The 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers season wasn’t all sunshine and roses, but there were some good things that happened during the year. One was the emergence of the 2023 draft class. Shortly after the draft, many analysts and talking heads applauded Steelers general manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin for their draft class.
Three players saw significant time during the season in CB Joey Porter Jr. (second-round pick) OT Broderick Jones (first-round pick) and DT Keeanu Benton (second-round pick). Additionally, TE Darnell Washington (third-round pick) and OLB Nick Herbig (fourth-round pick) all contributed throughout the season. It isn’t a stretch to say that without this rookie class and their impact, that Pittsburgh might be picking close to the top 10 this April.
One key that helped the Steelers’ rookie class succeed this season, and what will hopefully help them continue to blossom into great players, was how Pittsburgh handled them. It would’ve been very easy to throw Porter and Jones into the starting lineup right away as the secondary was getting torched with CBs Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace looking way out of their depth and the offensive line also struggled. But Pittsburgh didn’t rush things knowing they did not want to kill their rookies’ confidence early on—like what happened with C Kendrick Green and CB Artie Burns in previous years.
Because Pittsburgh did not force their rookies to play early and often, much of the rookie class has high confidence going into the offseason. While that does not guarantee success (see QB Kenny Pickett) it is a good sign and gets back to when Pittsburgh was successful in developing players throughout the 2000s and early 2010s.
Steelers star DT Cameron Heyward notably didn’t see consistent playing time until he was in his third year, sitting behind Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel. Obviously you need to hit on the right prospects, but almost equally as important is nurturing young players and building them up. Pittsburgh did that this past season.
Looking forward now, because of how well the Steelers’ draft class was, Pittsburgh is in a much better place entering the next few drafts. While defensive tackle and cornerback are still positions of need, it seems the Steelers already have cornerstones of the future at those two positions in Porter and Benton. Additionally, at least at cornerback, this can be addressed in free agency instead of the draft if Pittsburgh prefers.
Along the offensive line, Jones looks like he can be a big piece on either side of the line as he showed he was capable as both a right tackle and left tackle. Given this, Pittsburgh now has a choice of choosing to play him wherever, and in the upcoming draft can choose the best player available at the position.
Another reason Pittsburgh is set up really well for their future is Herbig. While he won’t start over OLBs T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith, Herbig showed game wrecking ability when playing and has likely made Pittsburgh feel very comfortable with him backing up both Watt and Highsmith. With Herbig, the Steelers should not have to burn a draft pick on a OLB anytime soon which will allow the team to address other needs in the next few drafts.
Finally, the last contributor from the 2023 draft class was Washington. While he was relegated to a blocking role and only saw a total of 10 targets on the season, he was an effective blocker. Tight ends usually don’t light the NFL on fire in their first season. Despite this, he opened up holes for RBs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren and will likely continue to get better in both the run blocking and pass catching game. Even if Washington becomes the 2020s version of Matt Spaeth, that is still a huge success given how badly the Steelers have needed a high level blocking tight end. Even more so now in Arthur Smith’s offensive system.
The Steelers 2023 draft class likely won’t be the reincarnation of 1974, but already it has shown the ability to produce capable NFL players. The next goal is for them to develop and continue to grow. Their early success creates more possibilities for Khan this offseason rather than being forced into reaching for needs.
