We've reached the season of NFL Draft pick speculation. As the dust begins to settle on an eventful start to the free agency period, we take a minute to look ahead to arguably the NFL's most important offseason event. Early in the process, the Pittsburgh Steelers are already dropping hints about their draft strategy this April.
Those who follow the team closely know that it's important to check out where Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan wind up on the pre-draft scouting trail. As college teams begin their NFL Pro Days, Pittsburgh's brass has already made a few appearances.
Perhaps more important is how the Steelers spend their top-30 visits. The results so far have been telling.
Though only six Steelers pre-draft visits have been reported, these give us an idea of where in the draft Pittsburgh could target certain positions. The plan is unfolding like many of us predicted.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are eyeing running back in third round of the NFL Draft
For someone who loves the NFL Draft wholeheartedly, it stings that the Pittsburgh Steelers don't have a second-round selection this year. General manager Omar Khan sent the 52nd overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for DK Metcalf. The Steelers still hold the 21st overall selection, but don't pick again until pick 83 in the third round.
Because they are lacking a second-round pick, don't be surprised if the Steelers look to move back (possibly even from pick 21) to try to recoup some of the value lost. If they don't, however, their plans are beginning to look obvious at this point.
The Steelers recently hosted Kansas State running back DJ Giddens and Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson for pre-draft visits. In a crowded RB class, Giddens and Sampson have both been projected to be taken in the third round of the draft.
While it's possible the Steelers could target a wide receiver or interior defender in Round 3, they have only met with one receiver—Iowa State's Jalin Noel—and there are whispers that he will be off the board in the second round. Likewise, the Steelers only have one top-30 visit with an interior defender (JJ Pegues) and the big defensive tackle may not be taken until Day 3 of the NFL Draft.
After trading for Metcalf, wide receiver becomes less of a need, while the running back room is expected to have just Jaylen Warren and newcomer Kenneth Gainwell after Najee Harris signed with the LA Chargers. (Cordarrelle Patterson is still under contract, but he's expected to be a cap casualty).
If we follow the trail of breadcrumbs as we've done in past years, we can see an arrow pointing to the Steelers taking a running back in the third round. We'll see if future top-30 visits throw a curveball at us.
