2018 NFL Draft Grades: Giving an overall Draft grade to the Pittsburgh Steelers

I get it...I really do.

When you wait around all night to hear who your favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, select in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft — you want something exciting.

Instead, when you hear a name you either don’t know, or think shouldn’t be recited until Day 2 or 3, you experience a long list of emotions: puzzled, dumbfounded, flummoxed, frustrated and, most importantly, angry.

Nonetheless, you soldier on and hope for better things to come on Days 2 and 3. The draft class which was supposed to be all defense turned into 4 out of 7 picks on the offensive side of the football. The replacement for Ryan Shazier? Never happened.

What in the heck is going on?!

It is likely at this point where emotion is getting the best of you and you head to websites like BTSC to read negative remarks, make your own negative remarks and do whatever it takes to get this proverbial bad taste out of your mouth.

There is a reason I waited to run this article on Tuesday after the draft had concluded. I am hoping the emotion of the event has slowly worn off, and we all can take a look at this with a more level-headed approach.

So, what do you think of the 2018 Draft class?

Round 1 - Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech
Round 2 - James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State
Round 3 - Mason Rudolph, QB, OklahomaState
Round 3 - Chukwuma Okorafor, OT, Western Michigan
Round 5 - Marcus Allen, S, Penn State
Round 5 - Jaylen Samuels, RB, North Carolina State
Round 7 - Joshua Frazier, DT, Alabama

Personally, the more I think about it the more I see what the Steelers are trying to do on defense. The two safeties they added are bigger, hard-nosed style tacklers. With the team leaning on sub package football more than ever, it makes sense the team will be using a combination of Edmunds and Allen to help fill the inside linebacker need.

Will it work? Who knows, but the Steelers could either be geniuses with a 3-3-5 type approach, or get the football run straight down their throats a la the Jaguars in 2017.

For the offensive picks, I was very happy. I like the tackle to push Jerald Hawkins, James Washington is a player from Day 1 and I am one of the few who actually think Mason Rudolph can be the future at the quarterback position for the black-and-gold. Is he ready right now? No, but he can be. Throw in the versatility of Jaylen Samuels, and the offense got some players.

Okay, enough commentary, what about the grade? Edmunds may seem like a reach to many, but I don’t see it that way. Maybe I just trust the brain trust of Kevin Colbert and company more than most, but upon further review I actually don’t mind this pick. If there was a pick I wasn’t crazy about it would be the one which didn’t happen. If the Steelers really wanted Rashaan Evans, and thought he was a difference maker — you don’t let a trade not go through.

Overall Grade: B

What is your grade? Vote in the poll below and let us know in the comment section below!