The Steelers have added some already, but their next long-term starting safety will come in the draft, Ray Fittipaldo says. With Jaquan Brisker and Darnell Savage coming in, Pittsburgh has some options. DeShon Elliott is returning from injury, and Jalen Ramsey can play anywhere in the secondary. But beyond this season, we could be looking at a guy just entering the league.
“He’s a versatile player, he’s a good tackler. I think he’ll fit in well. But when you look at this move, and you look at the move for Darnell Savage, too, both those guys are on one-year deals”, Fittipaldo pointed out on 93.7 The Fan about the Steelers’ safety additions in Brisker and Savage. “It really does allow them to take a safety early in this draft”.
A year ago, the Steelers traded their All-Pro safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick, without a clear one-for-one replacement. Eventually, Jalen Ramsey moved there, having shared time with Juan Thornhill. Along the way, they added Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers and traded for Kyle Dugger. None of them are back, and don’t seem likely to return.
Fittipaldo is already on record as seeing safety as one of the Steelers’ most likely targets in the first round of the draft. He sees the short-term arrangements they have with Brisker and Savage in support of that. Brisker, though, would have long-term potential if he could stay healthy. He’ll only turn 27 in April, so he could have a good five or so years left. But there are plenty of questions in the back end when you look past this season.
“I think that’s what they’re gonna do. It might be at 21—it could be”, Fittipaldo said about the Steelers drafting a safety. “But if it’s not at 21, second or third round. Jalen Ramsey’s getting older, DeShon Elliott’s getting older. This is a really good safety draft. So if it’s not in Round 1, I would expect them to draft their next starting safety, certainly, on Day 2”.
Fittipaldo has advocated for the Steelers drafting a safety early, specifically Dillon Thieneman. While it’s an option, some may question the urgency at safety. But relative to urgency of need and positional value, the Steelers drafting a safety in the first round seems as plausible as any. Arguably, they need a starting guard, but they can potentially find one later. It could be a wide receiver, but they’re likely to draft multiple.
The Steelers have only used a first-round draft pick on a safety once since Troy Polamalu. That was for Terrell Edmunds in 2018, and that didn’t work out as hoped. They did trade a first-round pick for Fitzpatrick in 2019, and he had a successful run here. But as his production declined, Pittsburgh found him expendable, and they moved him and his contract when the opportunity presented itself.
There are a few safety prospects who could be worthy of the Steelers’ first-round draft pick. They also have enough resources to potentially pull out a trade up for one if necessary. But before they pull the trigger, they have to evaluate their other options. Safety is certainly a plausible option, but they are far from locked in on one position.
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