Apr 21, 2023 5 min read

You’ve got to give Steelers general manager Omar Khan credit. He’s not sitting on his hands waiting for the draft to fill holes on the team’s roster.

Earlier this week, the Steelers swapped seventh-round draft picks with the Los Angeles Rams to acquire wide receiver Allen Robinson, a three-time 1,000-yard receiver who had 200 receptions combined in 2019 and 2020 for the Chicago Bears.

Now, Robinson will turn 30 later this summer and his past two seasons haven’t been great, but the Rams thought enough of him a year ago to hand him a three-year, $46.5-million contract.

To get the Steelers to take him off their hands, the Rams picked up all but $5 million of Robinson’s 2023 salary.

That’s a bargain for a receiver of his talents. And the Steelers don’t need Robinson to be a starter. They’ll work him into the slot rotation, where he’s played increasingly the last few years.

Now, instead of being forced to rely on second-year receiver Calvin Austin, who missed his entire rookie season, veteran Anthony Miller or a rookie in the slot, the Steelers can go with a 6-3, 220-pound veteran.

And Robinson has been one of the top run-blocking wide receivers in the NFL over the course of his career.

The Steelers can still take a receiver in the draft, which will be held Thursday through Saturday, but they don’t have to do so.

It’s just another solid move by Khan this offseason that keeps the draft entirely open for the Steelers.

• Last week in this column, I laid out who would be on my list of 17 players who the Steelers should take if available with the 17th selection in the draft.

Now, it’s time to actually lay out who they’ll pick.

Plenty of people have mocked a cornerback to the Steelers, and that would make a lot of sense. After all, even with the addition of Patrick Peterson in the offseason, the team needs an influx of young talent at the position.

This is a ridiculously deep draft at that position. So, in the unlikely event that Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez or Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon is available, the Steelers can afford to wait to fill that position.

Value positions would be on the offensive or defensive lines.

An offensive tackle such as Tennessee’s Darnell Wright, Georgia’s Broderick Jones or Ohio State’s Paris Johnson, Jr., would make a lot of sense.

But if they’re not available – and that’s possible – the defensive line could be the way to go.

Clemson’s Bryan Bresee would be a nice player to add and learn from Cam Heyward. If he’s not available, I would consider his Clemson teammate, defensive end Myles Murphy.

At 6-5, 305 pounds, Bresee has more of the classic Steelers defensive lineman size. And he’s also played both end and nose tackle, so he would be the better fit.

Murphy, meanwhile, is 6-5 and weighed in at 273 pounds at his personal workout – the same workout at which he ran in the low 4.5s and showed off extreme athleticism. Ten years ago, the Steelers probably wouldn’t have considered him, but they’re all about “positionless football” now and you don’t have to squint real hard to see Murphy’s ability to put on 10 to 15 pounds and be a 3-4 defensive end.

• I’ve watched a lot of tape, Senior Bowl practices and watched the NFL Scouting Combine workouts. My favorite players in this draft are a pair of safeties who also happen to be slot cornerbacks.

The first is Alabama’s Brian Branch, who could be selected in the first round, but might be available to the Steelers with their selection at No. 32.

The second is Illinois defensive back Jartavius “Quan” Martin. To get him, the Steelers might have to select him with the 49th pick.

Slot cornerback is, after all, one of the spots the Steelers could really use some competition for Arthur Maulet. And adding a good, young safety after losing Terrell Edmunds in free agency wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.

• In his first couple of years in college, Waynesburg University’s Mason Miller, a Bethel Park graduate, usually sat in the mid-to-high 80s with his fastball.

Wednesday in his Major League debut with the Oakland A’s, Miller topped 100 miles per hour 15 times and averaged just over 99 miles per hour on his fastball.

Miller was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes after his sophomore season at Waynesburg and after getting his blood sugar under control, he began his climb from 155 pounds to the 200 pounds he now packs on his 6-5 frame.

The miles per hour followed.

For those suffering with diabetes, it’s a great story. Heck, even for those who are not, it’s a great story.