The Pittsburgh Steelers hold the 21st overall pick in the draft this season, a slot they used on defensive lineman Derrick Harmon last year. Some analysts think Pittsburgh should target the same position for a second consecutive year. To FOX Sports’ Nick Wright, Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald is one possible selection.
“Listen, he is an all-time legend at defensive end, Cameron Heyward, defensive end, d-tackle. He’s also the oldest every-down defensive player in the league. And T.J. Watt’s getting older. So I think Kayden McDonald is to try to add, right now, depth, and then eventually heir apparent, makes sense there,” Wright said Monday on his First Things First show.
The Cam Heyward comparison makes sense. Kayden McDonald formally met with the Steelers at the combine, so they have some level of interest in him.
But the connection to the Steelers goes further than that. Reflecting on that meeting, McDonald spoke about how close his family has become to Heyward’s. Both grew up in Georgia, and McDonald attended Ohio State, Heyward’s alma mater.
Kayden McDonald does many things that would excite an NFL team. His sturdy build helps him hold his ground in the run game. He has enough overall strength to jolt offensive linemen and reset the line of scrimmage. As a pass rusher, his get-off helps him get a jump on linemen, and he’s surprisingly agile. However, his pass-rushing skill set is mostly inconsistent and requires refinement at the NFL level.
The Steelers have age and veteran experience along their defensive line, with Heyward and T.J. Watt as prime examples. But there’s a decent amount of youth, too. They have two young EDGE options in Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer, though the former might be hard to keep around. On the interior, Harmon was impressive when healthy, and Keeanu Benton showed some flashes as well. Pittsburgh added depth with Sebastian Joseph-Day, who brings some positional versatility to the group.
That said, it might make sense to go elsewhere in the first round. Pittsburgh will likely also have a talented receiver, safety, or even an offensive lineman available at that pick. The lack of depth at those positions could make them bigger needs.
21st overall could be considered a slight reach, but not a major one. Our Alex Kozora graded McDonald as a late-Day 1 to early-Day 2 talent in McDonald’s scouting report. That’s on par with how the rest of the NFL world values McDonald.
Wright is essentially the first to name Kayden McDonald as a first-round option for the Steelers. Although it’s a position the Steelers drafted early last year, McDonald has some promising tools. And the connection to the Steelers is there.
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