Steelers draft Day 3: Top 5 players at positions of need

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Who should the Steelers target on Day 3 of the draft? Who’s still available? 

Ahead of Day 3, we’ve compiled the top remaining players at each of the Steelers’ primary positions of need. Stick around to the end for thoughts on the team’s strategy through the remainder of the draft, as well as a full list of which Pittsburgh pre-draft visitors are still on the board.

Cornerback

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1. Cobee Bryant, Kansas
2. Dorian Strong, Virginia Tech
3. Zah Frazier, UTSA
4. Bilhal Kone, Western Michigan
5. Jordan Hancock, Ohio State

RB: Cobee Bryant is so much fun. He’s a tall, lanky corner who is incredibly aggressive in every aspect of his play, from press coverage to coming downhill to take on the run. He’s light at 180 pounds and not the most fluid due to his build, but he’s the best boundary cornerback remaining, and he has some upside. Good ball skills, too.

Three* of these prospects are featured in Ryan’s Gem’s list.

* Jordan Hancock, a nickel/safety hybrid, is featured in the list with safeties

Safety

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1. Craig Woodson, Cal
2. R.J. Mickens, Clemson
3. Kitan Crawford, Nevada
4. Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma
5. Malachi Moore, Alabama

RP: You can find writeups on three of these five prospects in my Gems Series, which is my annual quest to give you all relevant things to read as we head into Day 3 of the draft. Crawford was my last man cut, though I would consider him and Billy Bowman Jr. pretty close as suspects. My favorite of the group is Craig Woodson, whose anticipation and lateral movement skills make him a fun watch in a secondary.

Defensive line

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1. Joshua Farmer, Florida State
2. J.J. Pegues, Ole Miss
3. Ty Robinson, Nebraska
4. Ty Hamilton, Ohio State
5. C.J. West, Indiana

RB: Joshua Farmer is the best available, but I’ll shout out Steelers top-30 visit J.J. Pegues. He has a nose tackle build but is a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none at this stage in his career. But he has two things you can’t teach: good size at 6’2, 309 pounds (he played closer to 320-plus), and absurd athleticism, with great reps not just at nose tackle, but also as an edge rusher (!) and a short-yardage running back (!!!). The Steelers have patched the immediate hole on their D-line with the selection of Derrick Harmon in the first round, meaning Pegues could be a great developmental talent to nab on Day 3.

Three of these prospects are on Ryan’s Gems List.

Honorable mentions: Jordan Phillips (Maryland), Yahya Black (Iowa)

Quarterback

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T-1. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

T-1. Kyle McCord, Syracuse

T-1. Will Howard, Ohio State

4. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana

5. Riley Leonard, Notre Dame

RP: Split votes and opinions have us with a three-way tie at the top. Bickley and I were only able to agree on Rourke and Leonard as four and five. I’ve been banging the drum for Kyle McCord the entire draft cycle. The Steelers have not so subtly been hinting at taking a quarterback for a while. Maybe it’s all part of an elaborate smoke screen, but even if we assume Aaron Rodgers signs, the Steelers always head to camp with four signal callers, and Skylar Thompson is an UDFA equivalent level quarterback. McCord, a quarterback who likes to aggressively attack downfield, meshes with the Steelers stylistically. I don’t expect McCord to ever be the starting quarterback, but should the Steelers’ starter go down, it makes all the sense in the world to have a backup who fits the offense.

Wide receiver

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1. Tory Horton, Colorado State
2. Jalen Royals, Utah State
3. Elic Ayomanor, Stanford
4. Chimere Dike, Florida
5. Daniel Jackson, Minnesota

RB: Tory Horton is my favorite here — a smooth, lengthy boundary receiver with shades of George Pickens in his game. He’s a top draft sleeper for a reason. But I’ll highlight Jalen Royals instead, as he has the best bet at finding an immediate role in the Pittsburgh offense (if drafted there) assuming George Pickens remains in the black and gold for another season. Royals has fantastic short area burst and a tough, compact build, making him an ideal slot weapon even if he lined up all over the field at Utah State. He’ll be an exciting yards after catch machine on underneath routes.

Four of these prospects are on Ryan’s Gems List.

Honorable mentions: Jaylin Lane (Virginia Tech), Dont’e Thornton Jr. (Tennessee), Andrew Armstrong (Arkansas)

Best available at other positions (in no particular order)

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• Damien Martinez, RB, Miami
• Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
• Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech
• Jordan James, RB, Oregon
• Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State
• Bradyn Swinson, EDGE, LSU
• Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio St
• Chris Paul Jr., LB, Ole Miss
• Smael Mondon Jr, LB, Georgia
• Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma

RB: I’ll highlight a player here I haven’t talked about at all this draft cycle in Stutsman. He has the tools to be a modern linebacker: 6’3, 233 pounds, and a 4.52-second 40-yard dash. He’s impressively fluid and instinctive in zone coverage with some exciting explosion rushing the passer. His tackling angles and block shedding are a bit inconsistent, but if he continues to fall he’d be a great value pick for the Steelers — even if they don’t really need a middle linebacker.

