Category: 2022 NFL draft

2022 NFL draft simulation for the Steelers before the regular season

Does this mock draft keep the Steelers competitive in 2022?

The NFL regular season is just a week away and so we decided before the chaos of the season kicks in, we would do a 2022 NFL draft simulation for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Once again we used the Pro Football Network simulator and we once again worked a couple of trades to help the Steelers land some extra picks.

PFN had the Steelers picking No. 14 overall and we first traded down to No. 19 with the Philadelphia Eagles, netting the No. 52 pick in the process. Then when the Steelers went on the clock at No. 19, the Houston Texans made an offer to give Pittsburgh the No. 33, No. 65 and a 2023 fourth-round pick and we took it.

Here is how the picks shook out in the first three rounds.

Giants move step closer to draft pick as Ryan Santoso wins Panthers’ kicker job

The New York Giants moved closer to a conditional seventh-round pick with Ryan Santoso winning the starting job in Carolina.

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The New York Giants traded backup kicker Ryan Santoso to the Carolina Panthers earlier this week in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

That trade came with an asterisk, however.

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In order to have that pick sent to East Rutherford, Santoso would not only have to win Carolina’s starting job, but go on to appear in two regular season games.

The first step of that journey came to an end on Saturday.

The Panthers announced that Santoso, who hit two booming field goals in their preseason finale, had beaten out Joey Slye to earn the starting job.

The outcome is also quite interesting in a “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” sort of way. Santoso beating out Slye, who spent time with the Giants in 2019, to win a job previously held by Graham Gano is mind-bending.

In fact, former Giants kickers currently line the NFL: Santoso, Brandon McManus, Chris Boswell, Randy Bullock, Robbie Gould and Aldrick Rosas.

2022 NFL draft: Turning 3 picks into 6 for the Steelers in mock draft simulation

What do you make of this 2022 NFL mock draft for the Steelers?

As it looks now, with the college football season getting ready to start, the 2022 NFL draft class is going to once again be deep and full of talent. Doing a mock draft simulation like this one via the Pro Football Network is a great way to get a jumpstart on the guys to watch for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season.

We ran a three-round simulation and by using three small trades was able to move down a handful of spots in the first, still get the best guy on the board and end up with six players in the Top 100 overall. Check out this 2022 mock draft for the Steelers.

What Steelers need to do in 2021 to draft a top-tier QB

Landing a franchise quarterback in the NFL, even in the first round, remains a total crapshoot.

Landing a franchise quarterback in the NFL, even in the first round, remains a total crapshoot. The Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the league’s most successful franchises, have been so lucky just twice in their 88-year history — Terry Bradshaw, first overall, in 1970, and Ben Roethlisberger, 11th overall, in 2004.

Once Big Ben finally decides to hang up the cleats, the Steelers and their fanbase should prepare for years of misery. Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins (a first-round NFL draft pick), and similar-caliber quarterbacks will be the theme in Pittsburgh for what could be a long and painful spell.

For those who tried to forget or weren’t around to experience the quarterback plight between Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger, starting signal-callers were Cliff Stoudt, David Woodley, Mark Malone, Scott Campbell, Bubby Brister, Bono, Todd Blackledge, Neil O’Donnell, Mike Tomczak, Jim Miller, Kordell Stewart, Kent Graham, and Tommy Maddox.

For 14 seasons, from 1979 to 2003, Malone was the only quarterback Pittsburgh selected in the first round (28th overall). Because of Bradshaw, Malone wasn’t named the starter until 1984.

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For their first three decades of existence, the Steelers were an utter embarrassment to Pittsburgh. The 1969 season took the cake, though, with one win to 13 losses, which earned the franchise the first overall pick in the 1970 NFL draft and, ultimately, the selection of Terry Bradshaw.

In 2003, the Steelers 6-10 record got them the 11th overall pick and Ben Roethlisberger in the 2004 NFL draft.

As far as first-round quarterbacks go, though, for every Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, there’s a Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, Jake Locker, Robert Griffin III, Mitchell Trubisky, Sam Darnold. Just as in Pittsburgh, for every Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger, there’s a Stoudt, Bono, Campbell and Graham.

Hopefully, the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t be bad enough this season to be in a position to draft a franchise-caliber quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft. Unless they’re one of the five worst teams in the NFL this season, you can kiss their chances of drafting a top-tier QB goodbye.

