As has become annual tradition, we’re back to look into our Pittsburgh Steelers’ crystal ball and map out what the best- and worst-case scenarios of the team’s 2023 draft class. At least in somewhat of a realistic sense, not assuming every single player is Hall of Fame bound and not every player is going to become a total and immediate washout. Consider it the upper and lower ends of their projection spectrum.
If you can believe it, this is our 10th year doing it and it’s always fun to look back on previous versions. If you want to check out 2022, you can click the link here. This year’s version will probably end up being a little bit shorter than past years but hopefully you still enjoy the stories. Remember it’s all in good fun and it’s a creative writing exercise more than it is a hyper-analytical analysis of the group.
Let’s dive in.
Round 1 – OT Broderick Jones
Best Case:Â Raw? Yeah, Jones only started 19 college games. But the SEC makes you grow up fast. No one plays in that conference with training wheels. Jones’ first training camp reps come with the second team, the technical backup to incumbent Dan Moore Jr. Post-practice, Mike Tomlin is asked about it and quips that Jones is “working while he’s waiting,” a common phrase he offers to backups.
Jones doesn’t have to wait long.
He rotates in and sees first-team action on the third day of practice, getting him exposure against the Steelers 1s before the pads come on. When they do on the fifth practice of camp, Jones meets the moment. In the full-tackling run blocking session, Jones climbs to the second level on a zone block, enveloping veteran Elandon Roberts as Najee Harris runs off his hip for a 17-yard gain. Later in the day, Calvin Austin catches a WR screen and Jones gallops out in front to block Keanu Neal, getting in the way enough as Austin races 43 yards into the end zone. Austin’s speed is evident but so is Jones’ athleticism. Asked about it after practice, a humble Jones smiles and tells reporters he’s just doing his job.
Moore does his job just fine in camp but it’s nothing special. Nothing like Jones. In 1v1s during practice, Jones easily mirrors and matches Alex Highsmith’s spin move and has the length and hand usage to win early and stall out power rushes from defensive ends. Cam Heyward still shows him a thing or two, bulling him backwards more than once in individual work but by summer’s end, it’s clear Jones is the starter.
After the second preseason game, the Steelers’ depth chart changes from Moore as the starter and Jones as the backup to Dan Moore OR Broderick Jones as the starting left tackle, a tangible sign Jones is gaining ground. During his Tomlin Tuesday ahead of the team’s Week One matchup against San Francisco, Tomlin announces Jones is officially the Week One starter at left tackle. In a follow-up, Tomlin’s asked if he’s worried about Jones facing Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa out of the gate. Tomlin doesn’t skip a beat.
“No.”
End of answer.
In reality, Jones isn’t flawless in the opener. But he’s good. Very good. Bosa finishes the day with one QB hurry, Jones missing a protection and sliding down on a blitzing linebacker when he shouldn’t have, but the Steelers control the game on the ground with 171 yards in a 24-14 victory.
Jones is a steady and ascending player throughout his rookie year. He doesn’t have the pitfalls in Pat Meyer’s system other Steelers like Moore and RG James Daniels dealt with. Perhaps his lack of starting experience actually helps him in that regard. He hadn’t been rooted in a system for years and years on end and didn’t have long-term habits that were tough to break. Jones is also just a smart and talented rookie who makes everything look effortless.
He’s one part of the Steelers’ offensive turnaround, Kenny Pickett seeing a true second-year jump. He ends the year with 23 touchdowns to just seven interceptions and is sacked only 24 times. According to our charting, we charge Jones for just 2.5 of them, allowing one to Myles Garrett in Week Two – who doesn’t? – and another full one to New England’s Josh Uche in Week 14, who dips under and past the much-taller Jones late in the second quarter. Jones is also largely mistake-free, though he picks up a pair of ineligible downfield penalties across Week 7 and Week 8, almost too fleet of foot and eager to get downfield.
Rookie tackles never get meaningful discussion to win Rookie of the Year. The Chargers’ Rashawn Slater was deserving in 2021 and honestly snubbed, and Jones really isn’t in the conversation. The award goes to Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and his 1,250-yard season but Jones’ play is worthy of wearing the crown.
Jones is the obvious starter his sophomore season and quickly becomes recognized as an emerging stud. In a primetime Monday night matchup against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, Jones absolutely shuts down Garrett. Pittsburgh gives him little help but Jones takes care of business. A frustrated Garrett finishes the game with just a solo tackle and gets ejected late in the fourth quarter for throwing a head slap at Jones, venting that anger as the two get mixed up at the end of a run play, Jones taking Garrett to the ground.
Beyond the theater, Jones looks fantastic and is named to his first Pro Bowl as Pittsburgh makes a deep playoff run before falling to Buffalo on the road in the 2024 AFC Championship Game.
Though not quite as freaky as Trent Williams, Jones draws those comparisons in his career and the two become friends. After Williams retires in 2024, he becomes a full-time offensive lineman trainer and Jones works with him during the summers. With solid play and an emerging reputation, Jones makes another Pro Bowl in 2025 and his first All-Pro team. His fifth-year option is easily picked up and two days before the 2026 training camp opens, Jones signs a five-year, $126.3 million deal, a massive contract but one he’s earned every bit of.
Pittsburgh’s left tackle history isn’t as deep and rich as center or guard, but Jones becomes one of the best blindside protectors in NFL history. He spends 11 years in Pittsburgh, starting 168 games (he misses five weeks in 2029 due to a high ankle sprain trying to tackle Ravens’ safety Kyle Hamilton on an interception return), making seven Pro Bowls, three All-Pro teams, and plays in one Super Bowl though it comes in defeat, a 2030 loss to the Caleb Williams-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Worst Case:Â Jones was drafted as an athletic but raw player. Fans focused on that first, “athletic” part. They forgot about the “raw” that followed. It shouldn’t come as a surprise but Jones struggles out of the gate. Pure athleticism is well and good, it doesn’t hurt, but it’s far from the only trait a lineman needs to have. The position is about nuance and technique, not how you look getting off the bus or how fast you run in a straight line.
