claypool and players cut by other teams that weren't considered worth their ~$2 million contracts. They needed to add multiple players to the position just to have a competitive WR Corps. I do agree with Drunken Cowboy, Claypool should be motivated since Pickens has a closer skill set to him than to Diontae.

Drunken Cowboy said:
I think Claypool is the WR on notice. 
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My opinion is that the Steelers are going to wait and see what happens this year, not extend Diontae prior to the season. The WR franchise tag for 2022 is $18 million, less than the presumed per year value of Diontae's rumored asking price. If Kenny Pickett starts for at least a handful of games and has a great rapport with Diontae, I think he gets tagged and re-signed. If Pickens plays well or at least shows promise, I think that could spell the end for Claypool. The Steelers would be smart to trade Claypool with 1-year remaining (if they were planning to move on) because they should be able to get more than a 3rd, the highest comp pick, assuming he doesn't crater this season. 

WR contracts have gotten crazy this offseason and it could become a revolving door at WR for the Steelers if that's where they choose to save money. If I had to guess, Diontae re-signed after being tagged, Claypool traded/allowed to walk, WR drafted in the top 4 rounds next year.

 
steelers1080 said:
I wish they had gotten a safety and CB, in addition to more O-line help, but they didn't have the draft capital to get every position that could be improved/given more depth. If they think that Pickett is a franchise QB, then fine, use a 1st (thank goodness only 1). The main ire seems to be with the 6th & 7th round picks and those are always crapshoots. If Robinson and Heyward end up being special teams contributors, then that's good enough. If Heyward and Oladokun play well enough in camp/preseason to allow us to cut the players ahead of them (Watt and Mason) to save ~$6 million in cap space, then those picks were worth it. 
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Great summary:

I am as uncertain as anyone with the Pickett selection.  I was saying before the draft that I didn't want any of these QBs at number 1 and feel even more certain of it after seeing how the QBs dropped.   I really would have preferred going  o-line, d-line, LB, or DB in the first and getting the QB in the 2nd or 3rd round but let's hope he surprises us.

I really like both receivers.  I think Pickens could be great but worry about his maturity.  Austin should be a lot of fun to watch.  

I think Leal will find his niche in the defensive line.  He's is going to be good.

The rest of the guys?  Coin tosses to make the team.  Hopefully we find a diamond in the rough.

 
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