With the college pro day schedule almost at an end for 2019, the mock draft experts should have a much better understanding of which prospects are on the Pittsburgh Steelers radar this year.
Each and every Wednesday for the next three 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 100 contrasting offerings from some of the more well-known names in the business, with five different defensive players standing out from the pack as the most popular names to project to the Steelers over the past ten 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
- Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 6.0 consensus pick - Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
- Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 7.0 consensus pick - Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
- Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 8.0 consensus pick - Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
- Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 9.0 consensus pick - Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
- Midweek Mock Draft Roundup 10.0 consensus pick - Byron Murphy, CB, Washington
This week we have 10 more mock drafts worthy of review:
Charles Davis, NFL Network - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington
“My favorite CB in the draft. I enjoy watching his cover skills and willingness to tackle on tape. I believe he has tremendous instincts, too.”
(Previous pick - WR, Marquise Brown, Oklahoma)
Chad Reuter, NFL Network - LB, Devin Bush, Michigan
“Sometimes inside linebackers become available later in the first round than their talent would warrant, providing great value. The Steelers pinch themselves that a player like Bush is still on the board.”
(Previous pick - CB, Deandre Baker, Georgia)
Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington
“Murphy didn’t test well at the combine, and while he may be undersized, he is a tenacious defender who would immediately upgrade a Steelers secondary looking to replace Artie Burns.”
(Previous pick - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington)
R.J. White, CBS Sports - LB, Devin Bush, Michigan
“Steelers get No. 18 for No. 20, 141, 207
In a recent Pick Six Podcast mock draft, I had the Ravens trade ahead of the Steelers to land a falling Devin White. If that were to happen here with Bush, it would basically be a worst-case scenario for the Steelers, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they explore a move a few spots up to secure the talented Michigan linebacker once White is off the board.”
(Previous pick - LB, Devin Bush, Michigan)
Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports - LB, Devin Bush, Michigan
“The Steelers need an upgrade at linebacker, and I believe Bush is a good a bet as any to be one. I like Devin White more, but Bush is going to be a leader of any defense he ends up on. I also love his attitude, and he’s proven to be an effective blitzer as well, something I’m sure the Steelers will appreciate.”
(Previous pick - CB, Deandre Baker, Georgia)
Brad Kelly, The Draft Network - LB, Devin Bush, Michigan
“Pittsburgh was never able to fully replace what it lost with Ryan Shazier’s unfortunate injury, making inside linebacker a need moving forward.”
“Devin Bush would provide that physical presence, and fits what Pittsburgh looks for in their defensive players with his athleticism and power. He’s a relentless player with excellent range, and would immediately upgrade the middle of Pittsburgh defense.”
(Previous pick - CB, Bryce Hall, Virginia)
Steve Palazzolo and Mike Renner, Pro Football Focus - LB, Devin Bush, Michigan
“Bush can cover ground and adds coverage to the linebacking corps.”
(Previous pick - first mock)
Doug Farrar, Touchdown Wire - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington
“Pittsburgh’s defense took an enormous step back last season, and while some of that had to do with Ryan Shazier’s absence (why Pittsburgh should also consider an athletic linebacker early in the draft), it was also a scheme that didn’t play well with a host of limited defensive backs. If the Steelers are to continue to play a heavy Cover-zone scheme, they might as well get a guy who plays it at a high level. That’s Murphy, who plays with a technical refinement that transcends most college players at his position.”
(Previous pick - LB, Devin Bush, Michigan)
Dan Kadar, SB Nation - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington
“Murphy may not be the biggest cornerback, or have the best athletic testing numbers, but he is arguably the top cornerback in this draft because of his playmaking and instincts. Murphy has shown he’s willing to come up and play the run, and he’s among the best tackling cornerbacks in the draft. Speed will beat him occasionally, but Murphy can stick with most receivers.”
(Previous pick - WR, Marquise Brown, Oklahoma)
Luke Easterling, DraftWire - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington
“While the Raiders appear to move up and snipe the Steelers here, Murphy is hardly a consolation prize for a team desperate to upgrade at corner. Murphy may not have elite physical traits, but his instincts, intelligence and ball skills set him apart.”
(Previous pick - CB, Byron Murphy, Washington)
A week removed from barely registering with our panel of “experts”, Michigan linebacker Devin Bush is back in the mix, ending in a dead head with Washington cornerback Byron Murphy with five votes each. For the first time since we started this exercise back in January, only two different players are represented in our selections of mock drafts, and those who had been projecting a wide receiver to the Steelers appear to off that particular bandwagon.
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.