We are now one week away from the 2021 NFL draft. I bet many of Yinz are tired of hearing about mock drafts and who the Steelers should take, but it can be pretty interesting during the offseason to speculate what the Steelers are going to do. It is apparent the Steelers would like to either draft a running back or offensive lineman early on in the 2021 NFL draft. In fact, I think they could draft a running back first and an offensive lineman in the second round or it could be in the reverse order depending on who will fall to their No. 24 pick.
Pro Football Focus recently wrote an article about all 32 NFL teams' dream scenarios heading into the 2021 NFL draft. They feel the Pittsburgh dream player in the 2021 NFL draft is Virginia's Tackle Christian Darrisaw. They say this feels like the floor for Darrisaw who is almost built to play on the Steelers offensive line. He moves people off of the line and is considered a 'people mover.' You will remember another Steeler who is considered a 'people mover' and that is Kevin Dotson who the Steelers got in the Fourth-Round of the 2020 NFL draft. Dotson was a complete steal too.
Darrisaw is 6-foot-5, 322 pounds which makes him a pretty big offensive lineman. He can also help the Pittsburgh Steelers in regards to their run game early on as well. He is very powerful, athletic, and explosive who is exceptional in pass protection and the run. The only knock that Darrisaw has is he can be slow to pick up the blitz from time to time, but the Steelers could easily fix that with coaching.
"Given his ability in run blocking, a team with a run-heavy focus would benefit from selecting Darrisaw in the 2021 NFL Draft. I like the fit with the Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. All three teams will have tackle needs in the upcoming offseason."
"Where can Darrisaw expect to be drafted? There is no doubting that he has played himself into first-round consideration. In his latest big board for Pro Football Network, Tony Pauline has Darrisaw ranked as his fifth offensive tackle. Pauline gives him an overall ranking of 32 and a second-round grade."
"Wherever he is drafted in April, Darrisaw has come a long way in just three years."