Another NFL season has come and gone. Congratulations are in order. We will see teams shift shapes through retirement announcements, blockbuster trades, the free agent frenzy and the league’s annual selection meeting. The last one is more commonly known as the NFL Draft.
We still have two and a half months until then, but the mock drafts are already flowing in every major sports publication, podcast and blog you see. Last year, the Steelers drafted, hopefully, their next franchise quarterback, a big-play wide receiver and a promising defensive lineman with their first three picks.
They rounded it out with another receiver, a legacy tight end, potential at linebacker and a meaningless QB selection.
So, what will they do this year? From today until Monday, April 24, we will have a full, 7-round Steelers mock draft every single Monday for you to start the week with.
For the sake of this exercise, I will be using the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator.
Alright, here we go…Donny Football’s Steelers Mock Draft 1.0
ROUND 1 – PICK 17: BRODERICK JONES (OT, GEORGIA)
Build the trenches. With the other top tackles off the board (Paris Johnson Jr. & Peter Skoronski), they should select the next-best one. The drop-off isn’t much. The temptation may be there for the Steelers to take another target for Kenny Pickett or a legacy defender like Joey Porter Jr., but take a look at how things are being done on the other side of the state. Some view Jones as a project or a consolation prize in the opening round, but the 6’4, 315-pounder can potentially stabilize the left side of your offensive line and protect Pickett’s blindside for the foreseeable future.
ROUND 2 – PICK 32: TRENTON SIMPSON (LB, CLEMSON)
Not only was Simpson among the best players available at 32, but he is a beast that fills an area of need the Steelers having been trying to fill for roughly five years. The Steelers will almost surely part ways with 1st round flop, Devin Bush and also have a decision to make about Robert Spillane, although I like his chances to return as a favorite of the coaching staff. Mark Robinson didn’t get much time, but has drawn comparisons to Vince Williams in his rare opportunities. Simpson is 6’3, 230 and can be a hybrid defender like they’ve been looking for that can cover the pass and attack the run while also making an impact in the blitz game.
ROUND 2 – PICK 49: EMMANUEL FORBES (CB, MISSISSIPPI STATE)
There were some higher rated corners on the board at picks 17 and 32, but Forbes can be a nice value pick with the Steelers’ original 2nd rounder at 49.
Forbes had good production last season in the SEC with six interceptions and three of those getting taken back for scores. His build at 6’0, 180 and aggressive style fits the nature of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will certainly be looking to add in the defensive backfield. The worry picking a corner is always there with the Steelers history, but the hope would be to see another success story like Cam Sutton.
ROUND 3 – PICK 80: ANDREW VORHEES (OG, USC)
After the top tackles and interior offensive linemen like O’Cyrus Torrence and John Michael Schmitz are off the board, Vorhees could be a nice find at pick 80. On the PFF big board, this would be viewed as a reach with Vorhees at the end of the Top 100. However, there is a big part of Vorhees’ game that the Steelers will be salivating over – versatility. The 6’6, 320-pounder is listed as an interior offensive lineman, but he has played guard and tackle on both the left and right side of the center.
ROUND 4 – PICK 120: MARVIN MIMS (WR, OKLAHOMA)
You know the Steelers will pick a receiver to keep replenishing potential talent for their soon-to-be second year QB. I think that selection comes outside of the opening round and for this edition, I’m going with the speedster from Oklahoma with some value in the 4th round. Mims is small in stature at 5’11, 180 pounds, but in three seasons as a Sooner, he accumulated 2,398 yards and 20 touchdowns on 123 total receptions. His most productive season came in 2022 when he gathered nearly 1,100 yards and six scores. A receiving corps featuring established targets like George Pickens and Diontae Johnson with speedy newcomers like Mims and Calvin Austin III in the fold provides Kenny Pickett with a bevy of options.
ROUND 6 – PICK 195: GERVARRIUS OWENS (S, HOUSTON)
Safety may or may not be a need in the 2023 NFL Draft, but it’s always nice adding pieces to the back end of your defense. Right now, a lot of this pick depends on what the Steelers happen to do with Terrell Edmunds and Damontae Kazee, both of whom are unrestricted free agents. Owens is the same physical type both Edmunds and Kazee possess and he’s coming off a season in which he had 74 total tackles (55 solo), a pair of forced fumbles and a pick. At this point in the draft, you’re in a spot where you should be looking for the best players that can potentially help your team and not always a position of need. These are fringe 53-man guys and if they make any sort of impact you can chalk it up as a positive selection.
ROUND 7 – PICK 236: JAREN HALL (QB, BYU)
I’ve seen a few mock drafts already that have the Steelers going QB late in the draft. The team did that last year when Chris Oladokun was the selection, after Kenny Pickett was drafted in round one and two veteran QB’s were already on the roster. That pick made no sense. Right now, the Steelers backup quarterbacks are in a state of flux. Mason Rudolph can’t wait to leave Pittsburgh and it would make financial sense to cut ties with Mitch Trubisky a year early. That would leave just one active QB on the roster with likely one being added in free agency. Any way you cut it, the Steelers will at most have two signal callers heading into the draft. This could be a multitude of names, but Jaren Hall was the man there for me at the end of the simulation at pick 236. Hall had a great final season at BYU, passing for nearly 3,200 yards and throwing 31 touchdowns to just six picks, while also adding 350 yards on the ground with three scores. It seems like he’s the type that could be a fit in a Matt Canada offense if he ever needs to be and could turn into a trusty backup in the future.