5 Thoughts: Steelers Go Old School and Win Big in NFL Draft

[stillthere]

https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/gm-repo ... -nfl-draft

5 Thoughts: Steelers Go Old School and Win Big in NFL Draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers headed into the 2021 NFL Draft with needs, addressed them, and came away with nine 'nasty,' high-potential rookies.

Noah Strackbein
May 1, 2021

PITTSBURGH -- The excitement is over, but the Pittsburgh Steelers' offseason is just getting rolling. As the 2021 NFL Draft closes, nine new members of the black and gold head to the City of Champions to begin their pro careers.

Head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert highlighted the running game, defensive depth and best fit the Steelers pre-draft press conference. At the time, it felt as if they were handing you a crystal ball to look at how and when they'll address each concern.

That's not how it panned out.

In three days, the Steelers walked away feeling like they were a better football team than they were Wednesday. On the outside, it appears they are, looking at these five thoughts as the key points for why Pittsburgh's 2021 NFL Draft was a success.
Running Game - Fixed

The Steelers did it their way, but they certainly fixed the running game (or it appears they did) during the 2021 NFL Draft.

Najee Harris is an obvious win for a team who's lacked a franchise running back. The Alabama star brings 30 senior-year touchdowns, a Doak Walker Award, Unanimous All-American and two National Championships into the NFL and fits perfectly in what the Steelers hope to do with their backfield.

"Najee has the size, he has the speed, he has the athleticism. He has the run skills to run inside and outside," Colbert said following the pick. "Also, he can also play in the passing game as a receiver as a blocker. He's a three-down NFL back."

Harris says he's both a running back and a wide receiver, and could/should be used as both in Pittsburgh.

On top of a new runner, the Steelers drafted a big-bodied tight end in Pat Freiermuth and two physical offensive linemen in Kendrick Green and Dan Moore.

"We love the way that he plays in terms of what we have been talking about and in terms of changing our demeanor," offensive line coach Adrian Klemm said on Green. "Just the type of attitude that we want to carry onto the field, he embodies all of that."

Now, it's time to let Matt Canada implement a newer scheme and give your new running back the football.
Steelers Approach Was' Nasty' Football Players

The entire draft, you kept hearing coaches mention how "mean" and "nasty" their new pick was. It started with Freiermuth being an "old school style" tight end and exploded with Green and Moore.

And didn't end there.

"Most definitely," fourth-round pick Buddy Johnson answered when asked if he fit the aggressive football player motto. "The A&M program, one of our pillars is about toughness, pride, and grit. That's the culture we're building around. So, I feel confident and I'm ready to take it to the Steelers and add on what I can by bringing my one percent."

Maybe the Steelers' most intriguing pick in 2020 was offensive lineman Kevin Dotson. Why? Because he didn't care about much else other than being a physical football player - and the Steelers, and their fans, love that.

Players like Green, Moore and Johnson are in great positions to learn from those already in Pittsburgh that fit that mold. Dotson, David DeCastro and Vince Williams are the perfect educators on "mean football."

"One of the things they do at Stanford is called they are building a bully. When Dave [DeCastro] was playing there and a couple years after that, it was one of the most dominant run games in terms of offensive linemen going into the league and running backs and things like that," Klemm said. "So, he has it in him, and he's shown that. He's been one of the most dominant players in the league when he's healthy, and those guys will follow his lead."

"If you saw Vince [Williams]' offseason regiment, you'd say to yourself, 'oh, I'm not surprised that Vince is an eight-year pro and has so many sacks and so many interceptions. Because, in the offseason, he's all professional business ... To bring Buddy Johnson in, who's another guy that we think fits that mold, is a perfect situation for me."

Welcome to Steelers football.
Versatility Was a Priority

The Steelers needed depth everywhere, and it got. Every position they drafted met that standard. From Harris being a self-proclaimed wide receiver to both offensive linemen having experience in multiple positions and late-round picks on defense moving across the defensive line, each and every pick can contribute in multiple roles.

