Here at Steelers Depot, the offseason is in full swing, meaning that many are anxiously waiting to see who the Pittsburgh Steelers may select in the 2023 NFL Draft to improve their current roster. We have already started the pre-draft process with our 2023 NFL Draft Player Profiles, highlighting the pros and cons of the top NFL draft prospects in this draft class with a goal of completing 250 profiles by the time the draft rolls around in April.
Last year, I had the opportunity to create our site’s very first Draft Grading Scale which gave out team a more objective and concrete way to evaluate prospects, so you (and we) know where we stand on a player.
I have recently made some adjustments to the old scale as we try to make things easier for our staff in the scouting process as well as for you readers to better understand the system and get a feel for how we grade this year’s prospects. The scale ranges from a perfect ten, the rarest of grades, to 5.1, a tryout player.
You’ll see this grade reflected at the bottom of each report, so I wanted to share with you guys our scale and what it looks like. I am stoked to kick off draft season with several intriguing draft prospect profiles already on the way as well as having several of us heading to the Senior Bowl and the East/West Shrine Game in a couple of weeks. So, feel free to sit back and check in regularly with us here at the site as we will have you covered on all the NFL Draft content you need from now until April 27.
| 2023 NFL Draft: Steelers Depot Grading Scale | |||
| Grade: | Round: | Classification: | Description: |
| 10 | #1 Overall Pick | The Perfect Prospect | Plays his respective position at the highest level ever seen. Possesses elite physical traits, unmatched college production, is extremely passionate, and has never been injured. This grade should be considered almost unattainable. (IE John Elway, Andrew Luck) |
| 9.9-9.7 | Top 3 Pick | Perennial All-Pro Talent | Immediate starter that makes a profound impact on the game Year 1. Likely to become a Pro-Bowl player in his first season and has the talent and upside to become a perennial All-Pro within his first three seasons in the league. (IE Chase Young, Von Miller, Larry Fitzgerald) |
| 9.6-9.1 | Top 10 Pick | Pro-Bowl Talent/ Day 1 Starter | Has an NFL skillset and frame ready to make a smooth transition from the college game to the pros. This prospect is expected to come in polished and possesses the ceiling to become a Pro-Bowler in his first three seasons in the league. Should be recognized as one of the top players on a team’s roster within his first 2-3 seasons. (IE Penei Sewell, Ja’Marr Chase, Minkah Fitzpatrick) |
| 9.0-8.6 | 1st Round | Year 1 Quality Starter | Talented prospect that is above-the-bar when it comes to physical and positional traits in most areas. Most likely a starter within the first half of his rookie season that should remain a starter for most of his NFL career. (IE Chris Olave, Tyler Linderbaum, Christian Darrisaw) |
| 8.5-8.1 | 2nd Round | Future Quality Starter | Has the talent to become a reliable starter within his first two seasons in the league and make immediate contributions as a rotational player for any team he gets drafted by. (IE George Pickens, Azeez Ojulari, Kyle Dugger) |
| 8.0-7.6 | 3rd Round | Potential Starter/Good Backup | Prospect has limiting factors, whether mental or physical, that should expect to become a good backup at the worst and could become an eventual starter down the road. (IE Antonio Gibson, DeMarvin Leal, Martin Emerson) |
| 7.5-7.1 | 4th Round | Rotational Player | A prospect that has enough talent to make his way onto the field but isn’t best suited for a full-time starting role. Will likely be a rotational player for a majority of his career that could see he snaps increase due to injury or benching but is best used in a rotational role rather as a heavy snap contributor. (IE Jaylen Warren, Jonathan Cooper, Tylan Wallace) |
| 7.0-6.6 | 5th Round | Backup/Special Teamer | A prospect that lacks the physical traits or skill level to be an effective starter at the NFL level. This player should make the 53-man roster as a backup/special teamer, but potential to contribute regularly on offense/defense is limited. (IE K’Von Wallace, J.C. Hassenaur, Tyler Matekevich) |
| 6.5-6.1 | 6th-7th Round | End of Roster/ Practice Squad | Prospect that likely gets selected at the end of the draft that teams want to secure to bring to training camp instead of allowing to hit UDFA once the draft concludes. Has a couple promising traits or impressive college production to warrant a look on the end of the roster or practice squad. (IE Mark Robinson, Steven Sims, Skylar Thompson) |
| 6.0-5.6 | PFA | Undrafted Free Agent | A player that lacks the necessary physical traits to warrant draft consideration. This player has an outside shot at making a practice squad out of training camp if signed. (IE Jamir Jones, Cody White, C.J. Goodwin) |
| 5.5-5.1 | UDFA | Camp Invite | Lacking the physical tools and talent to play at the NFL level. College player that will not make roster but may get and invite to rookie minicamp. (IE Tyler Snead, Duck Hodges, John Wolford) |
| (MED) = Injury Flag/Concerns | |||
| (OFF) = Off Field/Legal Concerns | |||
