Steel defender'S MOCK DRAFT
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Steel defense

  • Steel defender DRAFTING FOR THE
    Steelers
Draft Selections
Nick Emmanwori Head Shot
PICK: 21 RND: 1 (PIT)
Nick Emmanwori
S South Carolina
Deone Walker Head Shot
PICK: 52 RND: 2 (PIT)
Deone Walker
DT Kentucky
Maxwell Hairston Head Shot
PICK: 83 RND: 3 (PIT)
Maxwell Hairston
CB Kentucky
Hollin Pierce Head Shot
PICK: 122 RND: 4 (PIT)
Hollin Pierce
OT Rutgers
Dont'e Thornton Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 163 RND: 5 (PIT)
Dont'e Thornton Jr.
WR Tennessee
Donovan Edwards Head Shot
PICK: 225 RND: 7 (PIT)
Donovan Edwards
RB Michigan
Kain Medrano Head Shot
PICK: 231 RND: 7 (PIT)
Kain Medrano
LB UCLA
Donovan Smith Head Shot
PICK: 247 RND: 7 (PIT)
Donovan Smith
QB Houston
Draft Grade — Steelers
Overall B-
ValueB- NeedB+ TradesB- FutureB-
Nothing loud, just a tidy B- for the Steelers.

If confidence were a draft strategy, the Steelers would have aced it. Kain Medrano at slot 231 is 82 spots clear of where he belonged. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.

The Edwards pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. On the needs board they went 7 of 9, with quarterback the one that mattered most.

The weekend tilted hard toward the defense.

All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.

Pick Analysis
Pick21 Rnd1 Nick Emmanwori
In the Round 1 slot they get a ballhawk on the back end. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Pick52 Rnd2 Deone Walker
They went early on Deone Walker in No. 52, and the value did not follow. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick83 Rnd3 Maxwell Hairston
A quiet steal in pick No. 83: Maxwell Hairston for less than the market said. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick122 Rnd4 Hollin Pierce
The board had Hollin Pierce higher than slot 122, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. A minor itch, scratched.
Pick163 Rnd5 Dont'e Thornton Jr.
A conviction pick on Dont'e Thornton Jr. at the 163rd overall pick that the board grades a round light. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick225 Rnd7 Donovan Edwards
Somehow Donovan Edwards was still sitting there in pick 225, and they pounced on premier running back value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick231 Rnd7 Kain Medrano
Kain Medrano in No. 231 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick247 Rnd7 Donovan Smith
Good price on Donovan Smith in the 247th overall pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.