Sure, Jones can flash but he’s as inconsistent as they come. In a 1v1 rep against Alex Highsmith early in camp, he effectively counters Highsmith’s inside rush. Tomlin wants the two to go again and Jones cheats inside only to see Highsmith cross chop him and win the edge, Jones flailing and falling to the ground as the defenders behind him ooh and ahh.
Dan Moore isn’t spectacular but his steady growth continues. A hard worker who has consistently gotten better, Moore wins the battle relatively comfortably for the regular season. So Jones is the backup swing guy, right? Not so fast, my friend. The problem is in an effort to gives Jones as many left tackle reps as possible, making for a true battle, Jones hardly sees time on the right. It’s Moore who logs some snaps there as a potential swing candidate. That goes out the window when Moore beats Jones out for the job.
So who’s the swingman? Hold onto your butts, it’s Le’Raven Clark and he’s active over Jones for Week One. Clark isn’t half the talent Jones is, but he has NFL experience on the left and right side. So, Jones is inactive for the first four weeks of the season. Moore sprains his knee in Week 5 and Jones makes his first start after the bye in Week 7. Jones is…ok, a little shaky, but the Rams lack the edge threats to really test him while Pittsburgh gives him extra tight end/running back chips to help him.
Moore returns from his knee injury for Week 8 and Jones goes back to being inactive. The Steelers’ offense goes sour after losing Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in back-to-back weeks and their run game, the essence of their offense, completely tanks. Tomlin has his first losing season and for the regular-season finale against Baltimore, Jones gets the nod. But it doesn’t go well. Hyper-athlete Odafe Oweh schools Jones early, beating him for a first quarter sack on third and six on the opening drive, resulting in a Kenny Pickett fumble that LB Roquan Smith recovers. Pittsburgh rushes for just 37 yards on the day and Jones allows a sack, two pressures, and is once called for holding.
As the Steelers’ roster churn continues, RT Chukwuma Okorafor is cut after the 2023 season. Moore shifts over to right tackle, opening the door for Jones on the blindside. With a year under his belt, the team hopes the results are different. Are they? Not really. In the 2024 opener against the Bengals (another home game!) RDE Trey Hendrickson has a field day, beating Jones for a pair of sacks as Cincinnati routs Pittsburgh 31-13. Jones can move in space but his technique with his hands is poor, his punch misses too often, and he tries to rely too much on his pure athleticism.
As a run blocker, he’s at least serviceable, pancaking Cleveland’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in Week 6 on a 45-yard Warren run but his pass protection is turbulent. Jones works hard, slowly gets better, but is sorta like the Terrell Edmunds. His improvement comes at glacier pace and far below expectations.
While it’s just one singular moment, Jones is flagged for an ineligible man downfield call in a critical Week 16 game against the Tennessee Titans, wiping out a 58-yard Diontae Johnson touchdown off a screen pass. It’s a ticky-tack call but the correct one and Pittsburgh goes on to lose the game 27-20. They fall behind in the playoff race and miss out on the final Wild Card spot to Tennessee, missing the playoffs for the third-straight season.
More changes come in the ensuing offseason. OL Coach Pat Meyer doesn’t return and in a surprise move, the Steelers hire relative unknown Joe Graves, the 49ers’ assistant offensive line coach. Jones has to adjust to a new and different philosophy. Worse yet, he battles a foot sprain throughout the 2025 training camp, limiting his mobility. Needing reps and feeling the heat, he presses on but his play worsens even more. Through the first month of the year, he’s given up 3.5 sacks and flagged another three times.
Healthier towards the end of the season, his play perks up but he’s an average tackle, not much better than Moore was early in his career. In the offseason, Jones’ fifth-year option is declined, a somewhat tough and uncertain decision but one that makes 2026 a make-or-break year.
Pittsburgh takes another swing at tackle in the 2026 draft, selecting LSU’s Lance Heard in the 2nd round (39th overall) that year. It sets up a training camp battle like the one Jones had with Moore in 2023. This time, the rookie wins out and Heard beats Jones for the Week One job. Jones becomes the team’s swingman and starts five games that year, three at left tackle, two on the right side, but his play is only adequate and Heard shines when healthy, a Pro Bowl alternate out of the gate.
Jones becomes a free agent after the 2026 season. There’s talks about him returning to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal but he lands closer to home, heading back to Atlanta. In an interview with a local reporter, Jones reveals he struggled with being away from home, a Georgia kid who played at the school and hadn’t been away from family to that extent.
Chuck Noll once said geography might not matter in winning. But here, it matters in comfort. Jones looks better in two years with Atlanta, starting 14 games in 2027 and holding his own. His career is still never amazing but better outside of Pittsburgh. Following two years with the Falcons, he spends a year in Houston and a season in Jacksonville, though he only appears in three games with the Jags. His NFL career ends there after the 2030 season.
In total, Jones makes 33 starts in Pittsburgh and 59 in his entire NFL career. It’s far from what was expected of him when Pittsburgh traded up those three spots to draft him. Following his playing days, he opens up Broderick’s Barbecue in his hometown of Lithonia, Georgia. A reptile fan, patrons even have a chance to hold a snake in the corner of the place, though most are more interested in the pulled pork than the pythons.
Round 2 – CB Joey Porter Jr.
Best Case: Billed as an “Avatar” cornerback, Porter feels like something out of a movie. Or made in a video game. He’s big. Long. Physical. And he can run. What’s not to like?
Porter makes mincemeat of the backup receivers early in training camp. In a release/jam drill during one individual session, Porter squares off against WR Hakeem Butler. Big on big. Porter seizes the day. He gets lower and under Butler’s pads as he fires off the line. Er, tries to. But Porter is in control, jamming him and not allowing any sort of space. Butler’s spinning his wheels like legs in a Looney Tune cartoon, directed into the sideline before Porter shoves him out of bounds, legally and within the five-yard chuck. The watchful Steelers’ secondary goes nuts as Porter walks back to the group.
