With the 2023 NFL Draft happening very soon, the Pittsburgh Steelers are doing final touch-ups to their draft board. Vince Williams, who used to play for the Steelers, has his own ideas of who exactly Omar Khan and company should prioritize and why. He tweeted his suggestion out on the morning of draft day. In the same tweet, he called out the front office for a common mistake they have made, and Williams is afraid that they will make the same exact mistake again, just with a different player this time.
Who does Vince Williams want the Steelers to draft?
In the first part of Williams' tweet, he wants the Steelers to get another offensive lineman, specifically Darnell Wright out of the University of Tennessee. He wants another downhill blocker for Najee Harris, and left tackle is the only need on the offensive line for the Steelers now. Upgrading the left tackle position could make the offensive line elite, and the Steelers have been repeatedly linked to Wright during the draft process. While the Steelers are more linked to guys like Joey Porter Jr., Steelers fans would probably still feel good about this pick.
Williams is right about Wright helping Harris and the run game. If the team can get another quality blocker, the Steelers' run game could be elite, like when the Steelers had Le'Veon Bell at running back and an offensive line full of Pro Bowlers. What Williams didn't mention was that an improved left tackle would also improve the pass game by allowing Kenny Pickett to get more comfortable in the pocket and take less hits and sacks.
There is more to the tweet than Williams wanting an extra blocker to help the run game even more. Going back to the early days of Mike Tomlin's tenure with Pittsburgh, the Steelers have had trouble with a specific position in the draft, and Williams has seemed to acknowledge it, like many Steelers fans have. The Steelers have had issues with drafting cornerback, and it just so happens that the Steelers are all but confirmed to draft a cornerback round 1.
Williams was around the team when they drafted players like Senquez Golson, Artie Burns, and other cornerbacks that never panned out to be much of anything. He has seen firsthand how this team would try to develop them, as he was on the field with them every single day. Even if he isn't on the team anymore, Williams is still afraid that the Steelers will repeat whatever mistakes they keep making when it comes to the young cornerbacks.
Ever since the 2008 draft, the Steelers have had only one cornerback pick that has been successful, and it was Cameron Sutton in the amazing 2017 draft. Before him, the last quality cornerback that the Steelers drafted was William Gay, back in Tomlin's first season as head coach. In that time frame, they only have only selected one first-round cornerback, and it was Burns, whom many Steelers fans wish to forget.
Why do the Steelers struggle with drafting cornerbacks?
It is especially baffling that the Steelers struggle in this category, considering that Tomlin is supposed to be a defensive back specialist. It doesn't help that Sutton did not develop well with the Steelers until Teryl Austin was hired in 2019, and Sutton suddenly started playing excellent man coverage, especially in the slot while backing up Mike Hilton. Sutton then moved to the outside following Steven Nelson's departure.
It's safe to say that Tomlin is not very good at developing cornerbacks, but Teryl Austin might be. Austin has only had 2 chances to develop a cornerback, with the other one being a failed project in Justin Layne. While Williams' tweet does make sense, he might need to put some faith on Austin to develop whoever the Steelers end up drafting at cornerback.
More must-reads: