This might be a hot take, but I find the NFL draft to be the second most entertaining event in football. Each team has something to be excited about, spending months convincing themselves that their picks will fundamentally change the course of their franchise.
Obviously, with this comes discourse as to who, or rather, what position a team should prioritize. The Steelers are no different this season with several holes to fill on their roster. However, I think it is safe to say the most widely agreed upon points of improvement must be cornerback, center and offensive tackle.
In an effort to answer the age-old question of “positional value” and what positions Pittsburgh should look to prioritize I painstakingly went through every team, looked at each starter, and found where the average draft position for each is. In doing this, we have some level of context as to where value starters can be found at each position in an effort to prevent us from “reaching.” Without further ado, let’s begin.
Center
Center is a position highly regarded in Steelers fandom. Names like Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson anchored the offensive line, but ever since Pouncey’s decline the team has sputtered at the position. Kendrick Green was the team’s most recent investment at the position, being picked in the 3rd round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but after inconsistent play he’s now out of Pittsburgh.
His replacement Mason Cole hasn’t fared much better — he was released last week after starting every game the last two seasons — leaving the team in a no-brainer situation of upgrading the position.
Of the 32 starters at the positions, centers were drafted, on average, in the fourth round. Twelve starters were drafted within the first two rounds, nine between Rounds 3 and 5, three in the 5-to-7 range and six were undrafted.
To be clear too, the low-end guys are not scrubs, something you’ll notice throughout this exercise. Jason Kelce was a sixth rounder while David Andrews was an undrafted free agent.
Long story short, historically, you can find a center in the middle of the draft.
Tackles
Sticking with the offensive line, next up we have tackles. I was planning on exclusively doing right tackles for this exercise, but with the non-committal approach by the Steelers regarding whether Broderick Jones will be their long-term left tackle, we’re compelled to do both.
If you watch the NFL draft, you know how valued tackles are, and that is reflected in this exercise. On average, a starting tackle is drafted in the second round (2.5). Of the 64 starters in the league, 33 of them were first-round picks with 16 falling right after, drafted between the second and third rounds.
Only three of the bunch were undrafted free agents. Long story short, most teams have one of their two starting tackles with first-round pedigree. If they don’t, it’s more than likely they spent at least a Day 2 pick on the position.
In fact, only three teams, the Washington Commanders, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, are without a starter at tackle who was selected within the first two days of the NFL draft.
Cornerback
Heading to the defensive side of the ball and what I consider to be Pittsburgh’s biggest question mark next season: cornerback. The Steelers nailed their second-round pick last season with Joey Porter Jr. He was the lone positive in an otherwise disappointing secondary for the team in 2023.
Patrick Peterson has clearly lost a step despite his improved play at the back end of the season, meaning the Steelers need to invest in the position. Where should they strike? On average a starter is drafted in the third round (2.8). However, unlike tackle, it is more common to find gems later in the draft.
Eleven starters in the NFL were either undrafted or picked on the last day of the draft. The biggest name of the bunch would be San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward. A former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, he went undrafted and has since proved to be a high-level player.
Still, as it was with tackles, the majority are drafted in the first round. Twenty of the 64 starters have first-round status. Twenty-seven were drafted on Day 2, making up the majority of starters in the league.
Quarterback
Okay, this one is just for fun. With the regular media cycle circling around the Steelers’ quarterback situation, it would feel a bit disingenuous to ignore it in this breakdown.
As you might expect, it is the highest drafted of any position with a flat second round on average grade. However, if you take out Taylor Heineke, the only non-drafted NFL starter, and put in Desmond Ridder, who was drafted in the third round by the Atlanta Falcons, the number climbs into the first round.
Of the 32 NFL starters, 20 were first-round selections. As I’m sure you are aware, that is the highest average of any position we have identified so far. Of those 20, 13 were drafted in the top 10.
Outside of the first round, the next most common spot to find a starting quarterback is either in the second round or the fourth round with four starters found in each, making a total of eight. The final four were found in the third round (Russell Wilson), fifth (Sam Howell), seventh (Brock Purdy) and undrafted (Heineke).
To wrap it up in a bow, don’t expect to find the next Tom Brady anytime soon. You’re better off taking a chance on an early quarterback and crossing your fingers.
Final Recap
Based on the numbers, how the Steelers should attack the draft is as follows:
- Quarterback
- Tackle
- Cornerback
- Center
Does this mean they should pass on a high-level center over a lower-rated cornerback? Of course not, but hopefully this gives better context to where each position is more likely to be filled in the draft.
