The Pittsburgh Steelers have some deep needs this year, positions at which they could easily and justifiably double dip. While the wide receiver position has gotten a lot of attention in that regard, the defensive line isn’t far behind. Indeed, the need may be even greater there, and on multiple levels.
Bob Labriola has hammered this point for the Steelers’ website multiple times this offseason. In a recent Asked and Answered article, he made his strongest pitch for the team to take a full-throated approach. Basically, they have to aim for not just one more high-quality starter, but two—and through the draft.
“What I believe the Steelers need along the defensive line is a player who can be an eventual replacement for Cam Heyward, but I also think if the defense is going to be elite it needs another Stephon Tuitt,” Labriola wrote.
The Steelers drafted Heyward in the first round in 2011, Tuitt in the second round in 2014. Two years later, they drafted Javon Hargrave in the third round. For a period of several years after that, they had one of the best defensive lines in football. Even after Hargrave left, Tyson Alualu made a suitable replacement at nose tackle.
But Hargrave offered a more well-rounded game, and fate conspired to crush the Steelers. Stephon Tuitt retired after suffering a personal tragedy, which left them in the lurch. They did without him for a season and then signed Larry Ogunjobi to replace him. He never came close to replicating what Tuitt meant to this defense, though, and could be released this offseason.
To make matters worse, Alualu suffered a major injury in 2021. When he returned a year later, he was not the same player, and the Steelers let him go afterward. They drafted Keeanu Benton in the second round, but he has yet to fully blossom.
Heyward is still playing at an All-Pro level, but he is near retirement. Labriola is right in that the Steelers must be searching for a replacement not only for Heyward but also Ogunjobi. And we’re talking about first- and second-round picks.
“That kind of draft capital is what has to be invested for those kinds of defensive linemen, and great defenses have those kinds of defensive linemen.”
Just last year, the Steelers used their first- and second-round draft picks on offensive linemen. They also did the same in 2012, and in 2016 they used their top two picks in the secondary. From Mike Tomlin’s first draft in 2007, they used their top two picks on linebackers.
There is a pattern and a history of the Steelers hitting one area of the roster hard. But this year, they also need a premium wide receiver. Even though there isn’t likely one worth drafting, they need a quarterback too.
While they might not go back-to-back with defensive linemen, this is a deep draft class. The Steelers very well could come away with two, maybe even more if the value is right. But will they have two players who can be the foundation of a great defensive line for years?
