The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into the 2021 NFL draft this weekend. It looks like the organization is comfortable with being 'wide open' with their options before going into the draft. They have a ton of key positions that need to be filled prior to walking onto the football field so I would hope the organization is comfortable before going into the 2021 draft. I just hope the Steelers do not reach for a second-round offensive lineman over a premier running back in the first round of the draft because they will need to get this draft correct especially with it possibly being Ben Roethlisberger's last season (or seasons).
The first key takeaway is that the Steelers are comfortable trading back in the NFL draft this year. It would make more sense to trade backward rather than forward because the Steelers need every draft pick they can get. If they were to trade backward they could probably add an extra pick in the 2021 NFL draft too and hopefully have a solid early second-round pick. That is if the players they're looking at are not coming off of the board early.
The second key takeaway is that the Steelers are comfortable with drafting a running back in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. The reason why I feel they're comfortable with taking a running back in the first round is that Colbert said today he doesn't think you can ever underestimate the value of a quality player at any position, including running back. Colbert didn't flat out say they're going to draft a running back, but that statement shows the Steelers are comfortable with taking a running back in the first round of the draft this year regardless of what the media or analysts think.
The third key takeaway is that the Steelers are comfortable being 'wide open' while going into the 2021 NFL draft. By being 'wide open' means the Steelers are keeping their options clear in who they want to pick early on in the draft. Colbert and Tomlin are not going to tell you their plans for the draft because they do not want other teams to pick apart their draft strategy... Believe me the Ravens, Browns, or Bengals would do it if they could. With that being said the Steelers could be looking at the offensive line or the running back position early on and then go back to their old ways of 'drafting the best player available.' That would be the smart way to handle the 2021 NFL draft.
Many of the media will try and pick apart Colbert and Tomlin's pre-draft process, but I will say they did play coy pretty well during it. The Steelers need to keep their draft decisions close to their vest because they have too many key positions to fill and if they tip their hand other teams will capitalize on it just to hurt the organization. We have seen this time and time again with the Ravens, Browns, and Bengals where they will take a player just because they think the Steelers had heavy interest in them. For example, look at what the Bengals did with Williams Jackson II and see how that played out in Cincinnati... Not very good.
The Steelers know what they're doing and I trust the front office to make the right decisions during a tough offseason for their organization. I believe the Steelers need a premier running back and then go after their offensive linemen. That would be a good strategy early on and if they want to go back to their old ways with picking the 'best available player' then that would work out too but fix the running game in Pittsburgh for god sake.