The 2023 NFL Draft sits just 13 days away, and it still remains a bit unclear exactly what direction the Pittsburgh Steelers are aiming to head, particularly on the offensive or defensive side of the football.
Needs at offensive tackle, wide receiver, outside linebacker, cornerback and defensive end remain for the Steelers after a rather busy offseason.
Fortunately for the Steelers, sitting at No. 17 overall in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft has Pittsburgh in good position to address one of those big needs on Day 1 of the NFL Draft in Kansas City. According to ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid, there are two players Pittsburgh should be targeting at No. 17 overall due to best fit and best value.
Those two players? Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright and USC wide receiver Jordan Addison.
For Miller, a selection of Wright fills a need for the Steelers.
“The Steelers have built an offensive line without investing early-round picks, but that product shows on the field. After adding free agent right guard Isaac Seumalo, plugging in a dominant run-blocker like Wright next to him gives Pittsburgh a legitimate strength and would boost the run game for star back Najee Harris,” Miller writes regarding the fit of Wright.
Pittsburgh has done a nice job of addressing the offensive line in free agency, adding the likes of guards Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig, strengthening the group in the process. While Seumalo is likely going to play left guard in Pittsburgh next to left tackle Dan Moore Jr., unlike what Miller writes, the Steelers still have a need at tackle.
That’s where Wright could come in.
He’s that big-bodied player the Steelers have been looking for at tackle in recent seasons, and the Steelers have certainly shown interest in him throughout the pre-draft process. Whether he’s a right tackle or left tackle in Pittsburgh remains to be seen, but he’d be a good fit in the Black and Gold on either side.
As for best value at No. 17 overall, Reid believes it’s wide receiver Jordan Addison, who would reunite with former Pitt teammate and quarterback Kenny Pickett in that scenario.
“With my 17th-ranked (Nolan Smith) and 18th-ranked (Addison) players still on the board, I’m going with the latter. Addison would provide another threat on the perimeter for the Steelers,” Reid writes regarding Addison being the best value for Pittsburgh at 17 overall. “And remember, quarterback Kenny Pickett and Addison already have chemistry from their days at Pitt, where they won a conference championship and got Addison a Biletnikoff Award.”
The connections are obvious in Pittsburgh for Addison with Pickett already entrenched and the Steelers having a real need for a third wide receiver alongside Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. Pickett and Addison already have a tremendous connection dating back to their time together in college, and Addison could slide right into a role in the slot as the third option at receiver in the passing game.
Value at No. 17 overall though seems like a bit of a stretch, especially in a weak wide receiver room.
