[2023] Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Recap

[smackemz]

Pittsburgh, PA - -

After much preparation, the Pittsburgh Steelers brought in 5 new players through this years NFL draft.  The team focused on bringing in guys who potentially could contribute early, but also showed the potential to make significant impacts down the road.  

 

Round 1

Pick 12 (#12 overall): Aaron McNitt, CB, Vanderbilt (5'10, 176, Zone Coverage)

2022 in Review: 54 Tackles, 1 PD

Overall/Potential: B+/B+

2023 Projection: #2/#3 Corner

McNitt was widely considered one of the top cornerbacks available in the draft, and the Steelers used their 1st round pick to reinforce a talented secondary.  GM @Broletariathad this to say about the McNitt selection: "We have an aging secondary and to have a shot at a lockdown guy here plays right into our long term plans. We love Aaron's game and I am confident he'll be a game breaking player on Sundays for a long time."  Richard Lupo is one of the top corners in the league, so McNitt will have a opportunity to learn from one of the game's best while also getting a chance to make an immediate impact on Sundays.  

What the Experts Said:

"It’s no surprise that the players at the top of the INT list in 2022 were nearly all Ball Hawk CBs, however, it is still incredible that a player that covers as well as McNitt had zero interceptions his entire NCAA career.  The only real argument in his favor is that teams would simply avoid his side as they picked on everyone else on Vanderbilt’s paper- thin defense. Regardless of his numbers, his skill and potential are undeniable.

Round 2

Pick 12 (#44 overall): Daniel Ennis III, WR, Miami (5'9, 177, Route Runner)

 

2022 in Review: 99 catches, 1,570 Yards, 8 TDs

Overall/Potential: B-/A

2023 Projection: Slot Receiver

Exploding onto the scene his senior year, Ennis III shows great ability to gain separation in his routes and has the agility to take short passes to the next level.  Broletariat was excited about the selection: "Daniel is a natural born route runner who carves up opposing defensive backs with his lateral movement preparation. The main draw with a player like him is the upside and we feel confident that he'll emerge as a leader of this very talented WR class."  Ennis III has loads of potential and the team will look closely to see if he can make an immediate impact in the slot.

What the Experts Said:

Ennis turned in only 10 receptions in 2021. 2022 was a big “prove-it” year for Ennis, and did he ever prove it. Nearly 100 catches and over 1,500 yards along with 8 TDs was more than enough to catch the attention of NFL scouts. While he doesn’t have some of the headline- grabbing skills of some other players in this class, he is a solid prospect that could grow with time. Coaches rave about his ability to work hard and rarely makes the same mistake twice.

Round 4

Pick 12 (#108 overall): Kyle Higbee, QB, USF (6'1, 216, Scrambler)

2022 in Review: 138/236, 1,525 yards, 8 TDs/11 Ints, 1,031 Rushing Yards, 7 Rushing TDs 

Overall/Potential: B/A-

2023 Projection: #2 Quarterback

It's an interesting story, but the Steelers have current quarterback Robert Morris for getting Higbee on their radar.  Morris was working with his quarterback coach, in the offseason, and had the opportunity to work closely with Higbee.  He felt right away, a lot of teams in the NFL were going to sleep on this guy, and that he had put in a ton of work on his mechanics and the improvement over the summer was surreal.  Brolatariat was equally impressed: Really surprised to see Higbee on the board at this pick. Another upside play but we think he'll compete for QB2 this off-season. At 4.33 in the 40 and 33 reps on the bench I'd be hard pressed to find a better ball of QB clay for smackemz to mold."  The timeline for Higbee and Morris might work out perfectly as Morris is getting older and has 2 years remaining on the deal.  Either way the Steelers might have gotten a steal here as Kyle has shown a ton of potential. 

What the Experts Said:

The trend on Scramblers not being very productive through the air continues with Higbee. He’s definitely athletic and had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons at USF but failed to help convert that into many wins. He does still appear to be raw, however, and would likely benefit from pro coaching. His coaches and teammates did attest to him being a leader, even if it was limited to the field and not the classroom.

Round 5

Pick 12 (#140 overall): DeAndre Wieters, RB, Georgia Southern (5'10, 182, Receiving)

2022 in Review: 258 carries, 1,211 yards, 10 TDs, 43 Rec, 439 yards, 3 Rec TDs 

Overall/Potential: B-/B

2023 Projection: #2 Running Back

The jack of all trades running back out of Georgia Southern was the next name called during the Steelers' draft.  Wieters showed ability to run the ball efficiently while also being a strong weapon catching the ball.  DeAndre was able to lead the team in rushing and finished third on the team in receiving yards.  This flexibility really stuck out to Brolartariat: "We need to be faster at our skill positions and DeAndre puts us there with his absurd athletic ability. He's a dynamic playmaker and someone who should be able to come off the bench at any moment and blow the game wide open."  The Steelers have a certified bell cow in Tomayo, but Wieters should be able to come in and be that home run threat that has been missing from the Steelers offense.  

What the Experts Said:

Wieters has question marks about level of competition given that he played at Georgia Southern. It also seems that his coaches didn’t use him to his full potential as a receiver. Regardless, he finished his 2022 campaign with over 1,000 yards on the ground and has a decent ceiling.

Round 6

Pick 12 (#172 overall): Niuman Dahl, OT, Washington State (6'4, 295, Run Blocking)

 

2022 in Review: 6 Pancakes, 2 Sacks allowed

Overall/Potential: C+/B+

2023 Projection: Backup OT

The final selection of the day goes to the monster tackle out of Washington State Niuman Dahl.  Dahl possesses physical gifts as well as a high ceiling and has potential to fit into the Steelers rotation down the road.  Brolatariat liked Dahl's ability to block within the scheme of Pittsburgh's offense early: ""Rounding out our draft with a high ceiling mauler like Niuman is exactly how we wanted to finish. He's got some work to do in the pass game, but the potential is undeniable and I think he could be NFL ready in our scheme. "  Time will tell if Dahl will grow into a starting caliber player, but the tools are there to eventually make an impact.  

[SyndaKyt]

If Pittsburgh managed to get Bledsoe, I was gonna be pissed but even then this McNitt pick looks very solid. Too bad he’s guarding Andrew Jones his first game 😝

[smackemz]

35 minutes ago, SyndaKyt said:

If Pittsburgh managed to get Bledsoe, I was gonna be pissed but even then this McNitt pick looks very solid. Too bad he’s guarding Andrew Jones his first game 😝

We liked Bledsoe and a lot of mocks had him going to us, but in our war room we really didn't think he was going to make it all the way to 12. 

[Bundy]

I really liked Daniel Ennis and kept my fingers on his pulse with @cultur3 all year, was hoping no one would notice him and he'd fall to R3 since I couldn't justify an "early" WR just yet after swinging big last year. Also very hot on DeAndre Wieters, hard to beat taking his versatility in R5.