The Steelers have undeniably relied more heavily on veteran acquisitions, even if they have young talent, but to what end? While they have what looks to be a nice, relatively young core now, what will it look like in time? Of the Steelers’ projected top 32 contributors this year, 22 are players they drafted or developed as college free agents. How many of them will still be here after their rookie contracts expire, and how many will they replace from the outside?
That is the crux of the issue. In the past couple years, the Steelers have, disproportionate to their history, retained their draft picks. It helps that their draft picks have concentrated heavily on the offensive and defensive lines. But it’s not just about drafting young talent—it’s about developing and then retaining them.
Right now, the Steelers have an emerging young core in certain areas of the roster. There’s Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, and Mason McCormick on the offensive line. Defensively, they have Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, and Yahya Black up front. At linebacker, they have a whole slew of intriguing players, even Payton Wilson inside.
But how many of them will fade by the time their rookie contracts expire? How many Steelers fans thought, after Najee Harris’ rookie season, he would be in Los Angeles by 2025? Remember Justin Layne and James Washington? The Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett and George Pickens in 2022, and they’re both gone.
By the time the Steelers begin the regular season, Calvin Austin III may be the only player remaining from the class of 2022. Pickett, Pickens, and Chris Oladokun are already gone. Connor Heyward, DeMarvin Leal, and Mark Robinson are all in fierce roster battles this year. TE Pat Freiermuth could be the last man standing from the class of 2021, as well.
So what will Steelers Depot be writing about Yahya Black in 2029, or about Roman Wilson? Where will Joey Porter Jr. be by then, or Keeanu Benton, or Nick Herbig? The Steelers have their young core now, but how many of those players will earn second contracts?
In recent history, not many have, at least on multi-year contracts. The only player the Steelers might realistically sign to an extension this offseason as a second contract is Austin. And I probably wouldn’t bet on that.
Between 2015 and 2021, the Steelers have only signed six draft picks to multi-year contract extensions as second contracts. Pat Freiermuth is the most recent, preceded by Alex Highsmith, Diontae Johnson, Chukwuma Okorafor, T.J. Watt, and Cameron Sutton. Of those six players, only three remain, though all are still in the league—or almost. Sutton successfully played out his extension, but Okorafor and Johnson both didn’t last.
In the meantime, the Steelers failed to land long-term contributors in the first round in Bud Dupree, Artie Burns, Terrell Edmunds, Devin Bush, Najee Harris, and Kenny Pickett. They found one in Minkah Fitzpatrick, which cost them their 2020 first-round pick, but they just traded him back to Miami.
So, sure, the Steelers may have a bit more homegrown talent right now than it might feel like right now, given their significant and high-profile additions. It’s still more than they’re used to, though, and it’s not all for good reasons.
The primary reason the Steelers have spent in free agency and invested in trades is because they haven’t been drafting players they felt worthy of paying on big-money second contracts. They wouldn’t have needed Patrick Queen if Devin Bush were good. If George Pickens were all talent and no talk, DK Metcalf probably isn’t here. The less said about the 2022 first-round selection of Kenny Pickett, the better.
To wrap things up, right now there is justification for some optimism that the Steelers have a talented young core. Perhaps they find three or four long-term keepers in the trenches, for example, and Wilson shines in the middle defensively. But things always look brighter at the outset. Let’s see what this roster makeup looks like in three years’ time, and how many are still here.
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