We’re already here. The final day of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in position to make a slew of picks today, though trades are always possible. As it stands now, they have the following picks.
#122 – 4th Round
#141 – 5th Round
#175 – 6th Round
#192 – 6th Round
#207 – 6th Round
#219 – 7th Round
Let’s take a look at who might be on their radar with any of those picks. Listed in no particular order.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson/S Florida: It’s very surprising to see CGJ fall all the way out of Day Two of the draft. Though the Steelers didn’t show strong interest in him, they did conduct a Combine interview and he fits the scheme. Big hitter, dime capable, playmaker with nine interceptions. You have to think they look to address this position within the first two picks.
Other safety names worth throwing out are Iowa’s Amani Hooker and Miami (FL)’s Sheldrick Redwine.
Ugo Amadi/S Oregon: One last safety name to cover. Can pull pretty much all the players not yet drafted on their list (here is the whole list). Amadi is a playmaker with nine career picks and three forced fumbles with the versatility to play free safety or nickel corner. Lots of experience and a durable player. Later round pick, I think, though Diontae Johnson proved you can throw some of those projections out the window.
Mike Weber/RB Ohio State: Weber was brought in for a visit. Good career at Ohio State though his best season came as a redshirt freshman in 2016. NC State – possibly new RBs coach Eddie Faulkner – recruited him out of high school. Just thought that was an interesting note.
Ty Johnson/RB Maryland: Diontae Johnson helped take care some of the return concerns but Johnson is a bigger back with home run ability. High character, hard worker, who like DJ, ripped off big play after big play in college. He battled for playing time and injuries hampered him last year.
Benny Snell, Alex Barnes, and Ryquell Anderson are other backs worth talking about.
Foster Moreau/TE LSU: Perhaps the leader in the clubhouse for tight ends. Dude feels like a Steeler. Similar to Jesse James, he doesn’t wow with big-play ability but a well-rounded game with good leadership and overall character. Tested well at the Combine.
Notre Dame’s Alize Mack and West Virginia’s Trevon Wesco are two other candidates to get selected.
David Sills/WR West Virginia: If the Steelers want to double-dip at receiver and go with a different mold than Johnson, Sills is your guy. Big receiver who also found the end zone a ton in college. Not a great athlete with questionable separation skills. But I think the organization likes this dude. Potential 6th round selection.
Mathieu Betts/OLB Laval: Yup, that’s Laval, Canada, affectionately referred to as the Alabama of the country. This is a 6th/7th round flier all the way but area scout Dave Pettet attended his Pro Day, one of just five teams to make the trip to our friends in the north. Betts had a strong workout with a ridiculous three cone time, 6.77 at 254 pounds. Highly productive player, dominating competition the way someone from a small school needs to in order to get looked.
Matt Gay/K Utah: Or any of the top kickers but Gay has been the name who grabbed my attention. Big leg, still relatively new to football (started kicking in 2017 after playing soccer for Utah Valley State), and dominated college football. Won the Lou Groza Award for the NCAA’s best kicker his first year playing college football. The three picks the Steelers have in the 6th round allow for this type of “luxury” but really, it’s not. Kicking game has to get solved. Art Rooney II said so.
Alex Bars/OL Notre Dame: Could be really good value here. Bars suffered a fractured ankle early in 2018, hurting his draft stock. Had he remained healthy, he may have been selected during yesterday’s portion of the draft. Versatile, he moved around the offensive line and received excellent coaching. He might be a steal.
