Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 6.0: A look at the Steelers latest mock draft projections

With the football world focused on Indianapolis and the NFL Scouting Combine, it should be expected that the opinions of the mock draft experts will change significantly in the comings weeks as countless prospects rise and fall on the strength of their performance in front of the league.

Each and every Wednesday for the next eight weeks, we will bring you a selection of the latest mock draft projections from around the NFL draft community in an effort to help identify some of the players Pittsburgh could be interested in come April. So far, we have looked at 50 contrasting offerings from some of the more well-known names in the business, with three different defensive players standing out from the pack as the most popular names to project to the Steelers over the past five weeks.

• Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 1.0 consensus pick - Devin White, LB, LSU
• Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 2.0 consensus pick - Byron Murphy, CB, Washington
• Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 3.0 consensus pick - Tie between Byron Murphy, CB, Washington and Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia
• Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 4.0 consensus pick - Devin White, LB, LSU
• Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 5.0 consensus pick - Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia

This week we have 10 more mock drafts worthy of review:

Chad Reuter, NFL Network - WR, Marquise Brown, Oklahoma

“Antonio Brown has said goodbye to Steeler Nation. Marquise would be a nice fit, using his speed and quickness to elude defenders as Antonio did in Pittsburgh for nine years.”

Round 2 - RB, Darrell Henderson, Memphis - “James Conner did a great job for Pittsburgh in 2018, but Henderson would be a great complement in the backfield.”

Round 3 - LB, Terrill Hanks, New Mexico State - “Hanks did not get much pub playing in Las Cruces, but he nonetheless will upgrade the Steelers’ interior defense.”

(Previous pick - WR, Marquise Brown, Oklahoma)

Bucky Brooks, NFL Network - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington

“The Steelers need to find a young CB1 with playmaking skills. Murphy is a five-star player with outstanding skills on the island.”

(Previous pick - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington)

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington

“They need to get better at inside linebacker and this kid can fly. He would be an immediate upgrade on a unit that needs him in a big way.”

(Previous pick - LB, Devin White, LSU)

Will Brinson, CBS Sports - CB, Deandre Baker, Georgia

“The Steelers have a tons of drama involving their offensive players, but the reality is they need to get better on defense.”

(Previous pick - DL, Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State)

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports - WR, Kelvin Harmon, NC State

“Another week, another Harmon-to-the-Steelers pick. Harmon, James Washington, and, of course, JuJu Smith-Schuster would represent a young, fun, and diversely talented wideout group in the Steel City.”

(Previous pick - WR, Kelvin Harmon, NC State)

Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports - CB, Greedy Williams, LSU

“The Steelers need help at edge rusher and linebacker but if Williams, the most athletic cornerback in this class falls to No. 20 Pittsburgh has to take him.”

(Previous pick - LB, Devin White, LSU)

Dan Kadar, SB Nation - CB, Greedy Williams, LSU

“Although Williams tends to shy away from physical situations, he knows how to play the football and break up passes. After the Steelers got just eight interceptions a season ago, fifth-worst in the NFL, Williams is the type of player they need.”

Round 2 - DE, Charles Omenihu, Texas

Round 3 - S, Juan Thornhill, Virginia

(Previous pick - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington)

Doug Farrar, Touchdown Wire - LB, Devin White, LSU

“Obviously, everything is up in the air for a Steelers team that will not have Le’Veon Bell in 2019 and may not have Antonio Brown, either. Those situations could affect what general manager Kevin Colbert decides to do. But one thing is abundantly clear—Pittsburgh has not replaced Ryan Shazier’s athleticism at the inside linebacker positions since Shazier was seriously injured in late 2017. This showed over and over in 2018, though some of Pittsburgh’s defensive issues had to do with scheme, and it’s as important as anything else that Colbert and his staff get some more pure athleticism inside. White would certainly do that. He’s been the shot-caller on LSU’s defense, and he can do everything from stack and shed at the line of scrimmage to roam to either boundary and drop into coverage.”

(Previous pick - First mock)

Jon Ledyard, The Draft Network - S, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Florida

“Gardner-Johnson began his time at Florida as an outside cornerback, switched to safety where he played single-high and in the box and finally settled at nickel corner during his junior year. His size and athleticism are going to have his stock soaring after the Combine, including generating conversations amongst some teams, perhaps the Steelers, if cornerback might be his best position in the NFL.

(Previous pick - LB, Mack Wilson. Alabama)

Jeff Ridson, RealGM - CB, Greedy Williams, LSU

“The Steelers search for a playmaking CB leads them to Williams, who offers length and speed to help bolster an uneven secondary.”

(Previous pick - CB, Amani Oruwariye, Penn State)

Cornerbacks once again dominate our selection of mock draft offerings, but it is a new name that wins top spot as the most popular name to project to the Pittsburgh Steelers this week in Greedy Williams. Previously, the LSU product had been long gone by the time the experts arrived at pick No.20 and it would appear the cornerback may be slipping in the eyes of some observers.

We will add more mock drafts to our weekly roundup as they appear and we encourage you to let us know which experts you think we should be highlighting over the coming weeks.