The 2020 NFL Draft is only a few days away, which means that The Game Haus will be doing draft profiles for every team. Each NFL team will be evaluated heading into this year’s draft including what their needs are and who they could be targeting. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the subject of today’s profile.

T.J. Watt (Photo by triblive.com)

Summary

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a lot of adversity in 2019 and finished the season at 8-8. While they were in good position to make the playoffs, they lost their last three games of the regular season to miss out on the opportunity.

Ben Roethlisberger injured his elbow early in the 2019 season and missed all but the first two games of the year. The offense sputtered with Mason Rudolph and Devlin “Duck” Hodges behind center. The Steelers averaged 18.1 points per game, which ranked 27th in the league. They were 31st in the league in passing yards and 29th in rushing yards. James Conner had a down year with just 464 yards, but rookie Benny Snell chipped in with 426 yards himself. JuJu Smith-Schuster also didn’t have a great year with the quarterback situation holding him back. He had only 552 receiving yards, while James Washington led the team with 735 receiving yards. The offensive line was solid and looks like they will continue to be solid next season. Eric Ebron was added to

The Steelers allowed 18.9 points per game, which ranked fourth in the NFL. They ranked 14th against the run and third against the pass. Cameron Heyward led the defensive line with 83 total tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss. T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree formed a formidable pass-rushing duo that teamed up for 26 sacks. Rookie Devin Bush had a great season with 109 total tackles. The acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick helped complete one their defense, as he had 57 total tackles, nine passes defended and five interceptions.

2020 NFL Draft Picks

Pittsburgh has six picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.

First Round (no picks):

Second Round (one pick): No. 49

Third Round (one pick): No. 102

Fourth Round (two picks): No. 124, No. 135

Fifth Round (no picks):

Sixth Round (one pick): No. 199

Seventh Round (one pick): No. 233

Team Needs

Nose Tackle- Javon Hargrave left in free agency, so players will need to step up or be acquired this offseason.

Quarterback- Last season proved that Mason Rudolphnor Duck Hodges were the answer at quarterback for the future.

Cornerback- Joe Haden is aging, but the Steelers could use more depth at the position anyways.

Offensive Guard/Center- Ramon Foster retired and Stefen Wisniewski was signed, but he was a backup for the Chiefs last season.

Edge Rusher- The Steelers were wise enough to franchise tag Bud Dupree, but don’t have a long-term plan after this season across from T.J. Watt.

2020 NFL Draft Targets

Chase Claypool (Photo by ontapsportsnet.com)

Second Round: 

Pick No. 49: Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame

Chase Claypool is a big, physical and fast receiver who is different than most NFL wide receivers with his measurables. He can be a matchup nightmare with some development. While the Steelers don’t have a glaring need at wide receiver, their defense is pretty set. They need the offense to take a huge step forward. Getting Ben Roethlisberger back will help, but they could use more firepower.

Third Round: 

Pick No. 102: Logan Stenberg, OG/C, Kentucky

Stenberg has the size of an NFL tackle, but plays guard. He has good, moldable traits, but may need time to grow into an NFL guard. For the time being, Stenberg can sit behind Wisniewski and when the time is right, he should be able to step into the starting lineup.

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