Buy Or Sell: The Steelers will load Arthur Smith’s offense up with new rookie starters in the draft.
Explanation: The Steelers have a history of stacking their new coaches’ cupboards under Mike Tomlin. More often than not, if they get a new wide receivers coach, they’ll turn that room over to some extent. For example, they did that last year at inside linebacker with Aaron Curry.
Now they have a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith, their first outside hire at the post since 2012. They’ve already turned over the quarterback room, but the offensive line and receiver rooms need some modifications.
Buy:
The Steelers need a center, a tackle, and a wide receiver on offense. It’s more than plausible that they can land Arthur Smith starters at each position in the first two days of the draft. Start with the tackle in the first round, followed by center. They have enough ammunition to trade up for a starting-caliber center if necessary.
Let’s put it this way: the Steelers have already told us this is what they’re going to do for Smith. Just look at their pre-draft visitors: it’s all tackles, centers, and wide receivers. They know exactly what they need, and they know where the value aligns in the draft. They’ll get what they need and call it a day. Frankly, they have enough holes that the rookies are going to have to play anyway, ready or not.
Sell:
Even with the acceleration of playing time for rookies, you’re still lucky to land multiple immediate starters. As with last year, the Steelers have four picks in the first three rounds, but they have needs on both sides of the ball, not just Arthur Smith’s.
We may well see them draft three offensive players in the first three rounds, but the odds of them all starting are low. For example, if they land Amarius Mims in the first round, we can’t safely bet he’ll start. He may sit until 2025 as long as they like what Dan Moore Jr. is doing. And they may lose out on the top centers.
As for a wide receiver, he may simply play by default. Or they’ll rely on Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III instead. They already have a cabinet full of running backs and tight ends.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
