At what point should the Steelers address certain positions in the NFL draft?

On Tuesday night’s episode of The Scho Bro Scho podcast, Big Bro Scho (Rich) and I broke down with different offensive and defensive position groups and where we could see the Steelers addressing these in the 2023 NFL draft. Of course, these are merely our opinions about the subject. While we didn’t completely agree in a lot of places, there were several where there was some decent overlap.

Before sharing our results, it should be noted of how we broke down the different options for each position. These breakdowns are specific to the Steelers 2023 NFL draft because they do not have a fifth or sixth round draft pick at this time. The terminology we used is as follows:

High – selected in either the first or second round
Middle – taken in the third or fourth round of the draft
Low – selected in the seventh round of the draft
After – signed as an undrafted rookie free agent
None– no need to add more players outside of having them at rookie minicamp

There were no set rules of having to pick merely one group for each position and sometimes the answer came in a range or at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Here are the results that we gave throughout the podcast by position. They are broken into offensive and defensive positions as we simply ran out of time to even mention special teams.

---

Quarterback

Rich: Late or After
Dave: After

While we were very similar on these picks, Rich was fine if the Steelers had someone they wanted to pick up late in the draft that the Steelers think would be their best option as the third quarterback. As I have written about before, I like the Steelers having an attractive situation for undrafted free agents as they would have a legit shot of landing the third spot on the depth chart.

Wide Receiver

Rich: Middle
Dave: All

I made Rich go first and he picked one of the options landing with a Steelers going in the middle with a wide receiver. For me, the way the Steelers handle the position, I would not be surprised for them to use any of their draft picks on a receiver as well as adding several as undrafted free agents.

Tight End

Rich: None
Dave: High or After

For this one, Rich is fine with what the Steelers have right now and don’t think they need to concern themselves with tight end this year. For me, this was one of my first “go big or go home” positions as if the Steelers think they could add a dynamic playmaker to really set them apart then I’m fine if they would choose one. Otherwise, I’m thinking the same way as my brother.

Running Back

Rich: After
Dave: Late or After

I was going to agree with Rich on this one as the Steelers could simply just add some camp bodies at running back after the draft, but this one really stood out that they didn’t want to fight with other teams they could take a flyer on the seventh-round pick if they didn’t have anyone else they liked at a different position.

Tackle

Rich: High
Dave: All

Here is one where we differ slightly. While Rich wants the Steelers to take a tackle high, I’m not going to disagree with him. But I could actually see the Steelers addressing this position at any point in the draft or doing it afterwards based on having something specific they see they would like to develop. I know this won’t be popular with a lot of Steelers fans, but if the Steelers simply pass on tackle at the top (which I don’t want them to), they should still keep on the table picking up one somewhere.

Guard

Rich: After
Dave: After or None

The Steelers are pretty much tackled this position in free agency and I would doubt to see them add more during draft weekend.

Center

Rich: Middle or After
Dave: Middle or None

We were pretty much on the same page here at center. If the Steelers think there is a chance the next guy is there in the middle rounds where these players typically go, we would be all for them pulling the trigger. But they don’t have to.

---

Defensive Line

Rich: Any
Dave: High or None

Rich is ready for the Steelers to add defensive line to the room at any point during the draft while I am once again of the mentality of “go big or go home.” The Steelers have a lot of ‘guys’ for the defensive line. If they’re going to add to it, add a “dude.” If the Steelers are going to add a significant piece this year, don’t just simply throw another Loudermilk-like player into the mix.

Outside Linebacker

Rich: Middle
Dave: Middle, Late, or After

A lot of this position has to do if the Steelers add a rotational piece before the draft. Whether it’s Bud Dupree or someone else, it would completely change the dynamic of outside linebacker for the draft. So for now, we just settled on the middle (or later) and moved on.

Inside Linebacker

Rich: Middle
Dave: Any

While Rich was being specific as where he thinks it would be the best place to get an inside linebacker for the Steelers, I am fine with them picking one up at any point throughout the weekend. Just make it the right guy.

Cornerback

Rich: High
Dave: High or Middle

This choice was pretty agreeable as we both feel the Steelers are going to spend a quality draft pick on cornerback. I expand my break down into the middle rounds simply because there are so many quality cornerbacks available this year and the Steelers may choose to wait if they have a specific one in mind.

Safety

Rich: Middle, Late, or After
Dave: Middle, Late, or After

Here’s the position where we were 100% in agreement as the Steelers should simply address the safety position anywhere from the middle of the draft onward. Although they lost Terrell Edmunds, signing Keanu Neal helps cover the different things the Steelers could do with the position. If there is someone else the Steelers would really like to add into the fold, bring it.

---

So here was our assessment of where the Steelers could/should address each position group during the 2023 NFL draft weekend. So how did we do? Where did we get it right and where are we off significantly? Make sure you leave your thoughts in the comments below.

For a more in-depth breakdown as to our mindset for each position, check out The Scho Bro Scho podcast below: