Steelers First Pick in 2020 NFL Draft Remains Difficult to Forecast

Thanks to an aggressive free agency period, the Steelers' first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft remains a mystery.

With modern technology, football fans across the globe have the capability to play general manager for their respective team with mock drafts. Here at AllSteelers, we've done that plenty in an attempt to try and gauge how the Steelers' draft will pan out. It's a great way to put in perspective your team's selection process, and fairly fun to see how the simulated draft pans out.

Or at least, it was fun for me. 

With free agency frenzy just about over for Pittsburgh and most mock draft sites having the updated 2020 compensatory picks, I figured it would be a good time to reevaluate the possibilities that may play out for Kevin Colbert and friends come late April. 

Seven mock drafts later, I wasn't satisfied with any of them. Maybe that's the perfectionist in me, or perhaps I got a very small sliver of what actual decision-makers go through when they're on the clock. Every pick taunted me with thoughts like "Do they really need to address this here?" 

For all intensive purposes, It's a great problem to have. Prior to the start of free agency, doing mock drafts for the Steelers became a fairly easy puzzle to navigate due to a handful of team needs. Oh Cole Kmet is available? Click. Ramon Foster may be cut? *inserts offensive guard* 

The reality is, the team had a very successful free agency period that saw a lot of needs addressed to satisfactory levels. Sure, Pittsburgh still doesn't have the most well-rounded roster in the league. However, there remains no glaring holes for the Steelers to sweat over when the 2020 NFL Draft rolls around. 

Well, define "glaring". 

While the Steelers addressed a majority of needs heading into the draft, how many transactions were simply band-aids to cover themselves in the event they weren't able to secure the player they needed in the draft? (Mark Barron in 2019, Morgan Burnett in 2018 are good examples). 

It's hard to imagine Pittsburgh addressing the tight end position early after signing Eric Ebron due to his and Vance McDonald's prominence on the roster, yet both are under contract for a maximum of two years. 

The Steelers also have three potential plugs to replace Javon Hargrave at nose tackle in Tyson Alualu, Chris Wormley and Isaiah Buggs, with none of the above having extensive experience in such a role. Pittsburgh's newest offensive guard in Stefen Wisniewski is 30 years old, it's not unthinkable to see the the Steelers invest further into the offensive line

Arguments can (and likely) will be heard for drafting at any position at pick number 49.  

Say a quarterback such as Jalen Hurts falls, would the team pull the trigger despite comments all offseason suggesting the current quarterback depth chart is formidable? .  

Also, who would say no to adding top talent at either running back or wide receiver?

Case in point, there's a wide variety of possible roads for the Steelers to travel when they arrive at the podium. It also doesn't help the draft process has been altered slightly due to COVID-19 concerns that have effected the entire globe. The cancellations of pro days and player interviews have limited the amount of information we've been able to receive on who the Steelers may like/dislike in the process. 

It appears the strategy going into the draft will be taking the best player available regardless of position, rather than drafting based off needs. Thus, the pool of potential selections grows exponentially rather than having the ability to narrow down favorites at various positions. Perhaps the expression "taking a shot in the dark" may not be that far off after all.

Draft forecast for the coming weeks: Cloudy, with a twenty percent chance of your favorite player landing in Pittsburgh thanks to an active free agency period.