Apr 26, 2017 6 min read

PITTSBURGH – Here’s an inside secret.

Every year, I do multiple mock NFL drafts that appear on my Steelers blog for the Observer-Reporter, NFL From the Sidelines. Each time, I try to mock a different player to the Steelers, just for argument’s sake, even though I typically have a certain player or two in mind when it comes right down to it.

This year, however, I didn’t have to force myself to take a different player for the Steelers in each mock. With the Steelers picking 30th in the first round of what might be one of the deepest drafts in history – with the notable exception of the quarterback and offensive line positions – it was easy to come up with a different pick each time.

Quarterbacks are typically the wild cards in any draft. Even though they are seldom the best player available regardless of position, because the position is so important and so few teams have a true franchise quarterback, they tend to be drafted higher than they should.

Because there is a wide variety of opinions of who the top quarterback is in this draft, beauty will be in the eye of the beholder. And if a certain team loves a quarterback and he slips lower than expected, they could look to move up into the first round to take him.

If that happens in this year’s NFL Draft, which begins today, it could throw a monkey wrench into everything, something Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert acknowledged earlier this week.

“A lot of times, going into this part of the draft process, we have a pretty good idea about where this thing could go,” Colbert said. “But this year, it’s really an unpredictable draft. (There are) so many different variables that we see could happen around the league. I think it all starts with the quarterback position. We think there are so many different opinions on who the quarterbacks are and who is going to take who, where. Really, it doesn’t matter to us. I think it just leads into the unpredictability, because I think you are going to see more trade up and trade down possibilities, not so much with us, but around the league.”

The Steelers won’t be one of the teams in the market for a quarterback, at least not early. Ben Roethlisberger said a couple of weeks ago that he intends to return to play in 2017 and the Steelers expect him to be around at least through the end of his current contract, which runs through 2019.

But the more quarterbacks that are selected ahead of the 30th pick, the better for the Steelers. That means a very good player in a strong draft falls a little farther than expected.

Hence the uncertainty of this draft.

The Steelers enter this draft with two immediate needs, another pass rusher to eventually replace James Harrison and another defensive back, preferably a cornerback who also can play in the slot. The Steelers had their nickel and dime defenses on the field 73 percent of the time last season, meaning they often had at least three corners on the field.

Outside of those two positions, they could also use added depth at inside linebacker, running back, receiver and tight end. And with eight picks in the seven-round, three-day draft, they should be able to address all of their needs.

In my final mock draft, I have the Steelers taking Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey, because, quite simply, he was the best player available, regardless of position, still on my board.

If the talented 20-year-old corner, who is the son of former Denver Broncos running back Bobby Humphrey is still on the board, he should be the Steelers’ pick.

Humphrey and last year’s first-round pick, Artie Burns, would give the Steelers a talented and young pair of corners with which to build on for years to come.

If Humphrey is gone, which is certainly a possbility, there are some other corners who should draw the interest of the Steelers, including Colorado’s Chidobe Awuzie, Washington’s Kevin King and USC’s Adoree’ Jackson.

Awuzie is a physical corner who can play inside or out, while King, at 6-3, 200 pounds, has rare size for the position. Jackson, meanwhile, is strictly a slot corner, but also is arguably one of the best return men in this draft.

If the Steelers instead choose to take a safety, Washington’s Budda Baker would be a nice fit. Though undersized at 5-9, 195, Baker has the speed to start immediately in the slot, where he played plenty for the Huskies, before eventually replacing Mike Mitchell at free safety.

If not a defensive back, the Steelers will take a long, hard look at the outside linebacker position. Harrison turns 39 next week and the team knows it must find a viable replacement while also improving its depth for the upcoming season.

Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt isn’t yet the sum of his parts and has had some knee injury issues, but is an exciting developmental prospect who also happens to be the younger brother of three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt.

Auburn’s Carl Lawson also looks like a classic Steelers outside linebacker, though the 30th pick might be a little higher than expected for him.

Two wildcards are Miami tight end David Njoku and Florida inside linebacker Jarrad Davis. Njoku has special ability at the tight end position, while Davis is an outstanding player and leader from the inside linebacker position, which could pique head coach Mike Tomlin’s interest.

If the Steelers do go for a corner in the first round, they might consider moving up higher in the second round by trading one of their two third-round selections to make sure they get the edge rusher they covet.

If Lawson isn’t available, that could be Youngstown State’s Derek Rivers or Houston’s Tyus Bowser.

Regardless of what the Steelers do, addressing those positions of need will be critical for the team in this draft.

Everthing after that will be icing on the cake.

Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.