NFL analyst and draftnik Daniel Jeremiah was at Pittsburgh Steelers practice on Saturday, and he walked away very impressed with what he saw from Pittsburgh. On The Rich Eisen Show, Jeremiah offered his thoughts on rookie tight end Darnell Washington, who’s impressed with his blocking in backs-on-backers so far and second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. He thinks the Steelers got a steal in Washington at No. 93 overall.
“He’s gonna be a real, real steal for them in the third round,” Jeremiah said about Washington.
He also expanded on his comments about Kenny Pickett having “Burrow traits” yesterday, saying that the two share the same strengths, although Pickett doesn’t do them as well as Burrow does yet.
With everything coming together, Jeremiah thinks Pittsburgh has a shot to win the AFC North.
“I think they can win this division, forget finishing in last place,” he said.
Pre-draft, Washington looked like he could be a first-round pick, but fell due to concerns about his medicals, particularly with his knees. But he was a full participant in the Steelers’ offseason work and has been in training camp as well so far, impressing with his blocking ability that he showed off as a two-time National Champion at the University of Georgia.
Pickett stepped up in the second half of last season, and with more weapons and a playbook set to expand, he could be in line for a big leap in 2023. Jeremiah made it clear that he’s not saying that Pickett will be like Burrow, but that they share strengths. That’s still pretty high praise, and if the offense takes a step forward as it should, a big part of that will be due to the play of Pickett.
Behind a revamped offensive line and a defense that will be among the best in the NFL once again, there’s no reason the Steelers can’t win the AFC North. They’re a divisive team, with an ESPN segment that Jeremiah referenced the other day debating whether the team will come in last place in the AFC North, something they haven’t done since 1989. But it seems for as many people who think they’re the worst team in the division, there are just as many who think they can compete at the top.
There’s no real reason why Pittsburgh would come in last in the AFC North this year unless you strictly go off quarterback rankings, and even then you could make a case for the Steelers finishing in third if you don’t buy a Deshaun Watson turnaround coming in Cleveland. The team improved pretty much across the board from the 9-8 squad in 2022, and while the AFC North is probably the toughest division in football, the Steelers will find a way to compete with the likes of the Bengals and Ravens at the top.
It’s not going to be easy, but there’s absolutely a path for Pittsburgh to win the division. People who have been up close and seen the team work in person like Jeremiah tend to be high on them, and I’ll take their word over the people sitting at home. 2023 has the potential to be a really exciting season in Pittsburgh.
