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After months of speculation, draft day is finally here and by around 11 p.m. tonight we'll know who the Steelers have selected with their first-round pick at 24th overall.
Below is my one and only seven-round mock draft for the Steelers.
Round 1. (24th overall): Running back Najee Harris, Alabama - The Steelers need to come out of the draft with a feature running back and Harris fits exactly what they need. Harris has been the favorite to land in Pittsburgh in mock drafts and numerous reports suggest that the Steelers will select Harris if he's available at No. 24 overall. The Steelers have arguably the worst running back room in the league currently with Benny Snell Jr., Kallen Ballage, Anthony McFarland Jr. and Jaylen Samuels. Harris would instantly bolster the Steelers' running game, which ranked dead last in rushing yards per game (84.4) and yards per carry (3.6) last season.
Round 2. (55th overall): Center Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma - The Steelers get their center to replace Maurkice Pouncey by selecting Humphrey in the second round. I believe they can pick Alabama center Landon Dickerson also if he's available, but the medical history is concerning. Humphrey would be the safer pick and he had a ton of experience at Oklahoma as a three-year starter with 37 career starts (36 straight). He would be a plug-and-play starter in Pittsburgh.
Round 3. (87 overall): Offensive tackle Spencer Brown, Northern Iowa - The offensive tackle position is addressed in the third round with the Steelers selecting Spencer Brown out of Northern Iowa. Brown has a similar build to Villanueva, standing at 6-foot-8, 314 pounds and would be a project for offensive line coach Adrian Klemm to work with. Klemm was at Brown's pro day.
Round 4. (No. 128): Cornerback Shaun Wade, Ohio State - The Steelers love drafting Ohio State players and they get a Buckeye in the fourth round in Wade, who'll give Pittsburgh a slot cornerback that they can develop, which is much-needed with Mike Hilton signing with the Bengals in free agency.
Round 4. (No. 140): Inside linebacker Cameron McGrone, Michigan - Back-to-back picks out of the Big Ten, as McGrone who played with Devin Bush at Michigan gets selected by the Steelers with their second pick in the fourth round. McGrone could potentially be paired with Bush at inside linebacker as a starter down the road and is capable of being a three-down player.
Round 6. (No. 216): Outside linebacker Tarron Jackson, Coastal Carolina - The Steelers are really thin at the outside linebacker position, so a flier on Jackson in the sixth round would have some value. Jackson was very productive at the FCS level at Coastal Carolina and the Steelers have had success with Alex Highsmith, who they drafted in the third round last year out of Charlotte, which is also a non-Power Five school.
Round 7. (No. 245): Tight end Kenny Yeboah, Ole Miss - I don't think the Steelers will properly address the tight end position until the 2022 NFL Draft, as this year's class wasn't strong and there were bigger needs elsewhere on the roster. However, I think selecting an athletic tight end like Yeboah in the seventh round is worth a shot. According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert got a close look at Ole Miss tight end Kenny Yeboah at the Senior Bowl by sitting in on his meeting with the team.
Round 7. (No. 254): Cornerback Avery Williams, Boise State: The Steelers get another cornerback in the seventh round by selecting Williams out of Boise State. William is a slot cornerback and should be a special teams demon. Williams had nine touchdowns on special teams in college.