"Versatility helps them and it helps us," Tomlin said. "When you're a young guy trying to carve out a niche for yourself, versatility aids you in doing so. It also aids us in making decisions and finding work for them, so versatility is an asset that we're really excited about. It helps all parties involved."

That strategy was emphasized with "Swiss army knife" Tre Norwood, who was selected in the seventh round. The Oklahoma defensive back has played all over the defensive backfield and believes he can fill any role for the Steelers - although pinned slot corner as his primary position.

It goes deeper than different positions too. Freiermuth can both catch and block. Buddy Johnson is a run stuffer who has pass coverage athleticism. And heck, even the Steelers' seventh-round punter, Pressley Harvin III, looks like he could do some damage as a tackler.

All nine of the Steelers' selections have the potential to impact this team in a number of roles. And for a team that had more holes than draft picks heading into Thursday night, it was the perfect outcome.
'Best Player Available' Controlled the Pick

The Steelers had more of a pressing need at cornerback than they did on the defensive line or linebacker, but they decided to wait on the secondary. Once names like Quincy Roche and Isaiah Loudermilk were presented to them, they had to take their chances on bigger names over higher need.

"What we did was took the best athlete available," defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. "What you've got to do is try to get the best guy that you can get regardless of position. There was position needs that we did take care of but it was because we had guys rated higher at that position."

It was the same on offense. The Steelers knew they wanted Harris from the jump. He was one of eight players the Steelers felt comfortable taking with the 24th pick, and if he was there, they weren't moving.

He was.

Pat Freiermuth presented the same concept. Once tight ends started to fall, the Steelers knew they had a chance at a player with much higher potential than the 55th pick. Fortunately for them, the Penn State star also helps fix the run. Otherwise, the concern at the time would be, "how are you fixing run blocking?"

The Steelers knew they needed quality over quantity in this draft and they set out to achieve that. All nine of their draft picks have the potential to at least see playing time in 2021, which comes with drafting based on potential, not on need.
Best Pick of the Steelers Draft: Quincy Roche

Roche was a steal for the Steelers in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. The Steelers had him graded as a late-third round, early-fourth round pick, but the edge rusher fell to 216th pick.

"This kid is really good at rushing the passer," Butler said. "He does a good job of what we call long-arming people. Pushing people past the quarterback, coming underneath and making the play. Stuff like that. He does a great job of that and that shows up."

Roche played defensive end in college but will step into an outside linebacker role alongside T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Like Highsmith and many others, the Steelers will look to develop Roche into a true edge rusher, where he believes he has the ability to succeed.

"I feel like I have displayed the ability to play in space on film," Roche said. "I have been asked to do a lot over my time at Temple and Miami. I have some improvement, I have some work to do, but I am 100% confident in my ability to play linebacker.

"My goal every time I step on the field is to be disruptive. Whatever the case may be. My goal when I step on the field every time is to just be disruptive."

In three years at Temple and one at Miami, Roche gathered 30.5 sacks and 54 tackles for loss. He's found the ball eight times, recovering eight fumbles while forcing eight more.

He's disruptive, has an act for finding the football and brings major upside for a sixth-round pick. If he never pans out, it's no big deal. If he does, he's a steal.

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
AllSteelers Publisher, Sports Illustrated | Noah has covered the Steelers since 2017.

[Kodiak]

Tomlin talking about versatility again. That's great if you can coach it up. He really is an anchor keeping this team from going anywhere.

[yygy]

Harris says he's both a running back and a wide receiver, and could/should be used as both in Pittsburgh.

Uh oh. Heard that before.

Let’s see who will prevail in this battle of wills

[Jobu]

Harris says he's both a running back and a wide receiver, and could/should be used as both in Pittsburgh.

Uh oh. Heard that before.

Let’s see who will prevail in this battle of wills

Exactly what I thought reading that quote.

[COR-TEN]

Harris says he's both a running back and a wide receiver, and could/should be used as both in Pittsburgh.

Uh oh. Heard that before.

Let’s see who will prevail in this battle of wills

Exactly what I thought reading that quote.