In the preseason opener against Tampa Bay, Porter breaks up a deep downfield pass thrown by QB Kyle Trask and jumps a comeback intended for rookie WR Trey Palmer, picking it off and returning it 15 yards the other way. Patrick Peterson pulls a hamstring in Week Two, a product of his older age, and Porter gets the nod for the regular-season opener. While drafted primarily for his coverage ability, he duels with wide receiver/running back Deebo Samuel. Late in the first quarter, Porter makes a tremendous open field tackle on Samuel on a 3rd-and-1 end around, a two-yard loss, forcing the 49ers to settle for a 31-yard field goal. Pittsburgh goes on to win the game by four, 24-20, and Porter is credited for a big red zone stop in the earlygoing.
His play continues an upward trend, even after Peterson returns in Week 3. Porter remains in the starting lineup with Peterson cycling in for sub-packages. Porter isn’t a major-time playmaker but his first interception comes in Week 4, picking off fellow rookie C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans to stop a two-minute drill before halftime. Porter tracks and finds the ball on a downfield throw for WR Nico Collins, outmuscling the receiver on the way down. Stroud throws three picks that day as Pittsburgh comfortably wins 34-7.
Porter’s season is mostly about breakups, using his rare length and frame to squeeze throws and eliminate windows. He drives on a 15-yard dig late in the fourth quarter in Week 11 against Jordan Love, a crucial third-down breakup to preserve a one-point win. Porter’s size makes him an asset against the run, and he finishes third in the NFL among all cornerbacks with 46 tackles in the run game. His rookie season ends with 74 total tackles, two interceptions, but an eye-popping 14 breakups. He finishes second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting only trailing the Texans’ Will Anderson with his flashy 11.5 sack season but it’s a great year for Porter, trophy or not.
He enters Year 2 as the team’s slam-dunk starter. Peterson retires in the offseason, realizing his body just doesn’t have it anymore, and Levi Wallace is re-signed on a two-year, $11.5 million deal. But Porter is the #1 corner and there isn’t a debate. His offseason is focused on becoming a playmaker, improving his hands and ability to pick the ball off, not just swat it away. He’s still not known as a ballhawk but refines his technique.
Like any corner, not every moment is perfect and he whiffs on his jam in Week 2 against Baltimore, burned by Zay Flowers for a 59-yard touchdown. He makes up for it the following week when he picks off Denver Broncos’ QB Drake Maye, the 2nd overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft as Russell Wilson’s career shrivels up.
Porter is a high-end corner who can do it all. Run defense, coverage, he even sacks Lamar Jackson in Week 6 of the year. His mature and professional approach to the game comes from his NFL upbringing. Porter isn’t as brash as his father but has the confident swagger needed for a cornerback. Mel Blount he isn’t (then again, who is?), but Porter is an idealized version of the NFL’s intimidating-looking cornerback.
The only downside is Sauce Gardner’s career overshadows Porter’s, Gardner becomes a first-ballot Hall of Famer and Porter’s game never quite reaches those heights in part due to the lack of interceptions. In some ways, he’s Ike Taylor. His hands aren’t bad, it’s just not Porter’s game. He signs a four-year extension heading into 2026 worth $85.8 million and starts the entire length of the new deal.
In all, he starts 10 seasons in Pittsburgh before spending his final year in the league with the Miami Dolphins. As a Steeler, he starts 166 games (his durability remarkable and underrated), picking off 19 passes and breaking up 130 passes. The latter is the second-most in official Steelers’ history, just shy of Taylor, though Taylor played two more seasons in Pittsburgh.
Worst Case: Porter has length. Porter wants to use his length. But he’s playing in a pass-happy NFL. And the last thing Roger Goodell wants is a game where cornerbacks break up passes and force 3rd and 9s. Boooooring. To those suits making the money, anyway.
In a world where corners get called for pass interference if they look too aggressively at a wide receiver, Porter is an awkward fit. In fairness, many of his penalties are of his own making. He’s comfortable getting up in a receiver’s grill but the NFL can’t sustain that way. Even a man-heavy team like Pittsburgh plays zone more than man and Porter’s a one-trick pony who wins only when he can win early.
That’s clear during a bumpy training camp, given fits by Diontae Johnson, one of the game’s best route runners who enjoys a bounce back season (95 receptions, 1,207 yards, and six touchdowns, in case you were wondering) and toasts him in 1v1s and team drills. Bumps are to be expected out of a rookie corner — defensive coordinator Teryl Austin already warned it would come — and the Steelers aren’t deterred.
Porter doesn’t begin the regular season as a starter but rotates into nickel packages. His summer struggles carry over. In the opener, he gets beat off the line of scrimmage by San Fran’s Brandon Aiyuk. He desperately tries to recover and grabs and pulls Aiyuk down to avoid a long completion, a smart move but still a negative play. Later in the game, miscommunication in the Steelers’ new-look secondary leads Porter to jump the flat with TE George Kittle running the over behind him, Porter never sinking, and the 49ers cash in on a 28-yard touchdown as San Francisco thumps Pittsburgh 28-10.
Things don’t get much better throughout his rookie year. There’s the occasional flashy play and breakup but it feels like Porter is sorta just falling into those moments, just so happening to get his hand in the right place at the right moment, not always even looking back to the ball, and using his rare size downfield. By midseason, Porter’s flagged three times for pass interference and allows three touchdowns, including a 50-yarder to WR Christian Kirk in a back-breaking loss to the Jaguars. On that play, Porter was playing off zone coverage in Pittsburgh’s Cover 3. But he turned his hips too late and as the saying goes, if they’re even, they’re leavin’. Kirk was leavin’.
By the end of his rookie season, Porter makes one start as a base corner (a game in which Levi Wallace misses with a concussion), and finishes the year with 33 tackles, five breakups, one interception (a Hail Mary at the end of the game against Indy in Week 15, his size winning out above the sea of hands) but the season isn’t pretty. Porter is struggling to play clean and play in anything other than press man, which a defense can only do so much of.
