If the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t take a running back in the first round, they may still be in luck. Even without a second-round pick, they will have talent available to them in the middle rounds. They have already explored some of these options, with Bhayshul Tuten the most recent one.
While they might not find a do-everything back later in the draft, the Steelers can certainly improve their backfield considerably. Draft analyst Nick Baumgardner shared some names Pittsburgh should mind when it comes to the middle rounds later this month. Tuten was one of them, but there were others as well.
“After the second, you’re looking at players like [RJ] Harvey, Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, Georgia’s Trevor Etienne, Kansas State’s DJ Giddens, Tuten, and [Jordan] James”, Baumgardner said of potential Steelers running back draft targets after the second round. “All of those guys are capable of immediately contributing in a two-back rotation next season”.
Of those listed, the Steelers have brought in two—Tuten and Giddens—for pre-draft visits. They will have inevitably had points of contact with the rest during the pre-draft cycle, as well. As is a common theme in this draft, the skill set these players offer vary.
Unsurprisingly, we have covered this area extensively in our draft profiles, if the Steelers brass want to read them. Here is one on Harvey, for example, and another on Etienne. If you want to read about Skattebo or perhaps Giddens, you can do so through those links. Likewise, to find out more about Tuten, and finally James, those resources are also available.
Notably, the Steelers haven’t even drafted a running back since taking Najee Harris in the first round in 2021. Earlier this offseason, they let Harris walk in free agency, setting the table for 2022 college free agent Jaylen Warren to assume the lead responsibility. Last year, they also signed Cordarrelle Patterson in free agency. While he remains under contract, some question for how much longer.
Between 2017 and 2020, the Steelers drafted running backs pretty regularly. Even with Le’Veon Bell, they drafted James Conner in the third round in 2017. During the 2019 draft, they added Benny Snell Jr., and a year after that, Anthony McFarland Jr. Since Harris in the subsequent class, however, they haven’t taken another running back.
In other words, the Steelers are very much due to draft a running back, and this class is the one to need a running back. For Baumgardner, Tuten and Harvey “could be really nice fits” in the Steelers’ scheme under Arthur Smith. “I also think both these players are good enough to make defenses honest when a team wants to get big and run the ball downhill”, he wrote.