Thinking positively, he might not be a dick when it comes time, knowing what the outcome was for bell - even though he ended up on a SB participating (losing) team late in the year.

[Ice]

Harris says he's both a running back and a wide receiver, and could/should be used as both in Pittsburgh.

Uh oh. Heard that before.

Let’s see who will prevail in this battle of wills

Exactly what I thought reading that quote.

Glad I wasn't the only one.

[bradshaw2ben]

Roche was a steal for the Steelers in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. The Steelers had him graded as a late-third round, early-fourth round pick, but the edge rusher fell to 216th pick.

Somebody is full of shit somewhere. If it’s true they had Roche as a late third, then are you telling me they had an ever higher grade on Loudermilk? A guy they traded up for over Roche? Like, a trade up to get Roche in the 5th and drafting Loudermilk in the 6th would have made way more sense.

[Ice]

Yeah, not sure I'm believing that one, either.

[Scunge]

I can believe that they felt Roche was a 3rd round pick. If you look at Roche and Highsmith what are the differences really? They both have the same measurables, production, upside, etc. For those arguing that well, how come they didn't pick him in the 5th instead of Loudermilk? Well, maybe Steelers management came to Steeler Fury and listened to many of you that said, no need to over draft a player, right? No need to trade up for a player and take him a round earlier if he is going to be in round 6, right?

The Loudermilk pick, yeah, it may be perplexing but i think we will have to wait and see how it works out. Maybe they really liked him and heard that a couple teams were going to take him in round 5 and they knew he would be long gone by the time their 6th round pick was on the clock.

I know that we have relatively recently taken to using high first round picks to address the DE position, Tuitt and Heyward, but before that we did pretty well at spending later picks on DE projects and developing them.

Aaron Smith was a 4th round pick, Brett Keisel was a 7th round pick. Neither was ready to start and dominate as a rookie and Keisel took a longer path to eventually become a full time starter. They had to fill out, get stronger but they became top tier DEs.

Heyward and Tuitt are awesome bookend DEs and right now the team has the luxury of putting Loudermilk in the Brett Keisel development program. Keisel was able to develop and play behind Kimo Von Oelhoffen and Aaron Smith. Kimo retired and then Keisel was able to seamlessly become the starter.

Every year we bellyache about the Steelers draft, second guess this and that. All I know is that last year they found a starting WR in Chase Claypool, a starting ROLB in Alex Highsmith, and a starting LG in Kevin Dotson.

So far, it looks like they have found another 3 starters in Harris, Freiermuth and Green. You can't address every single position, you can't find 8 starters in every draft, finding 3 quality starters in a draft is huge.

[Havoc]

Tomlin talking about versatility again. That's great if you can coach it up. He really is an anchor keeping this team from going anywhere.

When I was in my 20's on a job, I knew how stupid "versatility" was, when some dumbfuck in management thought "versatility" would improve things.

Give me people who dominate in something, excel in something, over "versatile". All day.

Nothing great happens apart from deep levels of concentration.

[meanjustinbarlow]

Tomlin talking about versatility again. That's great if you can coach it up. He really is an anchor keeping this team from going anywhere.

When I was in my 20's on a job, I knew how stupid "versatility" was, when some dumbfuck in management thought "versatility" would improve things.

Give me people who dominate in something, excel in something, over "versatile". All day.

Nothing great happens apart from deep levels of concentration.

When talking about starters, you are absolutely right... when talking about backups, its an asset because you can spread them out across more positions. I think thats what they really liked about round 4 and on.

[Havoc]

Tomlin talking about versatility again. That's great if you can coach it up. He really is an anchor keeping this team from going anywhere.

When I was in my 20's on a job, I knew how stupid "versatility" was, when some dumbfuck in management thought "versatility" would improve things.

Give me people who dominate in something, excel in something, over "versatile". All day.

Nothing great happens apart from deep levels of concentration.

When talking about starters, you are absolutely right... when talking about backups, its an asset because you can spread them out across more positions. I think thats what they really liked about round 4 and on.

I agree. There is a place for the versatile player.

And I should add, I'm in management now