Porter returns in the hopes of a better sophomore season. But the Steelers look a little different. DBs Coach Grady Brown is poached by the New York Giants after DC Wink Martindale suddenly retires, citing health reasons. Pittsburgh’s assistant Gerald Alexander is promoted and he’s a fine coach but has his own style and Brown is a quality coach who could’ve helped Porter through his struggles.
One name who stays is Patrick Peterson. He finds the fountain of youth and comes off a strong 2023 year, adjusting better to Pittsburgh’s scheme with his veteran savvy, while Wallace re-signs on a two-year contract. Porter remains a sub-package player but gets to start a month of action when Peterson suffers a high ankle sprain in Week 9. Porter’s play continues to be bumpy and he just isn’t fluid and technical enough to be what a corner needs to be among all else: consistent.
He’s capable of making an impressive play, there’s an awesome diving interception in Week 11, but it feels like he has two negative plays for every decent one. Porter starts seven total games (four as an injury replacement, three where Pittsburgh began the game in nickel) and ends the year with 36 tackles, four breakups, and a pick.
It just never clicks for him. Of the 2023 draft class, it’s 7th rounder Cory Trice Jr. who shines and for 2025, he replaces Peterson as the team’s starting cornerback, not Porter. Trice ends the year with six picks, Porter zero. Though not what Pittsburgh wanted, Porter does carve out a quality role as a starting gunner, ending the year with seven special teams tackles on punt coverage alone. But obviously, it’s not what he or the team wanted. He plays out his rookie deal before signing with the Giants, reuniting with Brown, but Porter’s streakiness and penalties follow.
As a Steeler, Porter only officially starts in 14 games, though he plays in 63 total games, wrapping up with 117 tackles, 15 breakups, and two interceptions. He’s flagged 18 times in Pittsburgh (8 DPI, 6 holding, 3 illegal hands to the face, and one unnecessary roughness). His two years in New York see him chip in a third career pick before he falls out of the league after six seasons, cut by the Chicago Bears in the summer of 2029 and retiring.
Round 2 – NT Keeanu Benton
Best Case: Thanks to an easy learning curve, Benton storms out of the gate. He’s a former Wisconsin Badger playing nose tackle. He’s doing the same thing he did in college just at a slightly harder level. But he makes it look easy. As he did at the Senior Bowl, Benton excels in the 1v1 drills late in Steelers’ training camp practices. On the first day in pads, Benton swims past veteran Mason Cole and then clubs and rips through Kendrick Green, making those battles look too easy.
Winning the starting nose tackle job is a breeze, just as it was for Javon Hargrave over Daniel McCullers. Montravius Adams is cut in a salary cap-saving move and Breiden Fehoko becomes the backup with Armon Watts able to play up and down the line. Benton helps hold the 49ers’ run game in check out of the gate, San Francisco’s strong ground game netting just 57 rushing yards. Benton chips in the pass game with a pressure and QB hit on Brock Purdy.
Benton’s technique can wane a bit, he works on staying on his feet and staying square, but there are real flashes. He records his first tackle for a loss the following week against the Cleveland Browns, stuffing RB Jerome Ford on the second series of the game. The Browns rush for just 61 yards and average 2.9 yards per carry as Pittsburgh wins 27-13.
Though considered a nose tackle, he plays well enough to work into sub-packages and becomes more than just a base guy. He’s athletic with the flexibility to bend and finish, sacking Lamar Jackson before he can scramble for a big gain up the middle in Week 5. He even fills in for 13 snaps as a base defensive end in Week 9 against Tennessee when Larry Ogunjobi and Isaiahh Loudermilk go down with in-game injuries. It’s a hand in the pile effort to win as the Steelers move to 5-3.
Benton starts 10 games his rookie season (there are games where Pittsburgh doesn’t open in base, technically counting against him) but he plays in all 17 and puts together a nice season as the Steelers finish fourth in the NFL in run defense. Benton ends the year with 30 tackles (three for a loss) and 2.5 sacks. The Steelers advance to the postseason and Benton records a key 3rd and 8 sack on Buffalo’s Josh Allen to force the Bills to punt. Pittsburgh pulls off the upset, its first playoff victory since 2016, winning 21-20 on a game-winning 43-yard Chris Boswell field goal. They go on to lose to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional Round.
Benton is, of course, back in 2024. He focuses in on his pass rush moves and increases his sack production as a sophomore. It’s still not off the charts, it never will be, but he ends his second year with 4.5 QB takedowns. His game is similar to Javon Hargrave. Though not quite 1:1 — Hargrave was a little squattier and just a little bit freakier — Benton is a hard-nosed dude who really works at his craft and continues to grow his game.
He sticks around in Pittsburgh for seven seasons, appearing in 110 games (starting 65 of them) and notching 251 tackles (29 for a loss) with 21 sacks and three forced fumbles. After Cam Heyward retires following the 2026 season, Benton steps up into a leadership role, one he handles with class and ushers in a new wave of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive linemen.
Worst Case: Benton is…fine. He’s really not bad. But is he all that good? The issue with him is figuring out his niche. Is he an old-school plugger? Nah, that much is obvious. Is he a high-end gap shooter? Not quite. Jack of all trades, master of none. That’s Benton.
His first preseason is quiet, registering just three tackles in as many preseason games. Elsewhere, Montravius Adams looks like his 2021 self, an impressive athlete with great burst off the ball while Breiden Fehoko impresses against the run. The rest of the d-line room fills out. DeMarvin Leal settles in as a true defensive end and Isaiahh Loudermilk takes a much-needed leap, suddenly making Pittsburgh’s unit deep. Of course, Benton makes the team but is a surprise inactive in Week One, not needed as a third-string nose tackle who didn’t play much else in the summer.
It’s a sign of things to come as a rookie. Like Pittsburgh’s offensive line last year, the Steelers’ defensive line stays remarkably healthy and doesn’t need to often turn to reserves like Benton. He is active for three games and logs 21 snaps in Week 14 against the New England Patriots. But his run defense is a problem, too often knocked off balance, and veteran center David Andrews mows him out of the way on a Dalvin Cook (who signed with the Pats three days before camp) 34-yard touchdown. It doesn’t all fall on Benton but Pittsburgh gives up 192 yards on the ground that day, losing 27-6 in its ugliest defeat of the year.
