The Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL Draft class was widely lauded as one of the best in the NFL, and analyst Buck Brooks thinks they have a class that could shape the 2023 season. Brooks thinks Pittsburgh’s rookie haul could vault the team back into contention.
“The Steelers’ youth movement could propel Mike Tomlin’s squad back into title contention this season. The Class of 2023 joins a collection of second- and third-year players who have the team positioned to make a run at the AFC North title and a top spot in the postseason tournament,” Brooks wrote for NFL.com.
Brooks believes that OT Broderick Jones will start by midseason, while Darnell Washington, Keeanu Benton and Joey Porter Jr. will all be key contributors as rookies, calling their traits “enticing.” He also thinks that Nick Herbig will be in Pittsburgh’s regular pass rush rotation if he flashes the way he did throughout the preseason.
It looked like an impressive group right after the draft, and with the preseason concluded it looks even better. While Jones will likely start as the backup to Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle, Porter Jr. and Benton will all see regular playing time, even if Benton is behind Montravius Adams at nose tackle to start the season. Porter will be the team’s third outside corner, but he’ll still get some run. Washington is going to play in two tight end sets and his blocking ability should help open up the run game for Pittsburgh, with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren set for big seasons.
While the Steelers have been praised as a team that focuses on drafting and developing, they have one of the fewest numbers of homegrown players on their 2023 roster. But if this groups develops as Pittsburgh hopes, they could help form the core of the team for years to come along with second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett and other homegrown talents like OLBs T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
It’s going to be really fun to watch how this rookie class performs this year, and as their roles continue to grow going forward, the Steelers could end up being a team that continually competes with the cream of the crop in the AFC. While Pittsburgh has been competitive, they haven’t been able to ascend to the next level in recent years. That could change if this young core ascends early in their careers.
All-in-all, it was an impressive first offseason for general manager Omar Khan, and the draft so far looks like a nice feather in his cap. This is the most complete roster Pittsburgh has had in years, and it’s a group that looks like they could make some noise in the AFC.
