Which position group is least concerning for the 2023 Steelers after the draft?

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 season is now an afterthought and the 2023 offseason is rolling on. After having plenty of time to look back and reflect on both the accomplishments and shortcomings of this past year‘s team, the page has been turned to look forward for quite some time.

Since it’s impossible to go back and change the past, what’s most important when looking at 2022 is to see how it builds towards the future in 2023 and beyond. With much discussion about which position group the Steelers need to improve based on free agent losses, additions, and things of that nature, sometimes what gets lost in the shuffle‘s where the Steelers had both the most and least success in the previous year and how that builds into the following season. It’s possible for the Steelers to be losing no one at a given position yet still need to do something based on expectations coming up short the previous year. Additionally, another position group could be the strongest for the team and a focus on keeping the group intact might be the best approach.

Earlier this offseason, we looked at both the most concerning and least concerning position groups based on the 2022 season. The instructions were to only look back and not look forward. The next step was to take those results, mixed with the Steelers players that were set to become free agents at the beginning of the league year, and decide where the Steelers were set up the best and worst as they headed into free agency. Once free agency was six weeks old, we looked at the same questions just ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. Now that the draft is over, it’s time to look at the question yet again based on the Steelers new rookies. Since yesterday was the discussion of weakest spots, let’ continue on with the strengths.

So the question for today is this: Which position group of the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers is the biggest area of concern following the draft? Remember, this will take the results from where we were looking back at this past season, how things stood before free agency, and how things looked just before the draft to help answer the question now. Players lost and gained in free agency as well as drafted players and Undrafted Free Agents (UDFAs) will be listed.

*Player is still a free agent
**Player was released by the Steelers but still unsigned

Running back:

Looking back at 2022: 16%
Before free agency: 37%
Before the draft: 35%
Players lost: Derek Watt*, Benny Snell Jr.*
Player gained: None
Drafted players and UDFAs: None

Looking forward to 2023, this has been the group with the least concern. Will that hold true even though the Steelers have not added another player to the room through free agency or the draft?

Tight end:

Looking back at 2022: 29%
Before free agency: 18%
Before the draft: 17%
Players lost: None
Players gained: None
Drafted players and UDFAs: Darnell Washington

Fans were confident in the tight ends before, and the Steelers added a massive one in the draft. It seems like things can only go up for this position group.

Quarterback:

Looking back at 2022: 3%
Before free agency: 13%
Before the draft: 19%
Players lost: Mason Rudolph*
Players gained: None
Drafted players and UDFAs: Tanner Morgan

Just like looking at the most concerning groups, how someone feels about the quarterbacks likely has not changed as the top two guys are set in stone.

Specialists:

Looking back at 2022: 1%
Before free agency: 9%
Before the draft: 5%
Players lost: None
Players gained: Braden Mann
Drafted players and UDFAs: B.T. Potter

The lack of concern with the specialist likely comes more because of the level of their contributions and is less about the players. But I do feel there is a legitimate punting competition this year.

Wide receiver:

Looking back at 2022: 3%
Before free agency: 7%
Before the draft: 8%
Players lost: Steven Sims
Players gained: Allen Robinson
Drafted players and UDFAs: Jordan Byrd

How much does adding the veteran really come into play with this group? The Steelers did not add a player during the draft although there is an intriguing addition as an undrafted free agent.

Outside linebacker:

Looking back at 2022: 9%
Before free agency: 5%
Before the draft: 2%
Players lost: Malik Reed, Jamir Jones**
Players gained: None
Drafted players and UDFAs: Nick Herbig, David Perales

The Steelers drafted a player right around where you would think they would in the draft if looking for strictly a rotational guy. The Steelers also have an interesting player as an undrafted rookie. But both are unproven and that’s mostly what the Steelers have for depth.

Safety:

Looking back at 2022: 28%
Before free agency: 3%
Before the draft: 2%
Players lost: Terrell Edmunds, Karl Joseph*
Players gained: Keanu Neal
Drafted players and UDFAs: None

Although fans loved this position for 2022, it has really fallen off with their confidence moving forward. Not adding any players during the draft is likely not going to help.

Inside linebacker:

Looking back at 2022: 5%
Before free agency: 3%
Before the draft: 2%
Players lost: Devin Bush, Robert Spillane, Marcus Allen*, Myles Jack**
Players gained: Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Tanner Muse
Drafted players and UDFAs: None

This position group got an overhaul in free agency. But much like safety, not adding anyone during the draft weekend might not give a lot of confidence.

Defensive line:

Looking back at 2022: 2%
Before free agency: 3%
Before the draft: 2%
Players lost: Chris Wormley*, Tyson Alualu*
Players gained: Breiden Fehoko, Armon Watts
Drafted players and UDFAs: Keeanu Benton, James Nyamwaya

The Steelers addressed the position early in the draft in order to bolster the defensive line depth. But does it gain enough confidence to be the least concerning?

Offensive line:

Looking back at 2022: 3%
Before free agency: 2%
Before the draft: 3%
Players lost: J.C. Hassenauer, Trent Scott, Jesse Davis*
Players gained: Isaac Seumalo, Nate Herbig, Le’Raven Clark
Drafted players and UDFAs: Broderick Jones, Spencer Anderson, Trevor Downing

The Steelers have done a lot with their offensive line this offseason. They added the best guard in free agency. They added one of the best tackles in the draft depending on the source. Is it enough to be confident in the group now or will it take performance on the field to move over the hump?

Cornerback:

Looking back at 2022: 1%
Before free agency: 1%
Before the draft: 6%
Players lost: Cam Sutton
Players gained: Patrick Peterson, Chandon Sullivan
Drafted players and UDFAs: Joey Porter Jr., Cory Trice Jr.

When a team double dips at a position in the draft, that could be looked at as both good and bad. The good is it the Steelers added talent to the room. The bad is the Steelers had a pretty big need to add talent to the room.

So there is a brief reminder as to how each position group performed in the three previous polls, as well as players lost and gained in free agency and on draft weekend. Now the rest of the story is up to you. Which position group do you believe is the least concerning coming out of the 2023 NFL draft? Make sure to vote in the poll and leave your thoughts in the comments below. We will return to this question after the NFL draft.