The Pittsburgh Steelers outperformed expectations, and enter the off-season with numerous issues that take high priority. Their late season surge to the playoffs pushed their position in the 2022 NFL Draft down to number 20. Luckily for the Steelers, this is a draft with lots of talent in their positions of need. Some think the Steelers should draft a quarterback, but that might prove to be an unwise move given the state of the team in other key positions. So, these are the biggest Steelers draft needs and, spoiler, they don’t include quarterback.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Needs Highlighted by Offensive Line
Interior Offensive Line
This is the biggest of the Steelers draft needs and it’s not particularly close. Of the three interior offensive line positions, the Steelers have a starter at one. Left guard Kevin Dotson has his spot locked down, though even he will need to be better than he was prior to suffering a season-ending injury late in the 2021 season. Elsewhere, 2021 third round pick Kendrick Green simply cannot be the team’s starting center in 2021. He could potentially move to his more natural right guard position, but that’s far from a guarantee to fix his issues. Last year’s right guard Trai Turner was good at times and bad at times, but he isn’t under contract for 2022 and won’t be back.
The biggest interior offensive lineman prize in the 2022 draft is Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum. He likely won’t be available when it’s time for the Steelers to make their first round selection. However, some mock drafts do have Linderbaum being available at number 20, likely due to being a bit undersized. Though far from perfect, Linderbaum would be a home run pick this late into the first round. If Pittsburgh wants to take a guard, they can try again by selecting a different “K. Green,” and take Kenyon Green out of Texas A&M. They would still need to address the center position in the draft or free agency, though.
Cornerback
Though it has fallen under the radar a bit, cornerback is a massive need for the Steelers in this draft. Their closest player to a true number one corner is Joe Haden, whose better days are certainly behind him at 32 years old. A free agent, there’s no guarantee that Haden will even be a Steeler in 2022. Even if he is, the Steelers desperately need to get younger at the position, along with a major need to improve their depth. Cameron Sutton disappointed in 2021 and shouldn’t be the team’s number one cornerback if Haden is not re-signed.
The top cornerbacks will be off the board by the 20th pick. Like in most recent years, though, this is a good year to need a cornerback. Derek Stingley of LSU and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner will be long gone by 20. But, CBS Sports has a whopping eight cornerbacks in their top 30 overall prospects for the 2022 draft. There’s a lot of talent at the position. Someone like Kaiir Elam of Florida is more likely to be available and would be a quality selection for the Steelers.
Offensive Tackle
In today’s NFL, offensive tackles are more important than interior offensive line. However, it’s lower on this list because Pittsburgh is in much better shape at tackle than guard and center. Dan Moore Jr. and Chukwuma Okorafor are not top tier tackles in the NFL, but they weren’t terrible in 2021. Moore did his best work as a run blocker, but will definitely need to do a better job of protecting the blindside of whoever is the Steelers quarterback in 2022. Okorafor might have been the Steelers best offensive lineman last year (which definitely isn’t saying much), but is a free agent. If he is not re-signed, then offensive tackle could climb to the top of the Steelers draft needs.
Like with cornerback, this is a pretty good year to need a tackle. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the top tackles will be gone by the 20th pick. There’s a good chance they could find a good tackle with their second round pick, though. And there’s always a chance where one of the tackles projected to be picked in the top 15 falls into their lap at 20. In that case, they’d be hard-pressed to pass on whoever that player may be. Otherwise, they are probably comfortable enough with the players on their roster (plus a potential free agent signing) to wait until the second or third round to take a tackle.
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