Pro Football Talk released their annual list of the top 100 free agents for the upcoming new league year and while two Pittsburgh Steelers are included on it, one of the two is certainly surprising.
Tackle Kelvin Beachum, as expected, is the highest-ranked Steelers player on this year’s PFT top 100 and surprisingly linebacker Sean Spence is the other. Beachum, by the way is ranked 33rd overall and the fourth-highest ranked tackle while Spence is ranked 88th overall.
To my surprise, Zac Jackson left soon-to-be Steelers unrestricted free agents cornerback Brandon Boykin and guard Ramon Foster completely off his list. Additionally, cornerback William Gay was not included, but that’s not overly surprising, all things considered. Jackson has 11 total cornerbacks on this year’s list but it’s probably worth pointing out that Omar Bolden should be listed as a safety.
Back to Spence, who was drafted in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, he’s yet to play 1,000 defensive snaps so far during his career that included him missing the 2012 and 2013 seasons because of a serious knee injury. The Miami product started four games last season and registered 37 total tackles and one sack. While Spence very well might receive some interest in the coming weeks, it will be shocking if he signs a contract that will pay him an average of $1.5 million per season.
Jackson’s omission of Boykin has to an oversight.
Free agency and the new league year will get underway two weeks from today.
