JD50'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

A SMith rebuild

  • JD50 DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Taliese Fuaga Head Shot
PICK: 20 RND: 1 (PIT)
Taliese Fuaga
OT Oregon State
Jackson Powers-Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 44 RND: 2 (PIT)
Jackson Powers-Johnson
C Oregon
T.J. Tampa Head Shot
PICK: 47 RND: 2 (PIT)
T.J. Tampa
CB Iowa State
T'Vondre Sweat Head Shot
PICK: 52 RND: 2 (PIT)
T'Vondre Sweat
DL Texas
Mike Sainristil Head Shot
PICK: 84 RND: 3 (PIT)
Mike Sainristil
CB Michigan
Cedric Gray Head Shot
PICK: 119 RND: 4 (PIT)
Cedric Gray
LB North Carolina
Kris Abrams-Draine Head Shot
PICK: 120 RND: 4 (PIT)
Kris Abrams-Draine
CB Missouri
Ainias Smith Head Shot
PICK: 143 RND: 5 (PIT)
Ainias Smith
WR Texas A&M
Cole Bishop Head Shot
PICK: 150 RND: 5 (PIT)
Cole Bishop
S Utah
Gabe Hall Head Shot
PICK: 198 RND: 6 (PIT)
Gabe Hall
DL Baylor
Taulia Tagovailoa Head Shot
PICK: 241 RND: 7 (PIT)
Taulia Tagovailoa
QB Maryland
Draft Picks Received
Jackson Powers-Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 44 RND: 2 (LV)
Jackson Powers-Johnson
C Oregon
T.J. Tampa Head Shot
PICK: 47 RND: 2 (NYG)
T.J. Tampa
CB Iowa State
Ainias Smith Head Shot
PICK: 143 RND: 5 (NYG)
Ainias Smith
WR Texas A&M
Cole Bishop Head Shot
PICK: 150 RND: 5 (LV)
Cole Bishop
S Utah
Players traded away
Head Shot
Kenny Pickett
QB
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall D
ValueB- NeedB TradesF FutureB-
Larceny in pick 143 lands the Steelers a D, Smith and all.

You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Steelers did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.

For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. It is not that Powers-Johnson is a bad player; it is that the Steelers had louder needs to answer first. Reaching for Gray left real value on the table behind him.

That Smith pick is the receipt they will wave around later.

It is a steep hill from here, and the grade knows it.

Pick Analysis
Pick20 Rnd1 Taliese Fuaga
Nothing to complain about; Taliese Fuaga went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Pick44 Rnd2 Jackson Powers-Johnson
A want over a need in slot 44: Jackson Powers-Johnson adds an offensive lineman while edge rusher, running back and other spots keeps waiting.
Pick47 Rnd2 T.J. Tampa
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and T.J. Tampa at the 47th overall pick is the proof. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick52 Rnd2 T'Vondre Sweat
A reach for T'Vondre Sweat in the 52nd pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick84 Rnd3 Mike Sainristil
They paid sticker price for Mike Sainristil in Round 3, Pick 20, and that is fine. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick119 Rnd4 Cedric Gray
Cedric Gray at No. 119 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick120 Rnd4 Kris Abrams-Draine
A straight-up fair deal on Kris Abrams-Draine at the 120th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick143 Rnd5 Ainias Smith
Ainias Smith at pick 143 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick150 Rnd5 Cole Bishop
Cole Bishop at the Round 5 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick198 Rnd6 Gabe Hall
They liked Gabe Hall enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 198. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick241 Rnd7 Taulia Tagovailoa
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Taulia Tagovailoa at No. 241. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.