Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 Mock Drafts

Ben has 41 million reasons to come back next year.

my QB rankings have changed again. anyone watch ohio state vs mich state ? fields looked terrible. he is a one read QB. im not even sure i would take him over trask or mac jones.
at this point i think wilson will be long gone before the steelers pick. i think he has even worked himself in front of fields in the top 10. this is order i think they will go, not the order i would pick them in. fields and lance have huge bust potential. they both have Vince Young written all over them.

lawrence
wilson
fields
trask
lance
jones

Trask is looking really bad in the Cotton Bowl.

jak341 wrote:

Trask is looking really bad in the Cotton Bowl.

im not sure what to make of trask. if you just watch highlight tapes and look at stats he looks awesome. pretty good arm. good size.
i watched a few of last years games and a few of the early this year games. what i saw was a dink and dunk system QB with good receivers and an excellent TE that make great catches because of poor ball placement and got lots of yards after the catch. the system reminded me off what fichtner is trying to do with the quick passing game but florida had more success with the YAC . i noted Trask made a lot of late throws and forced receivers to reach back for the ball or stop and come back for it. he also doesnt move well in the pocket or feel the pressure. i compared him to mason rudolf
BUT ...watching some of the recent games, they have been making A LOT more down field throws and Trask was hitting a lot of those big plays. i still think his accuracy is spotty but he is capable. maybe with time and a good QB coach he might just be a good NFL QB. for now i would say he is 50 / 50 risk where as i think Zach Wilson would be a 70 / 30. damned if you do or damned if you dont. i think they NEED to take a flyer on a QB this draft. be it Trask or Jones, who makes me think a chad pennington. weak arm but knows his limitations and makes smart decisions and has an accurate short ball.  if they are both available , i would have to think long and hard on it, then probably flip a coin. i dont think either will last past the middle of the second round. they may even both go first considering i believe half the league probably isnt satisfied with the current QB situation. even teams with long established QB's like detriot and atlanta may look to make a change.

if Rudolf stinks up this game like he did against cleveland last year...it is time to give up on him. he should be super motivate to beat the browns.

Trask played so bad he made this guy sick...

This is interesting. Labriola on next year's 17 game season and how it could help the salary cap.

STEVE KEISTER FROM KINNELON, NJ: Given this year's performances and pending free agency, do you think it's too early to start thinking about the next draft?
ANSWER: It's not too early for you to start thinking about the draft, if that's how you choose to spend your time, but it's too early for me. With the NFL indicating it will go to a 17-game regular season schedule in 2021, that means the league will have additional inventory to sell to networks or streaming services, and that extra money would impact the 2021 salary cap in a way where it's less of a doomsday scenario for many teams, including the Steelers. That could impact the draft, certainly, and the fact the Steelers are division champions and in the upcoming playoffs is what currently has my attention. Besides, college players have until sometime in January to decide whether to declare for the 2021 draft, and so we don't even know for certain, as an example, whether Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is going to return for his final season of college eligibility or not.
Here is a link to asked and answered....

https://www.steelers.com/news/asked-and-answered-dec-31-x1310

steelers need all the help they can get with all the free agents this off season, the one guy l'm liking and need to keep is williamson that would be 4 good ILBers and a good rotation plus the other the steelers want to keep. would be nice if the draft falls into steelers needs because imho they need to get some o=linemen this off season big guys, good feet and knee bend.

May need to if you have a seventeen game season there. Two bye weeks. That only going one is just really not enough.

JPPT1974 wrote:

May need to if you have a seventeen game season there. Two bye weeks. That only going one is just really not enough.

i would think everybody would want an extra bye week. they should also make the byes as even as possible by having them all done over two weeks instead of stretching them out the way they do now. maybe have an AFC bye week and an NFC bye week. they could even do all division games only for the bye weeks.

AFC bye week 6...all NFC divisional match ups in week 6
NFC bye week 7...all AFC divisional match ups in week 7

AFC bye week 11..all NFC divisional match ups in week 11
NFC bye week 12...all AFC divisional match up in week 12.

nice evenly spaced bye weeks..play 5 or 6 , get a bye. alternate year to year which  conference gets the bye week first.
every year they could rotate who they play following the bye week...for example the steelers would play the rats week 7 and 12 next year it would be the browns games week 6 and 11.  then the next year it would be the bungals games week 7 and 12.

if anyone from the NFL reads this , contact me i have many more of brilliant ideas ...

