Draft picks unlikely to start in 2018
But of their seven picks, it is unlikely the Steelers drafted a player who, barring injury, will emerge as a starter in 2018. And that is something of a rarity for the Steelers, who have found players who were early, if not immediate, starters in six of the previous seven drafts.
“I think we added some good depth, some good competition,” general manager Kevin Colbert said. “If you look at it, some people may question the immediacy of these kids being able to help us, but our job is to win a championship in 2018. The other part of our job is to make sure this organization can compete year in and year out. Hopefully these young men will help us do that.”
Here is a prognosis of what can be expected from each of the Steelers seven draft picks:
Terrell Edmunds, S — The Steelers won’t hesitate to get Edmunds on the field because, well, that’s what you do with your No. 1 pick in today’s NFL — you play him. But, in all likelihood, Edmunds will be relegated to sub-package football, coming in when the team uses its nickel and dime defensive packages. The Steelers acquired safety Morgan Burnett in free agency to replace Mike Mitchell and assume the same role Edmunds is projected to play. Unless Burnett is not what they thought, or he gets injured, Edmunds will not be a regular in their base 3-4 defense. James Washington, WR — The second-round pick from Oklahoma State, who combined with Mason Rudolph to form the most productive deep-passing combo in college football, has a chance to make the biggest contribution of all. With the trade of Martavis Bryant, Washington quickly will be inserted as the No. 3 receiver, a player with the versatility to line up outside or play in the slot. Even though the Steelers don’t number their receivers and use multiple packages, it is clear Antonio Brown is No. 1 and JuJu Smith-Schuster is No. 2.
Mason Rudolph, QB — The Steelers will give Rudolph every opportunity to get a lot of playing time in the preseason, but that doesn’t mean he will be anything more than the No. 3 quarterback in 2018. The one alternative: The Steelers discover Rudolph is NFL-ready and decide they want to trade Landry Jones, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, while they can get something for him. Jones is a more-than-dependable backup quarterback who could probably command a third-round pick in return. Still, as Roethlisberger said, it might be three to five years before Rudolph gets a chance to be a starter, barring injury.
Chukwuma Okorafor, OT — At best, Okorafor will be the No. 3 tackle, a player who can line up at right and left tackle in the event of injury. And there is an opening with the free-agent departure of Chris Hubbard. But, to do so, he will have to move ahead of Jerald Hawkins, a No. 4 pick in 2016 who has yet to take that next step after an impressive rookie training camp. Okorafor didn’t start playing football until high school and is a late bloomer. So he is probably another year or so away from being a dependable alternative in the event of injury to Marcus Gilbert or Alejandro Villanueva.
Marcus Allen, S — Allen is a pure strong safety, a physical, hard-hitting player who can play in the box and is known as a sure tackler. But the Steelers already have two of those — Burnett and Edmunds — each of whom was brought in this year for that specific purpose. There is nowhere for Allen to play right now. He cannot play free safety because he doesn’t have the range. And the Steelers never got to see him play anything other than to the boundary side of the field at Penn State.
Jaylen Samuels, RB — Samuels will have a chance to showcase his receiving skills and develop a nice niche as a third-down back if or when Le’Veon Bell stays away from training camp again. But the Steelers aren’t about to give up just yet on James Conner as their No. 2 running back, and Stevan Ridley was re-signed because the Steelers liked what they saw of him in a limited amount of time last season. Samuels’ best bet is to make it as the third running back.
Joshua Frazier, DT — He has a chance to make the roster and push out Dan McCullers as a backup nose tackle because of his thick frame (6 feet 3, 321 pounds). But that’s about it. Frazier couldn’t start at Alabama, so it’s a little far-fetched to think he’s going to have a significant role with the Steelers. At best, he will be nothing more than a fifth defensive lineman.
Scout returns
The Steelers have rehired Kelvin Fisher as a scout. He spent the past four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, where he was the director of college scouting and player personnel adviser. Before joining the Bills, Fisher was a college scout for the Steelers from 2000-12. Fisher played at Ambridge High School and at Arizona State. He was inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
Draft picks sign
The Steelers signed two more of their draft picks on the eve of minicamp. Fifthround pick Allen and seventh-round pick Frazier signed their entry-level rookie contracts Thursday.
Three of the seven draft picks have signed. Running back Samuels, the second of their two fifth-round picks, signed Wednesday.
Allen, from Penn State, is a hard-hitting safety who was selected with the No. 145 pick. Frazier, from Alabama, is a nose tackle who was selected with the No. 246 pick.
Edmunds, Washington, Rudolph and Okorafor have not yet signed their rookie deals.
All draft picks are expected to participate in the Steelers’ three-day minicamp that begins Friday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.