Way-Too-Early Mock Draft: Steelers Find OT, CB if Drafting Today
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Football is back ladies and gentlemen! After months of anticipation, week one of the college football season is finally upon us. With football back in full swing, it's time to get a glimpse of what's to come in the future via potential draft-eligible prospects. These Pittsburgh Steelers "way-too-early" mocks are always fun to look back on after the entire cycle concludes in the offseason.
This exercise can also provide fans with some potential players to keep an eye on when watching football on the couch each Saturday. For the purpose of the article, the draft order will be determined by current Super Bowl odds for the 2022 season. Without further ado, here we go.
Round 1, Pick 10: Paris Johnson Jr. (OT, Ohio State)
Listed at 6-6, 315 pounds, Johnson was recruited as a tackle out of high school but was slid inside last season by his coaching staff. While not his natural position, Johnson flashed a plethora of traits that make him one of the most uniquely talented players at his position. It all starts with Johnson's rare athletic ability and movement skills as he's extremely explosive off the ball. Johnson's a legitimate weapon in the zone run game as he's able to easily reach defenders due to his quickness. He's effective when tasked with pulling while also being able to climb to the second level seamlessly.
As a pass blocker, Johnson flashed superb upside as he didn't allow a single sack all of last season, despite technically playing out of position. Johnson comes equipped with 35-inch arms that he's able to use to his advantage when trying to make first significant contact on his opponents. Those hands pack a punch in both phases and you'll see him shock defenders upon contact. Light on his feet, the Junior phenom is especially explosive out of his stance with little wasted movement.
There will be questions he must answer with his play regarding the position change but his skill set translates much better to the outside where he can best put his athleticism to use. While a plus pass protector already, his hand placement could stand to improve as he'll occasionally miss wide to the rushers shoulder pads allowing opponents to get into his chest before driving him backward.
From Pittsburgh's perspective, the need for a significant investment into the trenches is years overdue. Dan Moore allowed seven sacks last season as the units left tackle. For a rookie fourth-round selection thrust into a starting role from day one, that's not horrendous but after a rocky 2022 preseason, it's fair to wonder whether he's the answer as Kenny Pickett's blind side protector. You're betting on traits with Paris Johnson Jr. and if he realizes his potential, the Steelers could have a top-tier talent at one of the game's premier positions.
Round 2, Pick 41: Cam Hart (CB, Notre Dame)
If you're looking around on mainstream media draft sites, only a few of them are putting Hart into this sort of consideration. However, Hart's upside is through the roof having only played the cornerback position for a short period of time after switching over from wide receiver prior to the 2020 campaign. Hart exploded onto the scene as a junior, starting ten contests while breaking up ten passes and picking off a couple more.
Hart simply has natural gifts that you simply cannot teach at the cornerback position. Standing nearly 6-3 with over 32-inch long arms, Hart's also a ridiculous athlete for his size. That jaw-dropping athleticism landed him on the Bruce Feldman's Freaks list that he publishes yearly for The Athletic. 11-2 on the broad jump, a 38-inch vertical while also being clocked at 21.7 MPH on the GPS while at Notre Dame cements his stock as one of the more unique builds of the entire 2022 cornerback class.
Hart is an aggressive player who possesses an extremely quick trigger when working downhill but there are other drawbacks to his profile that need improvement. Given his frame, there are some limitations in terms of change of direction which he'll have to work around by playing to his strengths. With just one year of experience under his belt, he needs more experience and general reps to show evaluators what type of progress he's made year to year.
Pittsburgh has just two cornerbacks currently under contract for 2023: Ahkello Witherspoon and Levi Wallace, both coincidentally in the final years of two-year contracts. Hart's blend of height/weight/speed makes him the type of high upside reward that could make the Steelers defense lethal for years to come. He's not generating enough buzz from the masses at the moment but that should change soon enough.
Round 3, Pick 73: DeMarvion Overshown (ILB, Texas)
A former safety convert, Overshown is a long and lean framed athlete that is rangy while excelling in pass coverage. An injury preemptively ended his senior season which prompted him to use his extra year of eligibility to return to Austin for a final spin. The Red-River showdown against Oklahoma exemplified what he can do when he's on: eight tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and a fumble recovery while blocking a punt on special teams.
The word range comes to mind when watching Overshown roam the field, as he's capable of making sideline to sideline plays that will leave you speechless. He's change of direction ability stands out as a linebacker and he can flip his hips and run with most opponents even slot receivers. He has a good feel for zone coverage and is aware of route concepts developing behind him while reading the quarterbacks eyes. He's a finesse player in the box, mostly relying on his quickness to slip under potential blockers on the way to ball carriers.
When you couple the description above with a 6-4, 222 pounds inside linebacker, you automatically wonder what's the catch? The big issue with Overshown's tape is that he's just not physically there yet at the point of attack to hold up consistently against the run. He likely needs to get a bit stronger to better assist him with some of the block deconstruction issues that pop on film. Like Hart above, he's new to the position and there are general growing pains associated with that transition that you require patience.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the potential might be hard to pass up on. 2022 will likely be the final go around for Devin Bush in the black and gold, ending an unfortunately disappointing experiment. The Steelers could certainly benefit from having a linebacker with that type of speed again to pair with Myles Jack moving forward. Selecting Overshown at this point on day two could pay off in the long run in a big way if his development against the run continues along the progression path that he was on at times last season.
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