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

my QB rankings have changed again. anyone watch ohio state vs mich state ? fields looked terrible. he is a one read QB. im not even sure i would take him over trask or mac jones.
at this point i think wilson will be long gone before the steelers pick. i think he has even worked himself in front of fields in the top 10. this is order i think they will go, not the order i would pick them in. fields and lance have huge bust potential. they both have Vince Young written all over them.

lawrence
wilson
fields
trask
lance
jones

I'm going to disagree with you about Fields. I think he's an emerging star. I know he had a few off-games - but he also didn't have Olave last week, and the Bucks have only played 6 games. Really hard to get a rhythm going with so few games.

Great Randino wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

my QB rankings have changed again. anyone watch ohio state vs mich state ? fields looked terrible. he is a one read QB. im not even sure i would take him over trask or mac jones.
at this point i think wilson will be long gone before the steelers pick. i think he has even worked himself in front of fields in the top 10. this is order i think they will go, not the order i would pick them in. fields and lance have huge bust potential. they both have Vince Young written all over them.

lawrence
wilson
fields
trask
lance
jones

I'm going to disagree with you about Fields.  I think he's an emerging star.  I know he had a few off-games - but he also didn't have Olave last week, and the Bucks have only played 6 games.  Really hard to get a rhythm going with so few games.

one word....J-E-T-S...

Its hard to tell what the Jets will do. They have a lot of holes. But I never thought Darnold was an elite prospect, even when all the scouts were drooling over him. Way too many INT's in college. That's almost always a bad sign.

Great Randino wrote:

Its hard to tell what the Jets will do.  They have a lot of holes.  But I never thought Darnold was an elite prospect, even when all the scouts were drooling over him.  Way too many INT's in college.  That's almost always a bad sign.

i wasn't sold on darnold either and probably would have picked mayfield if i was the GM ...
but darnold does show flashes that he could be a winning QB under the right circumstances. he does make the occasion impressive throw. put a good team around him and he might just surprise people like tannenhill has. darnold is still only 23 years old. if the jets shopped him around i would take a chance on him for the right price. i mean imagine rudolf or dobbs starting for the jets the last 2 years  do you think they would have faired any better ? those "flashes" i mentioned i have seen from darnold...i have yet to see them from Rudolf. if im coach T , sunday would be Masons show me the money moment. give me a reason to keep you on the roster. sink or swim. shit or get off the pot ..

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

Great Randino wrote:

Its hard to tell what the Jets will do.  They have a lot of holes.  But I never thought Darnold was an elite prospect, even when all the scouts were drooling over him.  Way too many INT's in college.  That's almost always a bad sign.

i wasn't sold on darnold either and probably would have picked mayfield if i was the GM ...
but darnold does show flashes that he could be a winning QB under the right circumstances. he does make the occasion impressive throw. put a good team around him and he might just surprise people like tannenhill has. darnold is still only 23 years old. if the jets shopped him around i would take a chance on him for the right price. i mean imagine rudolf or dobbs starting for the jets the last 2 years  do you think they would have faired any better ? those "flashes" i mentioned i have seen from darnold...i have yet to see them from Rudolf. if im coach T , sunday would be Masons show me the money moment. give me a reason to keep you on the roster. sink or swim.  shit or get off the pot ..

I agree 100% with you regarding Rudolph. Its, perform or be gone.

And good point about Darnold. If the Jets want to draft a QB, and move on Darnold, maybe we take a shot at him? He'd need development though, I hope Canada would be up for that (we know Fichtner won't be).

Someone mocked an OT to the Jets, but I wouldn't be surprised if they went QB.

Great Randino wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

my QB rankings have changed again. anyone watch ohio state vs mich state ? fields looked terrible. he is a one read QB. im not even sure i would take him over trask or mac jones.
at this point i think wilson will be long gone before the steelers pick. i think he has even worked himself in front of fields in the top 10. this is order i think they will go, not the order i would pick them in. fields and lance have huge bust potential. they both have Vince Young written all over them.

lawrence
wilson
fields
trask
lance
jones

I'm going to disagree with you about Fields.  I think he's an emerging star.  I know he had a few off-games - but he also didn't have Olave last week, and the Bucks have only played 6 games.  Really hard to get a rhythm going with so few games.

did you see what Fields and Ohio State offense did to Clemson's 5th ranked defense in the country? put 49 points on them. did you see the hit Fields took? still went 22 of 28 for 385 yards. 56 and 49 yard touchdown passes after rib injury.

effyou515 wrote:

Great Randino wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

my QB rankings have changed again. anyone watch ohio state vs mich state ? fields looked terrible. he is a one read QB. im not even sure i would take him over trask or mac jones.
at this point i think wilson will be long gone before the steelers pick. i think he has even worked himself in front of fields in the top 10. this is order i think they will go, not the order i would pick them in. fields and lance have huge bust potential. they both have Vince Young written all over them.

lawrence
wilson
fields
trask
lance
jones

I'm going to disagree with you about Fields.  I think he's an emerging star.  I know he had a few off-games - but he also didn't have Olave last week, and the Bucks have only played 6 games.  Really hard to get a rhythm going with so few games.

did you see what Fields and Ohio State offense did to Clemson's 5th ranked defense in the country? put 49 points on them. did you see the hit Fields took? still went 22 of 28 for 385 yards. 56 and 49 yard touchdown passes after rib injury.

Yeah, incredible performance. Those long TDs were amazin the way they seemed to just drop in the receivers hands. He did seem to be hurting too as you say. I think Lawrence was expecting to be the star of the game but Fields really pushed him out of the way.

I really didn't expect that performance from Ohio State. They have had very little playing time, and I think that's been a big problem with getting a rhythm. But last night they were definitely in rhythm. Great job by the coaching staff and of course, the excellent Ryan Day, and outstanding performance by the athletes. And yes, Fields was head and shoulders above Lawrence last night.

LambertWardSteel wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

Great Randino wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

my QB rankings have changed again. anyone watch ohio state vs mich state ? fields looked terrible. he is a one read QB. im not even sure i would take him over trask or mac jones.
at this point i think wilson will be long gone before the steelers pick. i think he has even worked himself in front of fields in the top 10. this is order i think they will go, not the order i would pick them in. fields and lance have huge bust potential. they both have Vince Young written all over them.

lawrence
wilson
fields
trask
lance
jones

I'm going to disagree with you about Fields.  I think he's an emerging star.  I know he had a few off-games - but he also didn't have Olave last week, and the Bucks have only played 6 games.  Really hard to get a rhythm going with so few games.

did you see what Fields and Ohio State offense did to Clemson's 5th ranked defense in the country? put 49 points on them. did you see the hit Fields took? still went 22 of 28 for 385 yards. 56 and 49 yard touchdown passes after rib injury.

Yeah, incredible performance. Those long TDs were amazin the way they seemed to just drop in the receivers hands. He did seem to be hurting too as you say. I think Lawrence was expecting to be the star of the game but Fields really pushed him out of the way.

l think Ohio State defense exposed Lawrence a little bit, get a little pressure on him his football IQ drops off some.

effyou515 wrote:

LambertWardSteel wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

Great Randino wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

my QB rankings have changed again. anyone watch ohio state vs mich state ? fields looked terrible. he is a one read QB. im not even sure i would take him over trask or mac jones.
at this point i think wilson will be long gone before the steelers pick. i think he has even worked himself in front of fields in the top 10. this is order i think they will go, not the order i would pick them in. fields and lance have huge bust potential. they both have Vince Young written all over them.

lawrence
wilson
fields
trask
lance
jones

I'm going to disagree with you about Fields.  I think he's an emerging star.  I know he had a few off-games - but he also didn't have Olave last week, and the Bucks have only played 6 games.  Really hard to get a rhythm going with so few games.

did you see what Fields and Ohio State offense did to Clemson's 5th ranked defense in the country? put 49 points on them. did you see the hit Fields took? still went 22 of 28 for 385 yards. 56 and 49 yard touchdown passes after rib injury.

Yeah, incredible performance. Those long TDs were amazin the way they seemed to just drop in the receivers hands. He did seem to be hurting too as you say. I think Lawrence was expecting to be the star of the game but Fields really pushed him out of the way.

l think Ohio State defense exposed Lawrence a little bit, get a little pressure on him his football IQ drops off some.

if you look at the clemson , Ohio state game last year lawrence didnt play well in that game either. OSU has got his number.

i have been seeing mocks lately giving us najee harris or travis etienne. i might be in favor of it if the oline wasn't in shambles, although i have never been a fan of taking a RB in the 1st. but i would i prefer najee out of the two. he is no travis henry that punishes defenses despite him being a big back.  he has quick feet and good vision but doesnt lower his head like a battering ram for the tough yards. he looks for the path of least resistance, which would result in a lot of negative plays behind this line.  . neither of these backs would have had anymore success this year than connor did.  

Conner would have been fine if:
1. He could stay healthy
2. The run blocking scheme was working.

At this point, I'm not even sure its a personnel issue. I think its a coaching and scheme issue.

