The Pittsburgh Steelers and General Manager Omar Khan are getting lots of praise for how they handled things at the 2023 NFL Draft and the haul of players they brought into the organization. It's certainly up for debate which of the Steelers' picks were the "best," but one ESPN draft specialist tried to do it for them and all 31 other teams in the league.
ESPN's Todd McShay broke down all his selections, but first gave a little qualification for how he was using the term best pick.
"'Best pick' does not necessarily mean 'best player,'" he qualified. "In fact, it's quite the opposite in most cases, since I'm looking mostly at value. Of the 32 excellent selections I'm about to run through, 20 were great additions found in rounds 2-7. Team needs -- in which a player was picked in relation to my board -- scheme fit and any trades involved in the selection are all factored in here."
Pittsburgh had a first-round grade on Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and was able to grab him with the first pick of day two. McShay had him ranked as the fourth-best cornerback in the class and the 23rd player overall. The only player higher on his board, when the Steelers got things going at the top of round two, was Kentucky quarterback Will Levis who fell to the Tennessee Titans one pick later. Here's what McShay had to say about the Steelers landing a player he thinks should fit in well:
"The Steelers replaced Cameron Sutton with soon-to-be 33-year-old Patrick Peterson, and they allowed 7.5 yards per attempt last season, 29th in the NFL. So yeah, I really like the Porter move at the top of round 2. With ridiculously long 34-inch arms and great physicality in press coverage, Porter should make an impact early in his career, pushing Peterson and Levi Wallace for rookie-year snaps. He reroutes receivers off the line of scrimmage and has the recognition skills to break on the ball. Critics of his game will point to just one interception over four seasons, but they're ignoring the fact he forced incompletions on 37.9% of his targets last year, the best in the entire nation. Pittsburgh reportedly was getting some calls from teams looking to move up into the No. 32 pick, but it knew the opportunity it had in staying put and taking Porter. And yes, the talented defensive back goes to the team that drafted his father in 1999. Pretty cool."
McShay also highlighted the team's other second-round pick Keeanu Benton as a 1/b favorite pick.
"He's a fantastic run defender with a lot of power, and while he's not going to put up big sack numbers as an interior pass-rusher, Benton is disruptive."
Steelers AFC North Foes Pick Up Value Passing Game Additions On Offense And Defense
Around the division, McShay's picks were all receivers or cornerbacks. The Steelers are going to have to take note of what these players can potentially do for their new squads.
The Baltimore Ravens continued to load up on weapons for Lamar Jackson adding Boston College wideout Zay Flowers to the mix. McShay thinks he'll find a way to be effective quickly in Baltimore.
"College coach Jeff Hafley called him the 'Energizer Bunny,' and it fits; Flowers plays with so much juice. He has 4.42 speed, but that's just part of it. He releases off the line of scrimmage in a flash and immediately gets separation with burst. If Flowers finds daylight, he's gone. And you bet the Ravens will use him in motion and on sweeps, putting defenses on their heels."
The Cleveland Browns also dipped into the receiver market this offseason reshaping their group by adding Tennessee's Cedric Tillman. Tillman is "not a burner, but he's a savvy route runner with really impressive body control" that McShay thinks should help him make an impact in Cleveland.
Tillman could quickly become a starter in this offense, especially since he's similar to the type of receiver Deshaun Watson found success with at Clemson -- big and physical with good hands. Donovan Peoples-Jones is coming off a good season, but he's entering the final year of his contract. Tillman could become very heavily involved in this offense right away and emerge as a starter opposite Cooper.
Finally, the Cincinnati Bengals added Michigan cornerback DJ Turner who Kenny Pickett and company will have to watch out for because even though he didn't produce many interceptions in college, McShay sees the tools to develop an affinity at the pro level.
"I see an outstanding combination of speed, suddenness, and fluid movement on tape, and he can mirror receivers so well, recognizing route combos and sticking with them like glue. He won't be the biggest corner in the league at 5-foot-11 and 178 pounds, and he picked off only one pass last season, but he has the traits to be a solid starter in Cincinnati."
Do you agree with McShay's pick for Pittsburgh? Do you think the Steelers need to be worried about any of the other picks in the division?
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