The journey toward Super Bowl LII ended far too prematurely for the Pittsburgh Steelers, sending them into offseason mode before we were ready for it. But we are in it now, and are ready to move on, through the Combine, through free agency, through the draft, into OTAs, and beyond.
We have asked and answered a lot of questions over the years and will continue to do so, and at the moment, there seem to be a ton of questions that need answering. A surprise early exit in the postseason will do that to you though, especially when it happens in the way it did.
You can rest assured that we have the questions, and we will be monitoring developments all throughout the offseason process, all the way down to Latrobe. Pending free agents, possible veteran roster cuts, contract extensions, pre-draft visits, pro days, all of it will have its place when the time arises.
Question: Which Steelers draft pick was your favorite from last weekend?
It seems like an obvious question to get out of the way so soon after the draft. We’ll cover our least favorite selections tomorrow of course, so save your grievances for the first of May, if you will, because today we’re talking about who we like the most.
You can choose any method of evaluating favoritism that you like. You can go simply by who you like the most, who you think will be the best player, who offered the most value based on their selection, or even whose name you like the most. Doesn’t really matter.
I’m going to guess that the most popular answer will be second-round pick James Washington, the wide receiver who is going to come in and look to take over Martavis Bryant’s spot, if not role, in the lineup. He should work his way into the role of third fiddle behind Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster fairly early on in the season, I would think, even working under the assumption that Eli Rogers will be re-signed.
Those in the quarterback camp will also be pleased with the value of getting Mason Rudolph in the third, though I think he will be the most polarizing player. Many felt that the selection of any quarterback at this point in Ben Roethlisberger’s career would have been a waste. Others are optimistic about the possibility of him becoming a long-term starter.
I assume that most people do at least like Terrell Edmunds as a player but don’t like where he was drafted. A lot of people also like Marcus Allen and where he was taken but didn’t see the point of another safety, or have concerns about his coverage abilities.
Factoring in value, Joshua Frazier is honestly one of my favorite picks from this year. I’m confident that he will be able to make the roster and I expect him to dress on Sundays as the backup nose tackle. He may even get some play against run-heavy opponents. Karl Dunbar coaching him (and John Mitchell not coaching him) could help him play earlier than he might otherwise.
