Nicastro: Steelers Mock Draft 3.0

Pick 20 - Desmond Ridder QB Cincinnati

I think the New Orleans Saints will determine the Steelers’ fate if they stay at pick 20. The trade the Saints made yesterday with the Eagles, acquiring their first round pick for a 2023 first, tells me that they are going to take a QB. If they take Ole Miss QB Matt Corral, I think the Steelers will take Ridder. If they take Ridder, I could see the Steelers taking Corral. In this scenario, I had the Saints taking Corral, who feels like a better fit for their short-passing, RPO attack with Alvin Kamara and the “slant-man,” Michael Thomas. 

I wrote a more detailed bio on Ridder here if you want to learn more on who he is. 

It’s worth mentioning that in this scenario, Ohio State WR Chris Olave was still on the board. He’s incredibly polished, and someone the Steelers should consider taking. 

But not at the expense of passing on a QB. 

Pick 52 (Round 2) - Lewis Cine S Georgia 

I think the Steelers could target a Wide Receiver here, but players I thought would be on the board went much faster than I had originally anticipated before this exercise. Here’s a look at some of landing spots for receivers prior to pick 52:

39. Bears - Christian Watson

43. Falcons - Skyy Moore

44. Browns - George Pickens

50. Chiefs - John Metchie 

I think two things are true. 

1. The Steelers are going to sign a safety. Somebody. Whether it's the Honey Badger, or a guy like Damontae Kazee, who I think is more likely. 
2. Lewis Cine is an absolute steal at 52. 

Terrell Edmunds is the wild card here. If the 25 year old is resigned, a safety this early just doesn’t make much sense. But when factoring in everything from this offseason, my bet is he will ultimately sign elsewhere.

The Steelers sent the cavalry to Georgia. And Cine is a gem. He was a key cog on a Georgia defense last year that was quite frankly one of the best defenses of all time in college football. He’s really fast (like 4.40 fast) and has big time pop from the backend. He would compliment Minkah Fitzpatrick very well. Cine was a junior last year, and wouldn’t be asked to start right away should the Steelers sign a safety. 

The black & gold brass will love his pedigree. As far as accolades go - how does First Team All-SEC, and Defensive MVP of the National Championship game, sound? 

Cine only fell here because I had the two consensus top safeties, Kyle Hamilton and Dax Hill, falling further than anticipated. 

Pick 84 (round 3) - Danny Gray WR SMU 

Andddd there’s your WR. Players like Kentucky’s Wan’Dale Robinson, and Memphis’ Calvin Austin III may be sexier picks, and both were on the board -- but I went with Gray, a popular Steelers selection. Brandon Hunt visited Kentucky recently to check out Robinson, and Austin has some freakish qualities. But both of these players have some “Tavon Austin '' to their game, as to where I’m just not sure they'll ever be more than a gadget. 

Gray is four inches taller, standing at 6’0, and he ran a 4.33 forty at the combine. The best way to describe him is “explosive.” He averaged over 16 yards per catch last season. The Steelers could most certainly use a deep threat.

New Steelers WR Coach Frisman Jackson traveled to SMU to watch Gray at his Pro Day just last week (https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/allsteelers-plus/smu-danny-gray-interest-pittsburgh-steelers) 

That’s usually an indication that the team is interested. 

Pick 138 (round 4) - Cade Mays G/T Tennessee 

The Steelers go back to a Power-5 School and take Mays, a tackle in college who likely projects as a Guard in the NFL, but has the versatility to kick out and play RT. The Steelers got a close up look at Mays during the Senior Bowl, where he performed well, and the team reportedly had a private meeting with him there in Mobile. 

Although the Steelers signed Daniels and Cole, I’m not sure that they are done adding to the OL. At least they shouldn’t be, after the disaster that was last year. Mays is a developmental guy who will continue to give the Steelers an influx of young players up-front, which includes Daniels, Dan Moore Jr., Kendrick Green + Kevin Dotson - all who are UNDER 25 years of age.

This was the compensatory pick given to the Steelers for the loss of Bud Dupree. 

The Steelers do not have a 5th round pick. And I apologize, but once again, I am not doing a full 7 rounds. I’ll keep it 100, I just don’t know the backend of the draft all that well currently. And I also wanted to save you some time. Get back to work. 



Let me know on Twitter @MikedUpSports1 how you feel about this draft, and make sure to subscribe to our Yinzer Crazy Podcast, where we will have NFL Draft Prospects on leading up to the Draft