Former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah spends his time now breaking down the draft for NFL.com. And Jeremiah feels Steelers fans will be very happy with who is available in the first round of this year's NFL Draft in April.
Speaking on Steelers Nation Radio at the NFL Scouting Combine, Jeremiah feels the draft lines up well with the potential needs of the Steelers.
"If you need a corner or tackle, it's a good draft," Jeremiah said Tuesday. "I think the tricky thing is going to be you're going to have to pass up the center, and if you pass your center, (you're) probably going to have to wait until round three or four."
Jeremiah considers three centers, Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson, Duke's Graham Barton and West Virginia's Zach Frazier, as first-round or early second-round players, but then sees a gap between them and the next players available at that position.
The Steelers selected offensive tackle Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, moving up via a trade with the Patriots to the 14th pick to do so.
According to Jeremiah, if the Steelers covet another offensive tackle in this draft to pair with Jones, they won't have to move up to get a good one this year. The Steelers' first pick is at 20.
"I think there's eight potential first-round pick tackles," Jeremiah said.
Last year, Jones was the fourth of five offensive tackles selected in the first round of the draft.
After selecting Jones in the first round last year, the Steelers used the first pick of the second round – a pick acquired via a trade with Chicago Bears for wide receiver Chase Claypool – on cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Porter was the fifth cornerback selected in last year's draft.
Jeremiah mentioned Toledo's Quinton Mitchell and Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw as two cornerbacks who the Steelers might value because of their physical traits and toughness.
"When I look at corners that I've missed, sometimes you get enamored with just the movement, the fluidity and in this league, you can't play that position you don't tackle anymore," Jeremiah said. "The days of being able to say we pay you to cover, that's gone with the condensed formations and they're going to bring you into the mix every single time they come out so you can't you can't play with that kid anymore."
• Wednesday will kick off player availability here with defensive linemen and linebackers meeting with the media. Their on-field workouts will begin Thursday afternoon.
Thursday morning, defensive backs and tight ends will have their media sessions, with their workouts taking place Friday afternoon.
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast
Friday morning, quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs will have their media availability, with their on-field workouts taking place Saturday afternoon.
Saturday morning, offensive linemen and special teams players will have their media availabilities, with their on-field workouts taking place Sunday afternoon to close out the event.
• Several of the top players available in the draft won't work out here in Indianapolis, instead choosing to do so at their pro days.
Those reportedly include quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, and wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers.
All are considered top-10 picks in this draft.
