We’re just three months removed from the 2023 NFL Draft and we’re already drafting it over. That’s the offseason boredom for you. Sunday, Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder redrafted the recent 2023 class to see how it might play out based on all we know right now. Which, frankly, isn’t that much different than how things looked in late April but there have been a handful of changes around the NFL since that might shake up the draft. DeAndre Hopkins is no longer a Cardinal, Dalvin Cook no longer a Viking, and the Denver Broncos signed pass rusher Frank Clark. Even the Steelers have made a handful of moves though nothing that would seemingly impact their draft strategy.
But in the re-do, Pittsburgh doesn’t come away with OT Broderick Jones. Instead, they select Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez. That’s because Jones is off the board at #11 to the Tennessee Titans, leaving the Steelers to stay at #17 and pick Gonzalez. Explaining why, Holder writes:
“At roughly 6’2″ and 200 pounds, Christian Gonzalez fits the size profile the Steelers were looking for at the position, much more so than the very lean 6’1″ and 166-pound Emmanuel Forbes who was drafted one spot ahead of Gonzalez.”
Gonzalez was one of my favorite prospects of the draft, my #1 corner in a pretty good class, and someone the Steelers passed on to trade up and take Jones at 14. Pittsburgh knew they had to address tackle and cornerback early in the class. Given the scarcity and value of left tackle and the depth of corner, it made sense for them to get their tackle in Round One, something they haven’t done since 1996.
The strategy worked out swimmingly. Pittsburgh still got a first-round caliber corner in Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. at #32 and recouped the fourth rounder they used to trade up for Jones, trading down from #80 to #93 and still picking up TE Darnell Washington late on Day Two. A board that broke exceedingly well for Pittsburgh.
But if Jones was gone, Gonzalez was a logical place to go. As Holder notes, he’s turned heads in OTAs, even impressing the rarely-impressed Bill Belichick. He would’ve been a strong fit in Pittsburgh’s man-heavy defense.
Bryce Young remains the first player off the board in the redraft, still going first overall to the Carolina Panthers. The first shakeup occurs at #3 when the Arizona Cardinals keep their pick instead of trading to Houston and take Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon. Around the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals take Pitt DT Calijah Kancey instead of EDGE Myles Murphy while the Baltimore Ravens come away with a different WR, picking up Jayden Reed in a bit of a surprising first round move. Reed was the 50th pick of the actual draft, making this feel like a stretch.