While losing doesn’t guarantee a franchise quarterback for any team, winning most definitely won’t.

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Arkansas WR Treylon Burks loves the deep ball

Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks is among the nation’s best at turning deep throws into big plays

If your favorite NFL team is looking for a pass-catcher who excels at making big plays down the field, (and let’s be honest, who isn’t), Treylon Burks of Arkansas should be atop their list for the 2022 NFL draft.

Burks leads all returning wide receivers in college football in quarterback rating on throws of more than 20 yards (per Pro Football Focus).

A big, physical target with an ideal blend of size and athleticism, Burks should lock himself in as a first-round prospect in next year’s draft class with another strong showing for the Razorbacks this season.

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New Draft Wire mock draft goes all offense for the Steelers

Check out the Steelers picks in this new mock draft.

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Last year, mock drafts for the Pittsburgh Steelers fell into a pattern pretty quickly. The trend of some combination of the offensive line and running back caught on fast and when the actual 2021 NFL draft happened, they were half right.

2022 mock drafts are starting to roll out with the start of the college football season and you are seeing a similar pattern. Some combination of quarterback and offensive line. Neither are back picks, don’t misunderstand. It is simply something to gauge as the college football season gets going and which players set themselves apart.

Our friends over at Draft Wire put out a new two-round mock draft and with the Steelers picking dead center of the round went offensive tackle in the first and quarterback in the second.

Neither pick is a bad one. In the first round, Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross is an exceptional player. Does he fill a current need? Not really but an offensive tackle in the first means something went wrong with either Zach Banner or Chuks Okorafor in 2021.

Moving to the second round, Draft Wire has the Steelers going with USC quarterback Kedon Slovis. Slovis is among a huge group of top quarterbacks to watch for the upcoming season. I’ve seen him go in the first round as well as the second in mock drafts so clearly the draft community isn’t sure about him as a prospect.

In this scenario, what direction I would take the picks? In the second, I have no qualms with Slovis in the second. The potential is there and there is much uncertainty with the future of the position in Pittsburgh.

But in the first round, I’d go a different direction. The two names that stand out to me are North Carolina State guard Ikem Ekwonu and Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam. Both are elite talents and both would fill a more pressing need in the first round.

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2022 NFL draft: Updated Steelers draft needs

What are the Steelers top NFL draft needs?

Training camp is in full swing for the Pittsburgh Steelers and barring some unforeseen trade or signing, the Steelers roster is largely set. With college football set to start and the NFL regular season as well, we decided it was time to look over the roster after all the offseason moves as well as the contract status of the players and update our 2022 NFL draft needs.

How Nevada’s Carson Strong tries to emulate his childhood QB idol

Nevada quarterback Carson Strong grew up idolizing a particular Hall of Fame quarterback, and tries to approach the game in a similar way

It’s understandable for any aspiring quarterback growing up to want to emulate the best players in the game at that position, and Nevada’s Carson Strong was no exception.

One of the top quarterback prospects in the country heading into the 2021 college football season, Strong grew up idolizing the legendary Peyton Manning, and even sees some comparisons between their skill sets.

Strong recently discussed why Manning’s style of play had such an impact on his own approach to the game, and how he tries to overcome his lack of athleticism by beating defenses with the mental side of things (via Pro Football Focus):

It still feels like a pretty wide-open race to be the No. 1 quarterback off the board in the 2022 NFL draft, and a strong 2021 campaign from Strong could easily put him at the front of the group.

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2022 NFL draft simulation hits big for Steelers

A trade down pays off big for the Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in their first week of NFL training camp and with the regular season just a few weeks away, it’s got us thinking about the 2022 NFL draft. College football will be starting soon and it is never too early to start looking at next year’s top prospects.

Pro Football Network has updated their mock draft simulator and we decided to run a three-round simulation and even made a couple of trades to net five total picks in three rounds. Here are the picks.

WATCH: Top rookies react to their ‘Madden NFL 22’ ratings

See some of this year’s top rookies react to their player ratings in EA Sports’ “Madden NFL 22” video game

Every year, one of the most important moments for every NFL rookie is finding out their player ratings in the upcoming edition of EA Sports’ “Madden NFL” video game.

This year’s group of top prospects was no exception, and the good folks at EA Sports released an entertaining video of some of this year’s biggest names guessing their own ratings, and reacting to the actual ones.

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts got the highest overall rating of any rookie at 81, followed by No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, who was given a 78.

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