ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay released his latest mock draft Tuesday morning and this one includes three rounds.
McShay has the Pittsburgh Steelers addressing their secondary in the first two rounds of his latest mock as he has them selecting Houston cornerback William Jackson III 25th overall and Boise state safety Darian Thompson in the second round with the 58th overall selection. In the third round, however, McShay has an interesting selection for the Steelers in the form of Georgia Tech defensive end Adam Gotsis.
Here is McShay’s recap of his three picks for the Steelers:
The Steelers’ pass defense needs a major upgrade after allowing 272 yards per game last season (30th overall). Jackson has a good frame (6-0, 189 pounds) and elite speed (4.37 40). He thrives off the challenge of facing the opposing team’s No. 1 WR, while Thompson finished his Boise State career with 19 interceptions. Gotsis shows terrific toughness on tape and would provide a boost to Pittsburgh’s run defense as he continues to develop.
By now, all of you should be aware who Jackson and Thompson are as both have been linked to the Steelers quite a bit this offseason for obvious reasons. As for Gotsis, I think this might be the first time I’ve seen him mocked to the Steelers.
Gotsis, who measures in at 6044, 287-pounds, lined up inside and outside in Georgia Tech’s hybrid 3-4 defensive scheme. He recorded 110 total tackles during his college career with 12.5 sacks. His 2015 season was cut short by an ACL injury, however, and thus he hasn’t been able to take part in the pre-draft process when it comes to doing on-the-field events. He hopes to be ready by the start of training camp.
I think most of you can fathom the Steelers selecting Jackson and Thompson in the first two rounds so McShay is realistic when it comes those selections. However, I do think that Gotsis is a reach when it comes to the Steelers third selection. In case you’re curious, Javon Hargrave went a few selections later in McShay’s mock and that probably would’ve been the right pick there for the Steelers based on how the names came off his board.
