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: Who will the Steelers’ first-round draft pick be?
Today’s question had to be obvious. Could it have been anything else? Only one question rules the day, and that is this: who will the newest member of the Pittsburgh Steelers be? This player will presumably come to us with the 28th pick in the draft, though it’s not impossible the team manages a trade, even if it’s unlikely.
The bulk of the discussion throughout the offseason has come down to this day. The next two days, as well, but let’s face it, the bulk of the attention of a draft class surrounds its top pick. And we already know all the likely candidates by now because they have been discussed to death.
Will it be the inside linebacker? Leighton Vander Esch and Rashaan Evans are the primary candidates there, but Tremaine Edmunds could also be in play. Hey, crazier things have happened. This position has been the one most-frequently mocked for the Steelers.
Two offensive players, specifically quarterback Mason Rudolph and running back Derrius Guice, have also been popular choices all throughout the offseason, in the case of the former due to Ben Roethlisberger entering the twilight of his career and, for the latter, the likelihood that Le’Veon Bell does not sign a long-term deal with the Steelers.
Safety, outside linebacker, tight end, we have seen all of these positions mocked to Pittsburgh in the first round at different times during the offseason as well, and they are all reasonably in play depending upon how the draft ultimately unfolds.
I’m sure most of you are quite tired of the speculation and guesswork, but the good news is that that period of the offseason is very nearly over. We will know who the first pick is by the end of the day. Finally.