In all, Benton plays just 47 snaps as a rookie, recording four tackles and one deflected pass.
His game is slightly steadier as a sophomore, but it still isn’t impressive. There’s nothing about his game to get all that excited about. He sees more playing time and he’s not terrible. He’s just…well, he’s there. He is one of the Steelers’ defensive linemen, that’s about all you can say. Appearing in 11 games, his stats end up with 14 tackles, one for a loss, with one QB hurry and still zero sacks.
In a somewhat surprising move, Omar Khan makes an offseason trade. It’s not Kevin Colbert running the show anymore. Just prior to the 2025 free agency, Pittsburgh sends Benton and a 5th-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for their 4th-round selection, Khan later saying it was simply time for a fresh start for everyone involved. The Steelers go back to the Big Ten, but this time select Michigan’s Mason Graham, a former high school wrestler like Benton, in the third round. He becomes a Day One starter.
For Benton, he plays out his rookie contract in Green Bay and records his first sack, taking down Justin Fields in Week 7. But it’s his only one of the year.
Overall, Benton plays 152 snaps as a Steeler, notching 18 tackles and zero sacks. As a Packer, he records 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks across his two seasons. He spends a year in the USFL with upstart Atlanta Action (a nod to the city’s bustling film industry) and wins a championship with the team in 2028 but never gets back into the NFL.
Round 3 – TE Darnell Washington
Best Case: It’s just not fair. It’s just not fair. That’s what NFL defenses say when they see Darnell Washington. He’s 270 pounds, has the length of an offensive tackle, can run like a tight end, and is just impossible to tackle. The Steelers’ own defense gets a taste of that in training camp. It’s hard to gauge in shorts and shells but once the pads come on, it’s clear. On the first day of full contact, Washington takes a tight end middle screen left side and takes off upfield. He gets a good block out in space from LG Isaac Seumalo. Washington motors downfield and meets Minkah Fitzpatrick in the alley, mano a mano.
Washington runs him over. Not just knocks him down. Fitzpatrick is flat on his back, trying to grab at Washington’s feet, catching the back of his right shoe just before Washington steps away. He stumbles and falls another three yards for a 14-yard pickup but it’s a “woah” type of moment. After practice, Fitzpatrick smiles and notes he had about a 70-pound disadvantage and didn’t want to go low and take out his knees. Fitzpatrick was just being a good teammate, he swears, but it’s a sign of things to come.
In the preseason opener, Washington only catches two passes for 11 yards but is a bully of a run blocker. Rooke running back Alfonzo Graham runs behind him for a 27-yard scamper midway through the third quarter, Washington washing down LDE Logan Hall for the type of big play this offense needs, even if it’s just exhibition action.
For the regular season, Washington has a clear role as the team’s #2 tight end. Zach Gentry opens the year inactive and Washington sees plenty of time in Pittsburgh’s ball-control offense, a fantastic complement to the more receiver-focused Pat Freiermuth. In Week 3, Pittsburgh runs for 201 yards in a 30-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. By midseason, the numbers tell the story. When Washington is on the field, the Steelers average 4.6 yards per carry. When he’s not, that number dips to 3.5. More than a full yard of difference.
Though not a major player in Pittsburgh’s passing game — it’s a run-heavy offense with many weapons on the outside — Washington is a force inside the red zone. In Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams, Washington catches not just his first but his second touchdown, ending the day with three receptions for 14 yards and two touchdowns, scores from two and three yards out. The Jerome Bettis stat line for tight ends. One of his scores comes off play action, Pickett floating the ball to the back of the end zone where a wide-open Washington snags it. The other comes on third and goal, Washington split out and isolated, skying over SS Jordan Fuller for the touchdown.
Washington’s presence creates much-needed versatility and formational flexibility. The Steelers employ their “Big Empty” at a high rate, able to spread the field or condense it as they see fit and play mind games with defenses. It’s a big reason why the offense sees a facelift, averaging 24.3 points per game over the course of the season. Washington is largely confined to smaller spaces but can rattle off big plays downfield, especially off play action with a long of 42 yards down the seam in the Week 11 rematch against the Cleveland Browns.
Washington ends his rookie season with a modest 19 receptions for 213 yards but four touchdowns, all coming inside the 10-yard line. Pittsburgh’s offense unlocks and the defense stays healthy and plays well. They exceed most expectations and finish the year 11-6, second in the AFC North and capturing the top Wild Card spot. They knock off the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round with Washington making a big fourth quarter play, converting on 3rd and 12 for a 15-yard gain with a tough grab in traffic. It sets up a Chris Boswell field goal to give the Steelers their first lead of the game as they go on to win 23-17.
With a year under his belt, Washington is even more comfortable in Year Two. He refines his technique as a route runner and looks more fluid. Pat Freiermuth misses four games during the year with a broken wrist (it’s hard to just put a cast/club on when your job is to catch the ball) and Washington takes over as starter. During that span, he catches 15 passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers go 3-1 in that stretch, still built around what’s now one of the NFL’s most successful ground games.
Volume is never Washington’s thing, he’s never a 60+ catch guy given the structure of Pittsburgh’s offense, but he’s valuable in all the best ways. He can block, he can catch, he helps finish drives (Pittsburgh’s red zone offense in 2023 and 2024 finishes top five) and he’s a selfless player who doesn’t care about getting the ball. Winning is all that matters. His sophomore seasons betters his rookie numbers in a big way, finishing with 38 receptions for 451 yards and four scores.
The Steelers go on a terrific playoff run, all the way to the Super Bowl, where they defeat the Detroit Lions 17-13. Washington catches just one pass for five yards but Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren combine for 151 rushing yards, the catalysts to their victory. A seventh Lombardi Trophy comes home.
