Steelers Catch Huge Praise From A Normal Big Pittsburgh Hater

The Pittsburgh Steelers left the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday with one of the best hauls in the league. With big needs at offensive tackle, cornerback, and defensive line, General Manager Omar Khan addressed all three positions with his first three picks, getting great value with each of them. Headlines and media outlets continue praising Pittsburgh and their draft class, and it was no different on Monday. 

Chris Simms, an NFL analyst who spends a good deal of time on the draft, had the Steelers at the top of his "draft winners" on his podcast on Monday. He loved that Pittsburgh managed to fill every need they had going into the draft. They needed a top-tier cornerback on defense to work in tandem with Patrick Peterson, and getting Joey Porter Jr. at the top of the second round did just that. Here are Simms' thoughts on Pittsburgh's new cornerback:

"A physical, tough, culture-setting DB in Pittsburgh which they like, I can get behind that. They'll have a plan for him, he fits the attitude of their football team."

One of the biggest weaknesses for the Steelers over the last few years has been the offensive line. They went into the draft wanting to improve their tackle group with their first pick, and drafting Broderick Jones did just that. Jones is hopefully Pittsburgh's new franchise left tackle, a position that hasn't seen consistent play in years. After signing a couple of interior offensive linemen in free agency, Kenny Pickett should have more time in the pocket than his rookie year. Simms had Jones ranked as his second-best tackle in the draft and shared his thoughts on the Steelers' new left tackle:

"I love Broderick Jones, they need offensive line help, it's been three years... their O-Line hasn't been good enough."

Keeanu Benton might've been the most underrated pick for Pittsburgh. The Steelers' defensive line desperately needed another body added to it, and Benton comes with some high upside as an interior defensive lineman. Simms thinks Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots made a mistake not drafting Benton three spots before Pittsburgh:

"Keeanu Benton...to get him in the second round, I thought that was amazing as well. I couldn't believe he was still on the board, I couldn't believe that the Patriots took Keion White over Benton... Here's one of the reasons why I like what they did, I saw one of his pics and he said, 'I talked to Mike Tomlin and Tomlin wants goons here in Pittsburgh.'"

Benton brings experience to the Steelers after being a full-time starter at Wisconsin for four years. As Simms alluded to, Benton discussed a conversation he had with Tomlin, where Tomlin said he wants "goons who aren't afraid to get their noses dirty." That might be the perfect way to describe Pittsburgh's 2023 draft class.