Steelers Land Javon Hargrave Replacement in PFF Mock Draft
PITTSBURGH -- The one looming position of need the Steelers have yet to fill remains at defensive tackle. Since losing Javon Hargrave to a three-year, $39 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh has yet to add a true-blooded defensive tackle to their roster.
They have traded for Chris Wormley and signed XFL sack leader Cavon Walker, but neither have fulfilled a role strictly on the inside throughout their careers. Leaving the biggest gap on this roster with Hargrave's replacement.
In Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner's 2020 NFL Mock Draft, he predicts the Steelers finding that replacement with the 49th overall pick, selecting Neville Gallimore out of Oklahoma.
Gallimore is a very similar prospect coming out to Javon Hargrave. They’re both undersized nose tackles with first steps that are overpowering for most centers. Gallimore improved by leaps and bounds last year with an 87.8 overall grade.
General manager Kevin Colbert did leave concern for the defensive tackle position during his conference call with Steelers media earlier this month. Acknowledging there hasn't been a full-time replacement for the position, Colbert left the door wide open for the Steelers to select a DT at No. 49.
Still, the Steelers would need to find someone worth a second-round selection to add a nose tackle to their roster that early. Gallimore has been compared to Hargrave all offseason, leaving him the perfect choice, if available with their first pick.
Colbert's draft trends also identify defense as his favorite side of the ball to draft from in early rounds. For the last seven years, defense has been the Steelers opening pick in every NFL Draft.
Sports Illustrated's Kevin Hanson landed quarterback Jacob Eason as the team's first pick at 49th overall. The team then followed up the selection with edge rusher Alton Robinson at 102.
According to Renner, the Steelers' third-round pick goes back to offense as he predicts they'll select wide receiver Tyler Johnson out of Minnesota.
The Steelers have coveted sudden route-runners over the years, and that is Johnson to a T. He was the highest-graded receiver in college football last year and finished top-10 in yards per route the past two seasons.
With later-round options at multiple positions, the Steelers can pull the trigger on all their needed voids nearly any time during the 2020 NFL Draft. They currently sit with six total picks from rounds three to seven.
