In the last installment of the Ranking the Starters series for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I took a look at No. 18-16, which can be found here.
This list is based off my own personal rankings regarding skills, not value to the team like I did a few years ago.
Here’s how the 2020 Ranking the Starters series has gone so far:
No. 24 – Jordan Berry, P
No. 23 – Chukwuma Okorafor, RT
No. 22 – Terrell Edmunds, S
No. 21 – James Washington, WR
No. 20 – Vince Williams, LB
No. 19 – Chris Boswell, K
No. 18 – Mike Hilton, CB
No. 17 – Eric Ebron, TE
No. 16 – Alejandro Villanueva, LT
Let’s take a look at the starters, No. 15-13.
No. 15 — Matt Feiler, LG
Feiler was so good last year for the Steelers at right tackle, but thanks to the retirement of Ramon Foster, the Steelers are kicking Feiler inside to left guard, where he started a game in 2019 against the Los Angeles Rams and Aaron Donald.
Feiler more than held his own in that game and seems like a natural fit at guard with his size and strength. While he is making a position switch full time and will play next to Villanueva, whom he bookended last season, there doesn’t seem to be much concern with a position change and new role for the veteran.
He’s getting better and better every year. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him much higher on this list in 2021.
No. 14 — Devin Bush, ILB
Bush was thrust into the starting role right away and more than held his own as a rookie linebacker playing nearly every down for Pittsburgh. While Bush was really solid against the run and flashed insane athleticism in space, he struggled in pass coverage, which caused quarterbacks to go after him, especially with tight ends.
If that’s the only knock on Bush after one year, the Steelers are in great shape with the Michigan product. Another year in the system and a full year of playing experience will do wonders for Bush in 2020.
No. 13 — Diontae Johnson, WR
When having a rough day, I daydream of what Johnson might do in 2020 with Ben Roethlisberger throwing him the football. If 2019 was any indication of Johnson’s talents with poor quarterback play, Johnson is about to put a world of hurt on defenses in 2020 with a future Hall of Famer throwing him the ball.
Johnson continues to be slept on when it comes to the discussion regarding top second-year wideouts in football. That’s perfectly fine with me because we know how good Johnson is and will be moving forward. I prefer to have an under the radar budding star, especially at receiver.
