All signs point towards the Pittsburgh Steelers using the 21st pick in the 1st round of next month’s draft on a defensive lineman. Besides quarterback, it’s the one position the team hasn’t meaningfully addressed besides a trio of depth additions. But not everyone is convinced. Beat writer Mark Kaboly believes the team has better odds of selecting another position.
“I’m not sold on the defensive line in the first round,” Kaboly told 93.7 The Fan’s Austin Bechtold Thursday evening. “I’m still leaning towards Benton being the guy that gets the majority of snaps and replacing [Larry Ogunjobi].”
It’s a similar comment Kaboly made earlier this week, believing the team’s decision not to aggressively add a top-tier free agent means they have belief in Benton’s ability.
But Benton can’t replace all the snaps. Already the Steelers’ starting nose tackle, there’s no clear option who would start at left defensive end in the team’s base defense, a grouping they still use about 25 percent of the time. Nor does it address what happens if one of Cam Heyward or Benton is injured while avoiding Heyward’s long-term replacement.
For a Steelers’ defensive line that wilted down the stretch and didn’t produce good enough results overall, adding to the group should be high on Pittsburgh’s list. Be it adding a true plugger in the middle to kick Benton out more often or replacing Ogunjobi more directly, the Steelers can’t have just two starting-caliber players.
Benton himself has warts. He has just two sacks through two seasons and isn’t known as an elite run defender. Heyward’s game is still running strong, but Pittsburgh has begun reducing his snap count, meaning someone has to replace those snaps without an obvious fall-off.
It’s the most sensible selection in a deep defensive line class. Still, Kaboly isn’t convinced it’s worth the investment.
“What rookie is going to come in and play 80 percent of the snaps?” he said. “Even if you are a top-20 pick rookie defensive lineman. It typically takes some time there.”
True to an extent, but it’s a position where an immediate impact can be made. Maybe a rookie like Oregon’s Derrick Harmon isn’t playing a majority of the snaps right away. But Pittsburgh needs someone to log a solid 40 percent of the remainder beyond Benton and Heyward and eventually a replacement for the latter.
Barring a trade, failing to add a d-lineman in Round One means the earliest Pittsburgh can do so is at No. 83 in the third round. It is a dangerous place for the Steelers to begin trying to add starters without any idea who will be available and with limited capital to move up. Being backed into a corner is never where a team should be. That’s when they begin reaching, but it doesn’t look like the Steelers will have much choice.
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