NFL Power Rankings: Post-Draft rankings has the Steelers in the bottom tier of the league

The first wave of free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft are now in the books, and as all 32 NFL teams prepare for their respective training camps in July, media outlets are putting out their post-draft content during the dog days of the NFL calendar.

One of the favorites for these outlets are the highly debated Power Rankings. Trying to put teams in any type of order is difficult this time of year. Not only can players still be added in free agency, but most of these rankings are based on what the team did in 2021. It makes you wonder which team might be the 2022 version of Cincinnati who everyone thought would struggle, and turned out to represent the AFC in the Super Bow.

ESPN recently put out their post-draft rankings, check out who made the Top 10, and where the Pittsburgh Steelers landed on the list (yes, the Steelers were not in the Top 10):

ESPN

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Los Angeles Rams
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Cincinnati Bengals
7. Los Angeles Chargers
8. Dallas Cowboys
9. San Francisco 49ers
10. Baltimore Ravens
...
21. Pittsburgh Steelers

Post-free agency ranking: 20

Player who benefited most from draft: OT Chukwuma Okorafor

Okorafor gets his name in bold, but Dan Moore Jr. also qualifies as a player who benefitted from the Steelers’ draft. The team didn’t address the tackle spot through an external signing in free agency or via the draft, all but solidifying its confidence in Okorafor and Moore. As a rookie, Moore started every single game and showed signs of being the left tackle of the future, while Okorafor had an average season. Either position could’ve benefitted from an upgrade this offseason, but that didn’t happen, so Okorafor and Moore won’t have their spots threatened.

If you are like me, you always want to take a look at where the teams in the AFC North rank, compared to the Steelers. Here are the division rankings, per ESPN:

AFC North Rankings

6. Cincinnati Bengals
10. Baltimore Ravens
17. Cleveland Browns
21. Pittsburgh Steelers

What do you think of the rankings? Obviously, these rankings are totally subjective and mean nothing, but do you think the Steelers should be ranked higher? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for rest of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp.