Should the Steelers draft a running back in the 2023 NFL Draft?

With each Big Board article this spring, the BTSC crew will be publishing a second article complementary to that respective portion of the board. This week, we are going over the running back position and whether or not the Steelers will want to draft one in April.

If you have thoughts as to whether or not the Steelers should draft a running back this year, let us know in the comment section below. Let’s see what our resident draft analysts have to say.

Ryland B.: You can never have too many good running backs, but overall I think the Steelers should stay away from adding to the position this year and instead spend money and draft picks on far more important needs. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are a great 1-2 punch, and any new addition would likely see hardly any worthwhile playing time behind them.

That being said, the Steelers do like to keep three backs on the roster, but I believe that third spot should be filled once again by Benny Snell. He may not be the flashiest depth piece, but Snell brings reliability as a core special-teamer and even some starting experience to the position, which is a great resume for a RB3. He didn’t look bad in his limited action against the Colts last season, either. Retaining Snell should be fairly cheap as well.

I’m not against the idea of Pittsburgh bringing in some UDFA running backs into training camp this season. It’s a deep class and the Steelers have a knack for finding undrafted gems at the position. But overall, the Steelers’ running back room of Harris, Warren, and Snell ain’t broke — so there’s no need to fix it.

Noah_E: Had Pittsburgh not gotten Jaylen Warren as an UDFA this past year they would be in prime position to take a backup running back in a class that is full of them. However, the Steelers got their guy by picking up Warren, who played quality snaps over the course of the season. Drafting one this year would simply be a waste of a pick.

John O: Should the Steelers draft a running back? Ordinarily, I’d say no. They have Najee Harris. They found a backup running back in Jaylen Warren for nothing last year — and he played well, including blocking for pass protection. Anthony McFarland looked fine in his brief stint. Benny Snell was as good as he’s been in limited action, and he’s a special teams ace.

But the crop of running backs coming out this year is deep, and it contains multiple players that would be upgrades on what the Steelers have as backups. Further, Snell is a free agent, and the Steelers likely shouldn’t pay him $2 million or more to return.

I’m not saying draft Bijan Robinson in round one. But Kendre Miller, Devon Achane, or Tank Bigsby could be difference-makers that might mean the Steelers don’t need to worry about RB for six years. Miller is a potential big-time player that can carry the load, if necessary. Achane is an upside gambler, but he could turn into an Alvin Kamara-type. He probably doesn’t have the total package, but he could be in the conversation. He might run 4.2 at the combine as a running back. He’s also a kick returner. That’s multidimensional value. Bigsby is also a breakaway threat. All three of these guys plus others are clear improvements on Snell and are hard to pass up if you want to compete. Think about the Chiefs or Bengals getting them instead of the Steelers. Hence, the surprising answer is let’s draft a running back! I know, people don’t want to hear this.

Do you think the Steelers should acquire a running back this offseason? If so, when and how should they do it? Let us know your thoughts by voting on the poll and commenting down below.