With the NFL Draft around the corner, who are the first-round prospects the Steelers can’t pass up if given the opportunity? While some players will obviously be out of range, like Fernando Mendoza, there is enough of a mix to interest. Beat writer Mark Kaboly recently shared his list of six players they can’t pass up if available. Including, perhaps, one surprising position at the end. While he lists them in numerical order, he doesn’t explicitly say they’re in order.
But the number one prospect Kaboly lists the Steelers can’t pass up in the first round of the draft is TE Kenyon Sadiq. This is a name that Gerry Dulac has been touting recently, though not everybody agrees. His colleague, for example, doesn’t buy it, but Sadiq’s talent is undeniable. “If Sadiq is there at 21, they would take him”, Kaboly argues.
The list also includes three wide receivers in Makai Lemon, Denzel Boston, and Jordyn Tyson. The Steelers brought in both Lemon and Boston for visits, so they would certainly consider drafting them. Lemon in particular may not fall to 21, but they have the ammunition to trade up.
Another name on the list is Penn State G Olaivavega Ioane, who came in for a pre-draft visit just yesterday. The Steelers need a starting guard, and if they draft him, they have potentially another Alan Faneca. Or, you know, at least somebody who can be quite good for quite a long time.
But the most surprising name on Mark Kaboly’s list of Steelers prospects they can’t pass up in the first round of the draft comes on the defensive side of the ball. And it’s not a safety, but rather a cornerback: Avieon Terrell of Clemson. “You have to strongly consider Terrell if he’s available at 21”, he argues. He’s shown durability … and versatility …, which makes him an option, though drafting more of a slot guy in the first round might be a leap of faith for [Omar] Khan and Co”.
Kaboly doesn’t anticipate Terrell, and some of his other names, to actually be available for the Steelers to draft in the first round. But within a group of six, there’s a reasonable chance that at least one is there. And if they’re slipping away, Pittsburgh can always trade up to get one.
Now, how much does this list resemble the Steelers’ own draft board for the first round? I’m sure some of those wide receiver names are up there, as well as Vega. I’m less convinced that they have eyes on a first-round tackle or cornerback, but it’s not impossible. It’s not like they couldn’t use one of each, and premium talent is premium talent. If they were taking best player available, Sadiq or Terrell could qualify at 21.