The Pittsburgh Steelers did well to address some of their needs early in free agency. Wide receiver, cornerback, and safety are all less of a concern heading into the NFL Draft. But one position the Steelers didn’t fill is at left guard. With Isaac Seumalo off to Arizona and no clear-cut replacement, should the Steelers consider drafting the position in the first round? Steelers writer Bob Labriola isn’t sure it’s worth it, at least not yet.
“Maybe this is just my bias, but I would have to be convinced that a guard in today’s NFL is worth the 21st overall pick in an NFL Draft,” Labriola wrote Tuesday in his Asked and Answered post for Steelers.com. “The Steelers have 4 of the first 85 picks, and so I would have to be convinced it’s necessary to use No. 21 overall to get a starting-caliber LG out of this draft.”
With Seumalo in Arizona now, the Steelers haven’t done anything to add to the group. It was once reported that they were signing Brock Hoffman. But that lead evaporated, and nothing has happened on that front since. The Steelers are supposedly comfortable with Spencer Anderson there, but even if they are, they could still use depth.
Having a quality guard is always important, but especially important given the situation at left tackle. Broderick Jones is still recovering from a serious neck injury. The other option, Dylan Cook, played well when called upon, particularly at the season’s end. But he also got plenty of help, including some from a veteran in Seumalo. The Steelers should feel comfortable with Cook regardless, but it’d help to have some talent inside him at left guard.
Part of the argument for drafting a guard so early is that the Steelers addressed their other needs well. They won’t feel as pressured to take a receiver or defensive back as they would have been a month ago.
Thus, if someone like Ioane is available at the 21st pick, they have to consider it. Labriola brings up the vast draft capital. It includes four picks in the top 85 and five in the top 99. The Steelers could draft a guard in the second round, or use one of their three third-round picks. Some talent will be available there, but it’s obviously not as appealing as that of the first round. The Steelers drafted Mason McCormick in the fourth round, though, so you never know.
There’s a while to go until the draft, still over a month away. But left guard seems like one of the bigger needs on the Steelers’ roster after the first wave of free agency. Some might not think it’s worth the 21st overall pick, and there are other sensible directions to go in. But it feels like something Pittsburgh should consider.
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