Washington becomes one of the league’s best blocking tight ends and an all-around fine player. Freiermuth signs a long-term extension to stay in Pittsburgh, capping Washington’s snap count and offensive involvement but the Steelers transition to a Baltimore-like tight end-heavy offense that boosts his playing time and targets.
Though his stats are never gaudy, Washington becomes a Pro Bowl alternate in 2027, funny enough replacing Freiermuth when he pulls out due to a hamstring strain. The numbers that year aren’t overwhelming but his nose for the end zone helps, finishing that season with 40 receptions for 512 yards and five touchdowns.
He earns a second contract, a two-year deal, with similar production before moving on and spending a year with the Los Angeles Chargers and a season with the Seattle Seahawks as part two of his West Coast tour. As a Steeler, Washington is steady and consistent with great blocking and solid, though not spectacular receiving. He spends six seasons with the team, appearing in 89 games, (he misses eight weeks in 2028 with an MCL sprain after taking a shot to the knee) catching 188 passes for 2,093 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Worst Case: Washington is a fun player to build in a lab. On the field, it doesn’t look quite as good. While he’s regarded as a pro-ready tight end and is a more refined blocker than most peers in his class, he’s still a bit raw. He could get away with size, length, and strength, even at the SEC level. Remember that most of those guys aren’t going to become NFL starters. Washington is something of an awkward mover who gets too top heavy in the run game and lumbers in the pass game.
But it’s not his biggest problem. That issue are his knees. Flagged at the Combine for swelling, an old injury isn’t the concern. At 6’7, Washington is long with a more slender lower half. And when you want to tackle him, defenders know they don’t go high. They go low. While it was a short-sighted comment, what James Harrison once said about rather having players go at his head than his knees contains a nugget of truth. Ruin your knees and you ruin your playing career.
In the preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons, ex-Steeler Bud Dupree goes low on him to cut down Washington on a split flow zone block. It’s not malicious, it’s the right move to avoid getting washed, but Dupree’s left shoulder connects directly into Washington’s kneecap. Washington writhes in pain and limps off the field with the assistance of new team trainer Gabe Amponsah. It’s not an ACL tear but an MCL sprain that puts him on injured reserve-to return for the first six weeks of the year. Recovery is slow and he falls behind on football’s fast-moving train. He gets activated for Week 9 against Tennessee but it’s a short week and he’s inactive. Zach Gentry bounces back as a blocker as the Steelers’ run game still finds traction even without Washington in the lineup.
As a rookie, Washington gets a helmet towards the end of the year, appearing in four games. He logs 73 offensive snaps, catching six passes for 27 yards and no touchdowns. His run blocking is the get-in-the-way variety, but he struggles to reach and stick out in space and falls off his blocks too often.
He returns healthy for his sophomore season but struggles to find a role. He’s not a fluid athlete to dominate downfield and his run blocking is messy. Not terrible but messy. He becomes the team’s No. 2 tight end to start the season and is adequate throughout the first five weeks. In Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins, Washington breaks open down the seam. Kenny Pickett finds him 20 yards downfield but free safety Jevon Holland meets him at the catch point. He goes low, the way to cut down those large tight ends. Washington makes the catch at the expense of his ACL. It’s torn, he’s out for the year, and is just trying to get back ready for the following season. His sophomore season ends with 13 grabs for 93 yards and one touchdown off a play-action bootleg in Week 3 against Baltimore.
At this point, Washington has a college knee surgery and two in the NFL. Each injury has been worse, each recovery has been tougher. He starts the 2025 Active/PUP list and can’t get ready for camp, opening up the season on the Reserve/PUP list. He returns to the team but not as a tight end. Though it was hard to adjust coming off injury, he begins bulking up and getting reps as an offensive tackle, mimicking the same switch Larry Brown made in the 70s. At this point, it’s worth a shot. Washington never takes the field as a tackle in 2025, inactive as he gets bigger, stronger, and healthier while learning the position.
The 2026 year is a new one and time to test out his position. Washington is now a 303-pound offensive tackle, which, I know, adding weight for a dude with a history of knee problems doesn’t seem like a great idea but it’s his only shot to salvage an NFL career. He opens the year as a third-string right tackle. His run blocking is serviceable, his pass protection predictably shaky, but he doesn’t look completely out of place except for the two massive braces that run from above his knee basically down to his ankle.
He starts the year on the practice squad but is elevated in Week 6. Active, he sees seven snaps as a tackle-eligible in a slugfest win against the Kansas City Chiefs. Washington returns to the practice squad but gets signed to the 53 late in the year, appearing in two more games and logging 14 snaps.
From there, he calls it an NFL career so his knees aren’t on fire when he’s 40 years old. He turns down a contract with the New Orleans Saints and moves on with life’s work, catching only 19 passes and one career score.
Round 4 – LB Nick Herbig
Best Case: Herbig is a 4th of July firecracker. A hair-on-fire attitude, he makes an immediate impact on special teams and wins Danny Smith’s heart. It’s hard to display it in practice, though you can feel his intensity and see his instant buy-in. In preseason action, Herbig leads the way with eight special teams tackles across three games. Staying at outside linebacker, Herbig whips slow-footed tackles off the edge, picking up a sack in Week 2 against Buffalo and in Week 3 against Atlanta.
He’s still the #4 outside linebacker to start the year but there’s a sliver of snaps for that position to play. He sees seven snaps in the opener against the 49ers, recording two total tackles (one on defense, one on special teams) though the Steelers lose 28-20.
Playing time opens up in Week 9. On a short week against Tennessee, Markus Golden’s old bones aren’t ready from an ankle sprain and Herbig becomes the #3. Across 28 snaps, he records his first tackle for a loss, tripping up Derrick Henry from behind on the second drive of the game, and sacks rookie Will Levis on 1st and 10 of a third-quarter drive, beating first rounder Peter Skoronski. On the sideline, Steelers guard and big brother Nate Herbig lifts him up Grease-style, a moment wonderfully captured by the Prime Video camera crew and pointed out by Al Michaels, who gets an old-man kick out of it.