• Jalen Travis, OT, Iowa St
• Hollin Pierce, OT, Rutgers
• Marcus Mbow, OL, Purdue
• Miles Frazier, OG, LSU
• Joshua Gray, OG, Oregon State
• Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas
• Luke Lachey, TE, Iowa
• C.J. Dippre, TE, Alabama

RP: Truthfully, I may have been selling Dippre a bit short back at the combine. I had been watching Alabama games, as one does during draft season, and Dippre would occasionally catch my eye. He didn’t produce a ton as a pass catcher — he had just 32 receptions for barely over 400 yards, and zero touchdowns in two years at Alabama — but he blocked and I liked the way he moved whenever he got his hands on the ball. Tight end is not a need for the Steelers, but Arthur Smith does have a fondness for the position. I wouldn’t rule it out.

What should the Steelers’ strategy on Day 3 be?

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RB: On Day 1, the Steelers filled their biggest non-quarterback need with defensive lineman Derrick Harmon. On Day 2, they filled their next-biggest non-quarterback need with running back Kaleb Johnson. The team’s handling of the quarterback situation and the ongoing Aaron Rogers saga casts a shadow on the entire offseason, but in a vacuum containing just this weekend, Pittsburgh has done a great job entering the final day of the draft.

For the second half of Day 3, I’m a fan of drafting “best player available” regardless of need. If there’s a stud edge rusher or middle linebacker somehow available in the sixth, go get them! I’m even not opposed to drafting another running back in the seventh — this class is so deep there’s going to be insane value there.

But the Steelers have enough remaining needs that rounds four and five should still be somewhat focused: likely drafting at nose tackle, quarterback, cornerback, or safety. Offensive line makes sense, too — there will be good value at one of those positions (or more) when they pick in the first half of Day 3.

That being said, there’s one position I’m very confident Pittsburgh will be drafting sometime on Saturday: quarterback. The Steelers clearly aren’t looking for a future starter there in this year’s draft, but the depth chart is still absurdly thin at quarterback and Pittsburgh likely should (and almost certainly will) draft one on Day 3 to take into camp — and there are still several good options available, including Shedeur Sanders.

Beyond that, I’d love to see some picks in the secondary, at wide receiver, doubling up on defensive line, or shoring up the offensive line depth. But as we get later into the draft, have some fun! Look at the history of Day 3 picks actually making an impact before freaking out about any of the selections today.

BPA is king in the last few rounds, and the Steelers shouldn’t shy away from that.

RP: If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: the Steelers need to be flexible with however the board plays out. I know it sounds like a cliche I keep repeating, but the draft is the Wild West, folks. All the rules and values as we understand them fly out the window when the draft rolls around.

Did any of you have college journeyman QB Dillon Gabriel being selected before Shedeur Sanders? I’ve been accused of being a Shedeur hater, and even I wouldn’t have gone that far. How about Tyler Shough? Ryland and I said he might go on Day 2 as far back as February, but there were still people surprised he went so high because mock simulators still had him as a 6th or 7th round pick. We were right on this one, but what if Shough had conducted some bad interviews? Or what if his medicals worried teams? Maybe he’d still be available tomorrow.

My point is, there are just too many unknowns to speak in absolutes. I remind myself of this before every draft.

The Steelers have been a straight down-the-middle team for a long time, and under Omar Khan, even more so. They project what positions they are interested in, even if they won’t confirm it. I know just from talking with readers in the comments that defensive line and running back were positions we all agreed needed addressing and we followed the team’s breadcrumbs. This also happened to be a class with a ton of talent at those two positions, and sure enough, that’s exactly what the Steelers saw too.

Yesterday, Bickley and I agreed running back felt like a position where a high-quality player could still be on the board. Hell, we even made Kaleb Johnson the photo for the running back section. Today, wide receiver feels like the strongest remaining group, and quarterback is still looming. And I wouldn’t rule out depth on the offensive line, a nickel corner, or safety. They could even double-dip at running back or defensive line if they think that player is the best player available.

The Steelers will have to wait 20 picks before making their first selection today. There’s a pretty solid chance we’ve named him in this article.

Steelers pre-draft visitors (top-30 and local) still available:

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1. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
2. Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
3. Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State
4. D.J. Giddens, RB, Kansas State
5. Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech
6. J.J. Pegues, DT, Ole Miss
7. Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse
8. Yahya Black, DT, Iowa
9. Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State
10. Jared Harrison-Hunte, DT, SMU
11. Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas
12. Elijah Roberts, DE, SMU
13. Donovan McMillon, S, Pitt
14. Gavin Bartholomew, TE, Pitt
15. Ben Sauls, K, Pitt