If the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t grab a RB in the first round, Ohio State’s Trey Sermon sounds like their Plan B. In Tony Pauline’s most recent draft buzz article for Pro Football Network, he says the team is high on Sermon’s game and consider him a “perfect” scheme fit.
Here’s what Pauline wrote:
“If the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t select Najee Harris in the first round and go offensive line instead, who’s the next running back on their list? I’m told the team loves Ohio State’s Trey Sermon, as he’s a perfect fit for their system. Some in the organization feel his playing style is similar to a young Le’Veon Bell. Hence, if they go offensive line on Day 1, Sermon could be the running back they select on Day 2.”
From a measurable standpoint, the two are very comparable though Sermon showed a lot better explosion in the broad and vertical. Here’s how they stack up.
Le’Veon Bell
Height: 6010
Weight: 230
40: 4.60
Vert: 31.5
Broad: 9’10”
Short Shuttle: 4.24
Three Cone: 6.75
Trey Sermon
Height: 6003
Weight: 215
40: 4.61
Vert: 37
Broad: 10’5″
Short Shuttle: 4.30
Three Cone: 6.84
Transferring from Oklahoma, Sermon had a strong senior season for the Buckeyes. In eight games, he carried the ball 116 times for 870 yards, that’s 7.5 yards per carry, and four touchdowns. The knocks on him were never being the lead runner, he had more than 125 carries in a season just once, lack of use as a receiver with only 48 career receptions, and durability concerns. He tore his ACL in 2019 and suffered a shoulder injury in the National Title Game this year, missing the rest of the game.
But with his size and dynamic ability, he’ll be one of the last potential feature back runners on the board. So it’s no surprise to know the Steelers are interested in drafting him if they don’t snag a back in the top spot. Sermon could be in consideration as early as 55 but could also be on the board for the team’s third round pick at 87.
Check out our scouting report on Sermon by clicking the link here.
