Though they came at different positions to serve different roles, Mike McCarthy sees a common theme between the many free agent pickups the Pittsburgh Steelers made over the month of March.
“I’m big into play style and physical profiles,” McCarthy said in a sit-down interview with Max Starks aired on the team’s YouTube channel. “I think you see the common thread of everybody who we signed.”
Wide receiver Michael Pittman, acquired via trade, is a big body at 6-4 and over 200 pounds. Running back Rico Dowdle is big and plays with power, weighing in at 5-11, 213 pounds exiting out of college. Safety Jaquan Brisker is well-proportioned at over 6-1 and 205 pounds. At 6-1, 206, cornerback Jamel Dean pairs nicely with Joey Porter Jr. while offensive lineman Brock Hoffman has long arms and profiles as a thickly-built run blocker.
At receiver and cornerback especially, the Steelers have a unique amount of size. DK Metcalf, Darnell Washington and Pittman in the pass game. Jalen Ramsey, Porter and Dean in the secondary. That will make life tough on smaller defenses. It’s a group that looks good getting off the bus but also has proven NFL pedigree.
Pittsburgh not only added size but plugged most key holes in the roster.
“We don’t feel like we have to go into the draft and say, ‘Hey, we need this,'” McCarthy said. “Position-wide, we can really trust our board.”
The Steelers have areas to add but no screaming need, especially if Aaron Rodgers returns at quarterback. That will prevent the team reaching for a position over value, a mistake the team has made in the past with CB Artie Burns, QB Kenny Pickett and others. It’s the ideal position to be in.
In a critical class loaded with a dozen selections, the Steelers must get it right. A rookie class to pair with a solid group of free agent and offseason additions without any franchise-altering departures. If the rookie group is built like the veterans, expect plenty of size at each position. Already, those dots are easy to connect at quarterback.
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