Run defense is a bit of a challenge for him and he’s prone to getting pushed around but his energy is contagious and he’s an all-effort type of dude.
His rookie year sees him appear in 16 games, playing exactly 100 defensive snaps, while recording 18 total tackles (12 on special teams) with one tackle for a loss, one sack, and a key forced fumble on the opening kickoff in Week 17 at Seattle, a must-win game Pittsburgh comes out of on top.
Shocker. The Steelers’ inside linebackers don’t look much better in 2023. Elandon Roberts is one-and-done while Cole Holcomb is only ok…at best. Pittsburgh gives in and begins moving Herbig to play off-ball, a role more suited for his size and length, and it pays off. He still aligns on the edge and becomes a front-seven chess piece. He’s not glued to inside linebacker, but his active hands and instincts allow him to shoot gaps, defeat blocks, and makes more plays against the run.
With a great 2024 summer, Herbig cracks the starting lineup in Week One over Mark Robinson and next to Holcomb. He starts the year with a bang, recording two tackles for a loss and trucking Baltimore Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins to pressure Lamar Jackson. Herbig doesn’t make the sack but flushes Jackson into T.J. Watt’s arms.
Occasionally, Herbig floats and aligns at outside linebacker, a way to give Robinson some deserving snaps to play off ball. Herbig is the strongest inside linebacker on the team, better than Holcomb, with solid coverage skills, picking off a pair of passes. Herbig’s sophomore year sees him start all 17 games, finishing third on the team with 81 tackles (four a loss) with 2.5 sacks, two picks, and two forced fumbles. He’s an impact guy, something that’s been missing at the position.
Inside linebacker is his new position for the long haul, replacing Holcomb for the 2025 season. Herbig and Robinson, now a starter, make up an awesome pairing, a lite version of Shake ‘n Bake between Ryan Shazier and Vince Williams. Herbig’s third season sees him lead the team in tackles as a three-down player, finishing with 102 stops (5.5 for a loss), three sacks, six pass breakups, and one interception.
Herbig anchors the position for the next four seasons, earning a second contract, and starts 97 career games, appearing in well over 100. He ends his Steelers career with 628 tackles (34 for a loss) 13.5 sacks, seven interceptions, and six forced fumbles. His NFL career doesn’t stop there and while he becomes an old head, his love of football still feeding that fire and he reverts back to being a quality special teamer for three seasons in Arizona, leading the team in ST tackles all three years.
Worst Case: Herbig is a classic case of a college stud who simply lacked the size to hang in the NFL. The length, the sand in his pants, and the Steelers’ error in keeping him at outside linebacker. He’s better than Sutton Smith but runs into the same trouble. He’s energetic, he’s athletic but none if it really matters when a 330-pound tackle is moving you from Point A to Point B. In the preseason opener, rookie Bucs guard Cody Mauch pulls and crunches Herbig into the ground as RB Chase Edmonds bursts through the now-created hole for a 30-yard gain.
Herbig still makes the team thanks to a hearty special teams effort and dresses for the opener. His playing time on defense is limited to only a handful of snaps as the unit finally stays healthy. Herbig finishes the year with seven tackles on special teams but nothing Herbig shows, even knowing it’s his rookie year, suggests he can be a defensive contributor.
Alex Highsmith is on his long-term deal, signed one day before 2023 camp, and T.J. Watt remains the best in the game. Markus Golden does leave in free agency but instead of bumping Herbig to #3, the Steelers draft Texas’ Barryn Sorrell in the third round of the 2024 draft. He’s bigger and stronger and becomes the rotational piece, leaving Herbig on special teams duties. Somewhat stubbornly, the team keeps Herbig at outside linebacker instead of kicking him inside, though the Steelers go linebacker heavy in the draft and select Clemson’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr. 18th overall. They even give Herbig a whirl at fullback in Week 6 when Connor Heyward misses with a concussion, playing three snaps and catching one pass for three yards, a 1st and 10 bootleg.
Herbig spends three seasons in Pittsburgh as a special teamer before drawing a short straw in the summer of 2026, in part because of a hamstring pull the first week that hampers him throughout. They’re always a pain and take longer than you think to recover.
In total, Herbig only plays 119 career defensive snaps but excels on special teams with 24 tackles alone there, though his impact is capped to running down kicks and punts. And that one random reception.
Round 7 – CB Cory Trice Jr.
Best Case: Trice isn’t your typical seventh rounder. With talent and value a couple rounds higher than where he was selected over supposed injury concerns, Trice sure looks healthy in camp. He’s the talk of the town, a playmaker impacting the day seemingly every practice from the word go. On Day One, he breaks up a downfield throw from Mitch Trubisky intended for Miles Boykin, a really fun matchup between a big corner and receiver, and later in the day, one-hands a tipped pass that clips off Calvin Austin’s hands over the middle, picking it off.
While the Steelers seem relatively loaded in the secondary, at least in terms of the number of people, there’s an immediate desire for him to carve out a role. That comes by way of dime packages. In the opener, Trice comes in on third down to matchup on 49ers tight end George Kittle, a tough matchup for sure, but he’s effective. On third downs, Kittle is targeted just twice and makes only one grab, a seven-yard grab on 3rd and 11, and Trice really competes and combats well. On the other target, Trice is able to play through Kittle’s hands on the way to the ground and slap the ball out, leading to a 49ers’ punt.
Trice is like Porter with size, physicality, but better ball skills and he’s more scheme versatile. His former safety instincts allow him to diagnosis and better see the whole field, and he can play along the interior in addition to slot corner. It helps because tight ends, especially the good ones, align all over the field, not just attached to the line of scrimmage. In Week 5, Mark Andrews is held to just two third down catches, only one going for a first down, as the Steelers notch the win, 21-17.
That’s Trice’s role throughout the year, logging 295 total defensive snaps and ending the year with 29 tackles and five breakups. It also comes with his first interception, floating in zone and getting depth to intercept Deshaun Watson in a Week 11 win over the Browns.