Case in point: team has no running game yet won't play a fullback, pull a tight end (and run BEHIND him), pull guards, etc.

Last game, TE pulled to the left (McDonald) and Connor ran to the middle. Why? Run behind them.

Regarding those backs....

Trey Sermon, OSU, may well be available where we're picking. If he makes it to us into Round 2, that would be an intriguing pick.

Great Randino wrote:

Conner would have been fine if:
1. He could stay healthy
2. The run blocking scheme was working.

At this point, I'm not even sure its a personnel issue.  I think its a coaching and scheme issue.  

Case in point:  team has no running game yet won't play a fullback, pull a tight end (and run BEHIND him), pull guards, etc.

Last game, TE pulled to the left (McDonald) and Connor ran to the middle.  Why?  Run behind them.

Regarding those backs....

Trey Sermon, OSU, may well be available where we're picking.  If he makes it to us into Round 2, that would be an intriguing pick.  

i think your half right. but  pouncey and big Al's play have been going downhill for a few years now. im hoping decastos' problems this year are just lingering injuries and playing beside a declining pouncey.

i'm against spending a top 3 pick on a RB until the offensive line can show it would pay dividends to have a more dynamic back. even an average RB can look good behind  a good oline. the ooposite, a good back and a bad line rarely works unless you are barry sanders. remember how good connor looked after bell left ?that was because the line was still playing well.  when we do see the occasional good run look at the hole they are running thru. its not like they are using barry sanders magic making tacklers jock straps fall off and they are tackling air.  

when a guy like benny snell can consistently give you a 4 yd per carry average and 60 -80 yards a game on 15-20 carries and can delivers on 3rd and short more often than not ..THEN you spend the high pick on a better back.
why spend a second round pick on a back that is going to keep getting stuffed behind the line like snell and connor , because the guys in front cant even hold the line let alone push the defenders backwards. ? why would you not invest that 2nd on another linemen upgrade ? all the problems wont be fixed in one year. starting with trenches  (O and D lines) should be addressed first. the way teams ran between the tackles on us means we need a new fat guy in the middle. wormly, buggs and davis and mondeaux are not the answer. tyson is old . we have to play the rats and browns 4 times a year. teams like the rats and browns are built to run the ball. we need a solid base package to stop the run.

this is drafting a back instead of fixing the line...lol

Very valid points, Master. I agree regarding Pouncey and Villanueva. I think we spend $ in free agency on linemen. Draft as well, but get a couple good ones, spend the $ to upgrade to players who are ready to step in NOW.

Where to get the $? Well, bye to Ju Ju and to Dupree for sure. Others possibly as well. Dump some salary there.

Great Randino wrote:

Very valid points, Master.  I agree regarding Pouncey and Villanueva.  I think we spend $ in free agency on linemen.  Draft as well, but get a couple good ones, spend the $ to upgrade to players who are ready to step in NOW.  

Where to get the $?  Well, bye to Ju Ju and to Dupree for sure.  Others possibly as well.  Dump some salary there.

losing JuJu and dupree wouldnt even cover the cost of bens rising cap hit. ben goes from 23.7 to 41.5.  pouncey and decastro's cap hit increases this year. decastro from 9.7 to 15.3 and pouncey from from 7.5 to 14.4...plus for every guy you get rid of their replacement needs payed. so you get rid of pouncey and save 8 million while eating 6 .5 ...now you need to find a guy for under 8 million , but that guy is still costing you as much as pouncey because of the 6.4 million dead money...somewhere in the equation we need to spend less than last year. soooooo

this is only the  34  guys under contract in 2021 these 34 guys cap hit is currently 202 million...this doesnt include guys like dupree and juju who will need replaced so where do we trim the fat ? keep in mind the dead cap hit and paying the guy who replaces them. if you only save a little you only have a little to pay their replacement. the cap minus whatever revenue from a 17th game was projected to be as low as 175 million. 202 > 175 ? lets just say the cap for next year is 202 million ...these 34 guys eat all that shit up. so what about all the guys not under contract like hilton and sutton  , plus draft picks, plus guys like TJ ?
the only guys worth cutting to really save money are Ben , pouncey, decastro, McDonald,and Williams. McDonald is a no brainer. i guess they could restructure / extend guys like tuitt, minkah nelson watt and boswell. i dont know how far into the future i would plan for hayden.

this is what l going with

1st. Sam Cosmi OT Texas
2nd. Teven Jenkins OT Oklahoma State
3rd. Pat Freiermuth TE Penn State