2019 NFL Mock Draft: Steelers surprise fans throughout full 7-round projection

POSTED IN | no comments

The Pittsburgh Steelers have options in the 2019 NFL Draft, and they surprise their fan base every step of the way in the latest mock draft

With the 2019 NFL Draft just days away, fans of all 32 NFL fan bases are itching to know what players their favorite team will be bringing in throughout the 7-round event. For the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan base, they are curious whether the team they follow will keep all of their 10 draft picks, or if trades will be made.

The fine folks at CBS Sports put together a 7-round mock draft, including trades, to give their predictions as to what will take place in Nashville when the picks start flying off the board.

See what they have in store for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who select 20th in the first round:

1, 20 — TE Noah Fant, Iowa

2, 52 — S/CB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Florida

3, 66 — WR Hakeem Butler, Iowa State (from OAK)

3, 83 — OLB Oshane Ximines, Old Dominion

4, 122 — ILB Tre Lamar, Clemson

5, 141 — G Ben Powers, Oklahoma (from OAK)

5, 169 — RB Travis Homer, Miami (from LAR*)

6, 175 — CB Kendall Sheffield, Ohio State (from OAK)

6, 192 — to L.A. Rams

6, 207 — to L.A. Rams (from ARI)

7, 219 — TE Alize Mack, Notre Dame (from TB)

I think the Steelers could be looking at inside or outside linebacker at No. 20, but with all the clear Round 1 talent at both positions gone, they pivot to taking a receiving weapon at tight end in Fant. He’s not going to be a blocking option like Jesse James, but he’s a heck of a receiver who makes the offense more dynamic.

The Steelers start Day 2 with one of the excellent second-round options at free safety in Gardner-Johnson, who can also be an option as a slot corner if the defense sees that as a bigger need. There’s enough receiver talent in the top 75 overall that the Steelers should feel comfortable waiting until the third round to take one, and here it’s Butler who slips due to concerns about drops. It’s also possible guys like Kelvin Harmon or J.J. Arecga-Whiteside are available at No. 66. The other third-rounder brings in some edge rush talent in Ximines, a small-schooler who will help the pass rush immediately and could develop into T.J. Watt’s running mate.

Lamar brings great size at inside linebacker and provides the team some depth at a position of need. Powers is probably a reserve option at guard rather than someone who can fill the hole left by Ramon Foster’s eventual departure, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see the team pick a starter at the position earlier in the draft instead. The Steelers trade two of their sixth-rounders to get another pick in the fifth for Homer, who can serve as good depth behind Conner and has the ability to function as a starter if needed. Sheffield has the traits to shine but needs to be coached up before being relied upon, while Mack is more depth at tight end.

Having seen what could go down, it is probably a safe assumption if this went down a lot of fans would be shaking their heads. Then again, this wouldn’t be new for the black-and-gold faithful. The fan base was left wondering what was going on when the team selected players like Jarvis Jones, Artie Burns and most recently Terrell Edmunds.

Needless to say, these are just guesses. But if this were to come to fruition, how would you feel about it? Let us know of the 7-round mock draft in the comment section below!