ESPN says the Steelers drafted the best player in Round 7, and had the best draft day trade

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers are the type of fans who love it when people love all aspects of their team, but get frustrated and unhappy when the opposite happens. This is likely one of the reasons the black-and-gold fan base has a love-hate relationship with the folks at ESPN.

Whether you’re talking about Mel Kiper Jr. or Todd McShay, any time criticism, or outlandish ideas, surrounding the Steelers it turns people away from the content they are providing. Recently, two other ESPN NFL Draft analysts, Jordan Reid and Matt Miller, took on the task of stating what they liked, and disliked, about the 2023 NFL Draft.

When it came to some props headed the Steelers way, there were plenty. In fact, Miller in particular liked a lot of what the Steelers did during the 3-day selection process. To be more specific, he thought the Steelers had the best pick, based on value, in the 7th Round.

Check out what he had to say:

Best value of 7th

Miller: Cory Trice, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 241). Purdue’s Trice, who fell because of medical concerns, was a top-100 player on my final rankings. His length and physicality at the line of scrimmage are perfect for Pittsburgh, where there are two open starting cornerback jobs.

The praise didn’t stop there. Miller continued to praise Omar Khan and the Steelers’ front office by suggesting the newly formed front office orchestrated the best in-draft trade of the entire process when they leap-frogged the New York Jets and moved from pick No. 17 to No. 14 trading with the New England Patriots.

Here is what he had to say:

In-draft trade

Miller: The Pittsburgh Steelers expertly jumping the Jets in a deal with the Patriots to select the last starter-graded left tackle (Broderick Jones) on the board was savvy. Everyone in the football world knew the Jets would target a left tackle if one was available at No. 15, and the Steelers swooped in. It cost them only an additional fourth-rounder.

The fact Miller or Reid didn’t have the Steelers as one of the best picks in Rounds 1-6 doesn’t mean the team didn’t have a phenomenal draft. In fact, most sites, including ESPN, gave the Steelers a very good grade for the draft in its entirety. However, Miller saw these two aspects of the draft, the selection of Cory Trice Jr. and the Round 1 trade, as the very best in the league at those categories.

What do you think? 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 the rest of the 2023 NFL offseason.