Steelers Last Decade of Drafting: Round 7 Review

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Jayson Erwin. Follow him on Twitter @JaysonErwin2002

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the 2023 NFL Draft is just a little over a month away, seven weeks to be exact. On April 27th, the NFL will get some fresh new faces, and the Steelers, barring any trades, will get seven new faces on the team. A lot of different routes the Steelers could go with this year, whether they go with a defensive back, offensive linemen, or maybe wide receiver. But as we're counting down the weeks, let's count down the Steelers past draft history by rounds, starting with the 7th round. The 7th round has always been where teams try to find the diamond in the rough. While not everyone can be a Brett Keisel or David Little, the Steelers have selected 13 total players in the 7th round since 2013 and I'm going to grade them based on how good they've been since dawning the black and gold and how good they were for the round they were drafted in. 

2013: 

Nick Williams, DL

Grade: N/A

Nick Williams was selected 223rd overall out of Samford. Williams would unfortunately not play a snap for the Steelers before being added to the practice squad before he was picked up by Kansas City. Since then, he's had brief stints with the aforementioned Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and today the New York Giants. 

2014:

Rob Blanchflower, TE

Grade: N/A

Rob Blanchflower was selected 230th overall out of Massachusetts. Blanchflower wouldn't play a snap though. He would be on the practice squad for a bit and would be signed to a reserve/future contract before being released again due to injury. 

2015: 

Gerod Holliman, S

Grade: N/A

Gerod Holliman was selected 239th overall out of Louisville. He wouldn't make the 53-man roster and be released. He was signed later on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad but would be released months later. He now resides in the Indoor Football League and was a member of the Bismarck Bucks but is now a free agent. 

2016:

Tyler Matakevich, LB

Grade: 6/10

Finally, a player with snaps! Took us 3 years! Matakevich was selected 246th overall out of Temple. He was impressive in training camp and made the 53-man roster as a backup linebacker. In 2017, he blocked a punt vs. Cleveland which led to a fumble recovery in the endzone which resulted in the first touchdown of the season. He mostly was a special teams player for the Steelers. He spent 3 years with Pittsburgh before being signed by Buffalo and has spent his time there since.

Demarcus Ayers, WR

Grade: 6/10

Two players in a row, baby! Ayers was selected 229th overall out of Houston. He only played 2 games for the Steelers but he wasn't too bad. He caught his first career pass in the game-winning drive versus the Ravens in 2016 to help the Steelers drive down the field and win the game and the division. In his next game, he would not only get a few catches but also his first career touchdown versus the Cleveland Browns and help lead the Steelers to an overtime win in their season finale. Next season he would be waived but soon be picked up by New England on their practice squad before being released but picked up by the Chicago Bears practice squad before he was waived for the last time. Since then, he has participated in multiple football leagues like the AAF, XFL, and resides in the CFL.

2017:

Keion Adams, DE

Grade: N/A

Well, it was nice while it lasted. Keion Adams was selected 248th overall out of Western Michigan. Before he could get started, he suffered a shoulder injury and the Steelers would place him on the injured reserve and soon Adams would be waived and put on the practice squad. He would be released a few months later and never played a snap. He would be signed by the Giants later but got injured again and the process continued for him from there. Injured reserve then waived. A little over a year later, he would join the CFL and has been there since. 

2018: 

Joshua Frazier, OL

Grade: N/A

Frazier was selected 246th overall out of Alabama. He didn't make the 53-man roster and was waived. The Detroit Lions practice squad picked him up but that wouldn't last too long either as he would sign with the AAF later on. He had a brief retirement before coming back to football to sign with the XFL before being released and now resides in the Indoor Football League.

2019:

Derwin Gray, OL

Grade: 6/10

Oh, snap! He took some snaps! Gray was selected 219th overall out of Maryland. Originally, Gray didn't make the 53-man roster and was enlisted into the practice squad. He spent his time there until he was promoted to the active roster in September 2020. He mostly played in a week 15 matchup versus Cincinnati. While only in there for 16 snaps, he didn't allow any sacks, QB hits, or hurries, nor got any penalties. So for the short while he was out there, he did his job. You gotta give him props for that at least! He was waived however in December 2020 and would later be picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars before being waived again in August 2021. He would be picked up by the Tennessee Titans the next day. He would spend most of his time on the practice squad before being waived for the final time in the summer of 2022. He now resides in the USFL.

2020:

Carlos Davis, DL

Grade: 6/10

The first guy on this list that is still with the team, well the practice squad at least. Davis was selected 232nd overall out of Nebraska. Since being drafted, he's racked up 10 tackles and a sack. The solo sack came to NFC Champion QB, Jalen Hurts. He's shown to be a good tackler so maybe there is some potential in him. There is consideration that the Steelers have been keeping him around.

2021:

Tre Norwood, S

Grade: 5/10

Norwood was selected 245th overall out of Oklahoma. Norwood has had a bit of a fall-off since his rookie year. He wasn't great but not bad for a 7th-round rookie. Even had an interception to his name. Not a lot of highlights in his first year but not bad for him. 2nd year however was a bit rough. Mainly his tackling ability and coverage held him down and no picks either. The hope is that he can recover and possibly be a good pick from the draft.

Pressley Harvin, P

Grade: 7/10

Is Pressley Harvin the best 7th-round pick the Steelers have had in 10 years? As much as people will hate to admit it, yes he is. Harvin was selected 256th overall out of Georgia Tech. While he had a rough start in his rookie year, he massively improved in his sophomore year. Got his career-longest punt, twice! No blocks and 21 punts that landed inside the 20. While a punter may not be the most exciting position, it can be game-changing when you least expect it.

2022: 

Mark Robinson, LB

Grade: 5/10

Robinson performed pretty well during the preseason, however, the regular season performance was a bit different. Robinson was selected 226th overall out of Mississippi. Since his preseason performance, Steeler Nation was excited to see him perform. But a little lackluster in the regular season might slow his progress down. Allowing a 118.8 passer rating, some missed tackles, and just overall, not great defense. However, the Steelers shouldn't give up on him, yet! He's still a rookie and has shown flashes of greatness and with the Steelers 2nd inside linebacker spot in question, now would be an opportune time for Robinson to step up. 

Chris Oladokun, QB

Grade: N/A

Am I salty that the Steelers cut Oladokun instead of Mason Rudolph and Chris just won a super bowl being the benchwarmer to Patrick Mahomes? A little bit. Oladokun was selected 241st overall out of South Dakota State. He was cut without playing any sort of snaps in the preseason. 

Check by again next week where I will grade every 6th-round pick from the last decade!