Levi Wallace hits free agency in the offseason and Peterson is another year older. With Joey Porter Jr. coming off a strong rookie year, picking off three passes, Trice pushes hard for the starting job at outside corner. He wins it with another strong showing, cleaning up his technique and improving his run defense, sending Peterson into a sub-package and versatility role. In the Week One opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, Porter and Trice erase Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase is held to four catches for 27 yards and Higgins posts just two grabs for 16 yards as the Steelers romp past the Bengals 27-10. Pittsburgh has its Avatar corners. They’re out of this world.
Trice builds upon things in his second season, starting 15 of 17 games and picking off five passes to go along with 51 tackles and one forced fumble. The Steelers finish the year fifth in passing yards allowed and sixth in passing scores. Pittsburgh’s offense is strong enough and the team wins the AFC North at 12-5, earning tiebreaker over the Bengals. Trice picks off the New York Jets’ Aaron Rodgers and returns it 15 yards to the house on the first drive of the third quarter. Pittsburgh picks off Rodgers three times that day to beat the Jets in what ends up being Rodgers’ final game of his NFL career, 26-16. The Steelers fall in the following week to Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes, who is tested by Pittsburgh’s secondary but does enough in a 24-21 overtime win, but Pittsburgh’s starting corners are set.
Porter and Trice go on to start opposite one another for the next four seasons, rare continuity at those spots. Trice isn’t quite a Pro Bowler but has a couple seasons where he’s worthy. Trice goes on to appear in 111 games, starting the vast majority of them, with 27 interceptions, two of them returned for touchdowns. Late in his career, he moves to safety after signing with the Denver Broncos, playing two more years with five more takeaways.
Worst Case: Pittsburgh wants Trice to be a cornerback. But the NFL rejects him. While he ran well at his Pro Day, Trice doesn’t quite play to his mid-4.4s time and a lack of speed on the outside is a problem for any corner, regardless of size. With several bodies ahead of him at corner and a nice summer from James Pierre, Trice battles just to make the 53. He does with one of the final roster spots but opens the year inactive behind those outside corners and slot man Chandon Sullivan.
Trice occasionally gets a hat throughout his first year and shows something as a gunner, picking up three solo tackles despite inconsistent snaps. Injuries help open playing time but he’s essentially glued to special teams, logging just 22 defensive snaps – all in Pittsburgh’s dime defense – by year’s end. He finishes the year with four tackles.
With Keanu Neal gone after the year, and the Steelers drafting Alabama CB Malachi Moore in the second round, Pittsburgh moves Trice back to safety in 2024. He looks more comfortable and natural there but still serves as a backup without much to note. His special teams workload increases, and he appears in 14 of the 17 games but he’s never quite able to capture a foothold of a consistent defensive role. It comes in spurts, filling in here and there, but his sophomore year ends with only 88 defensive snaps and 11 total tackles, still searching for his first interception.
Trice quietly undergoes clean-up knee surgery in the ensuing offseason. He sits out of OTAs and only works in individual drills during minicamp. He rests in the six weeks off before camp and gets through the first two practices before experiencing knee pain. After two days off, Trice returns to the field. So does the pain. He finally undergoes an MRI and is diagnosed with an arthritic knee, the long-term medical concern that caused him to nearly fall out of the draft.
Trice tries to push through it but he’s even slower now and not confident in his knee, worries about every twist and turn it makes. Pittsburgh cuts him before the 2025 season begins. He signs with the New England Patriots’ practice squad but falls out of the league at the end of the year, never again playing a regular-season down.
Round 7 – OL Spencer Anderson
Best Case: Anderson’s versatility is his calling card. He can play up and down the line, even showing the ability to play center, seeing extended time there after Kendrick Green breaks his ankle during a team drill. Anderson makes the team with relative ease.
Anderson is tested early on when Mason Cole is concussed in Week Two against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night. Anderson steps up and steps in with clean snaps and zero missed assignments as Pittsburgh escapes with a nail-biting 17-16 win on a Chris Boswell game-winning 37-yard field goal. Cole returns the following week and Anderson goes to the bench. He winds up playing 61 snaps his rookie year, a small but promising sample size.
In the following offseason, Chukwuma Okorafor is released, and Anderson gets a larger look as a backup tackle, too. He winds up being Pittsburgh’s top backup at center and right tackle, seeing 47 snaps at the pivot in 2024 and a lot more on the right side. Dan Moore Jr. fractures his hand in Week 10 and Anderson steps in. He has a strong showing against the Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, holding him to just two tackles and one hurry all game, and Crosby tips his cap to him afterwards, easier to do on the heels of a Las Vegas 20-14 win.
Anderson never becomes a full-time guy anywhere but becomes a modern-day Chris Hubbard. On his rookie deal, he sees time at center, right guard, and right tackle. He has good feet, a heady mind, and a can-do attitude that keeps him around. The only downside is his versatility creates value on the open market and he signs a three-year, $9 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys. There, he becomes their starting right guard for the next two seasons and a backup the third.
As a Steeler, Anderson appears in 17 games on offense (excluding his special teams work) with nine career starts. It’s not amazing but it’s good given how late he was drafted.
Worst Case: Anderson has sweet feet and can move up and down. But he lacks the nasty run blocking and imposing size the Steelers are collecting up front, making him an awkward fit. The light comes on for Kendrick Green, impressing in the summer and with better depth across the board, sending Anderson to the practice squad. He’s versatile but Pittsburgh doesn’t know where he fits best. As a rookie in camp, he mostly sees time at right tackle but doesn’t have ideal length. The interior line should be his true home. He spends the entire year on the taxi squad.
But Pittsburgh adds to the middle in the 2024 draft, going back to the Bulldogs’ well and taking center Sedrick Van Pran 24th overall. Anderson is still battling the Steelers’ much-improved depth. He’s waived at cutdowns and claimed by the Los Angeles Rams, where he spots starts three games over the next two seasons at center and guard. He spends a year in the USFL with the New Jersey Generals before retiring. A high school chess star, he competes nationally and comes in 3rd place in the 2028 U.S. Open Championships.
