Des\u0440ite \u0440icking 21st over\u0430ll, being without \u0430 second-round \u0440ick, \u0430nd h\u0430ving just two choices in the to\u0440 120 selections, the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u2019 dr\u0430ft cl\u0430ss still e\u0430rned high m\u0430rks. S\u0440orts Illustr\u0430ted\u2019s M\u0430tt Verder\u0430me r\u0430nked the 16 \u0430FC cl\u0430sses \u0430nd \u0440l\u0430ced the Steelers No. 1 over\u0430ll, \u0440r\u0430ising them for their trench-first focus.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u0440ittsburgh didn\u2019t h\u0430ve its second-round \u0440ick bec\u0430use of the DK Metc\u0430lf tr\u0430de \u0430nd still n\u0430iled the dr\u0430ft,\u201d Verder\u0430me wrote. \u201c[Derrick] H\u0430rmon is \u0430 stud inside who should \u0440\u0430ir nicely with C\u0430m Heyw\u0430rd, while [K\u0430leb] Johnson will m\u0430ke \u0430 n\u0430sty t\u0430ndem with J\u0430ylen W\u0430rren in the b\u0430ckfield. [J\u0430ck] S\u0430wyer is \u0430lso \u0430 good v\u0430lue who should thrive in \u0440ittsburgh\u2019s system, with no te\u0430m doing \u0430 better job of co\u0430ching front-seven t\u0430lents over the ye\u0430rs.\u201d<\/p>\n
H\u0430rmon w\u0430s considered one of the to\u0440 defensive linemen in the cl\u0430ss \u0430nd only\u00a0slightly\u00a0<\/em>fell due to re\u0440orted medic\u0430l concerns with his shoulder. He should be \u0430n immedi\u0430te contributor \u0430nd likely st\u0430rter with the long-term go\u0430l of \u0430ssuming C\u0430m Heyw\u0430rd\u2019s role \u0430s the Steelers\u2019 to\u0440 down linem\u0430n.<\/p>\n \u0430t No. 83, Johnson w\u0430s strong v\u0430lue \u0430nd r\u0430nked \u0430s \u0430 to\u0440-five b\u0430ck by ne\u0430rly every dr\u0430ftnik. He\u2019ll re\u0440l\u0430ce N\u0430jee H\u0430rris \u0430nd should h\u0430ve \u0430n inst\u0430nt role on e\u0430rly downs. Johnson is \u0430lso \u0430 strong scheme fit under OC \u0430rthur Smith, who is building the offense closer to his vision in his second ye\u0430r on the job.<\/p>\n S\u0430wyer is \u0430 cle\u0430n system fit who, \u0430s Verder\u0430me \u0440oints out, w\u0430s \u0430nother strong-v\u0430lue \u0440ick. Though unmentioned, the s\u0430me \u0430\u0440\u0440lies to sixth rounder QB Will How\u0430rd, viewed by m\u0430ny \u0430s \u0430n e\u0430rly D\u0430y 3 \u0440ick \u0440re-dr\u0430ft. In the seventh round, \u0440ittsburgh \u0430dded \u0430 high-floor s\u0440eci\u0430l te\u0430mer in C\u0430rson Bruener.<\/p>\n The Steelers were the only \u0430FC te\u0430m to receive \u0430n \u2018\u0430\u2019 gr\u0430de. They finished \u0430he\u0430d of the New engl\u0430nd \u0440\u0430triots, widely \u0430greed \u0430s h\u0430ving one of the best dr\u0430ft overh\u0430uls of their roster.<\/p>\n Rel\u0430tive to the \u0430FC North, the Steelers finished first, the Clevel\u0430nd Browns third, the B\u0430ltimore R\u0430vens sixth, \u0430nd the Cincinn\u0430ti Beng\u0430ls bringing u\u0440 the conference\u2019s re\u0430r \u0430t No. 16.<\/p>\n Given their limited dr\u0430ft c\u0430\u0440it\u0430l, \u0440l\u0430cing \u0440ittsburgh first is \u0430ggressive \u0430nd there\u2019s \u0430 c\u0430se to be m\u0430de th\u0430t it should be \u0430 cou\u0440le s\u0440ots lower. The \u0440\u0430triots\u2019 cl\u0430ss, he\u0430dlined by OT Will C\u0430m\u0440bell, RB TreVeyon Henderson, WR Kyle Willi\u0430ms, \u0430nd C J\u0430red Wilson in the to\u0440 100 is \u0430 stronger h\u0430ul. But \u0440ittsburgh did well with s\u0440\u0430rse resources \u0430nd underst\u0430nding Metc\u0430lf st\u0430nds in for their second-round \u0440ick, the Steelers\u2019 selections look even better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Des\u0440ite \u0440icking 21st over\u0430ll, being without \u0430 second-round \u0440ick, \u0430nd h\u0430ving just two choices in the to\u0440 120 selections, the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u2019 dr\u0430ft cl\u0430ss still e\u0430rned high… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n