What was the Steelers’ worst draft pick over the weekend?
While the Steelers have generally earned praise for their drafts under GM Omar Khan, this had a line of demarcation. And of course I choose that phrase deliberately, because that’s what this is all about. Basically, people who think the Steelers needed a high-pedigreed quarterback thinks they dun goofed. Everybody else, for the most part, thinks they did a pretty bang-up job.
One thing the Steelers certainly did was draft for value, as well as need, and that’s hard to argue. Sometimes they went for value over need, particularly in the fourth round. I don’t think many people were clamoring for another edge rusher, but Jack Sawyer was already a Steeler before he knew it. Given the divide of opinion about quarterback, this could be an interesting one, so let’s see.
When the Steelers used their first-round draft pick on DL Derrick Harmon, every quarterback but Cam Ward was still available. They even brought both Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart in for pre-draft visits. While Sanders fell to the fifth round, the Giants moved up to snag Dart. Should Pittsburgh have taken him instead?
The Steelers still had virtually their pick of the lot to draft a quarterback even in the third round. The only other quarterback drafted between the Steelers’ first- and third-round picks was Tyler Shough. Now perhaps they liked him, and might have drafted him in the second round, but that’s moot. They did, however, draft RB Kaleb Johnson. While he didn’t time well, his tape shows better speed than his Combine performance.
But how about Sawyer? The Steelers went the whole draft without taking a wide receiver (but they have since signed veteran Robert Woods). Should they have passed on the value of Sawyer to take the best player available at a position of need? Given that the Steelers immediately went out and signed a wide receiver, they obviously saw it as a need.
Once again, you are to use whatever criteria you choose to decide which was the Steelers’ worst draft pick. A lot of Steelers fans still don’t like the Pat Freiermuth pick because they could have had Creed Humphrey. Even if they have Zach Frazier now. And how much can you hate a seventh-round pick? I guess we’ll find out.
The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While it looks like they are keeping George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now in place, so most of the roster construction is complete.
But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. Certain will-he-or-won’t-he situations remain in play, which we continue to monitor. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.
