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Mock draft season is upon us and you can’t seem to scroll through any website that covers the NFL without seeing their latest and greatest 2022 NFL Mock Draft.
Every Monday, Steeler Nation will be putting out our 3M’s Mock Drafts by three writers (Mike Stiffler, Matt Papiernik, and Ben Michaelian). We’ll be rotating through three mock draft simulators. Coincidentally, all three of us have a name leading with the letter ‘M’, hence the catchy title.
The three simulators are Pro Football Focus’, Pro Football Network’s, and The Draft Network’s. By analyzing three different simulators and rotating through them, it’ll give a better idea of who will be available and how the Pittsburgh Steelers draft could shake out in April.
Below are the three mock drafts for this week. We started with Mike taking TDN, Ben taking PFF, and I took PFN. Here is a link to last week’s as well.
Mike wrote: “I think this is probably one of the realistic options if Malik Willis does indeed drop out of the Top 11. I don’t think the Steelers have the desire to put together a trade package similar to what they did in 2019 where they went from the 20th pick to the 10th. I think the Steelers brass wants to keep as many assets as possible and only end up dropping around 20 spots in the 3rd to do so. Willis is their man, Willis is their future face of the franchise. DeMarvin Leal in the 2nd is some insurance for the Stephon Tuitt situation. Leal never took the strides we expected in 2021 but will have a golden opportunity to learn behind Cam Heyward while being apart of the rotation. Justyn Ross is someone who has enjoyed all the possible ups and downs of college success. A great freshman year paired with a National Championship to spinal fusion surgery that saw him sit out all of 2020. 2021 wasn’t the best year but Clemson didn’t offer him any help in proving he was the player he once was. Imposing height at 6’4” Ross is worth the risk late in the 3rd to see if he can regain form. Kyren Williams is someone I’ve mocked to the Steelers all off-season. Not high draft capital but a running back who can come in and spell Najee Harris right away. He isn’t a typical college running back who needs to work on catching the ball or pass protection, he is someone who is a true 3-down back but is going to be able to excel in a limited capacity. Sterling Weatherford is a really interesting prospect. A small school prospect out of the MAC, at 6’4” brings rare size to the safety position. He wouldn’t be expected to come in and play right away since the signing of Terrell Edmunds but he would be a great asset on special teams and could find himself on the field later in the year in sub packages. Vincent Gray possesses great length at the corner position. After a rocky start to his career in 2019 & 2020, he showed the production in 2021 as a shutdown corner. With some holes still in his game, he should have the time to develop in the Steelers secondary. Carson Wells is their late round flyer. More than likely a practice squad candidate, the Steelers select Wells in hopes he could one day become a rotational edge option”
Ben wrote: “At 20th overall, I was torn between a top receiver in Treylon Burks and a lock down corner in Trent McDuffie. As you see, I took McDuffie. The Steelers’ defense truly needs a long term, shut down cornerback and McDuffie is exactly that. Next, I went quarterback with Desmond Ridder. Ridder has risen up the Steelers’ draft boards and I like what he could bring to the offense as a beginning QB2. Next I went back to the defense and got good depth at inside linebacker. Leo Chenal has all the right tools to be groomed into a steady three-down defensive play caller. He’d be a great contributor on special teams and will be a good back up to Devin Bush and Myles Jack. I then went back to the offense and got Najee Harris a running mate. James Cook isn’t what his brother, Dalvin, is, but he’d be a good third down back and will help Harris get more rest between plays. The Steelers don’t have a solid RB2 in the mix currently and Cook would be exactly that. After Cook, I saw an edge rusher from Kentucky in Josh Paschal and had to get him. Along with MLB, the Steelers also need a solid rotational player on the outside and Paschal would fit well. He’ll have to work on his coverage skills to be considered as a true OLB, but he can get to the QB when it matters. Then I took a wide receiver I’m betting not a lot of Steeler Nation has heard of in Dai’Jean Dixon. Dixon is a big body and can line up either inside or outside of the formation. He plays big and can take hard hits and keep his momentum. Finally, I got depth at safety with Joey Blount. Blount met with the Steelers and he wants to be a Steeler. He’ll need to be coached up in his coverage skills and physical play style, but as a last pick, he has some decent upside potential that they may not find at that point in the draft.”
What I had to say about my mock: “I am finishing up the Steeler Nation 3M Mock Draft series with probably my favorite one I have done throughout this off-season. If the Steelers were to end up with who I selected throughout, I think very ew members of Steeler Nation would be upset. I start it off by grabbing one of the premier wide receivers in this draft in Chris Olave. Olave has been a frequent pick by one of us throughout these, and that continues here. He could be a day 1 starter with both experience in the slot and perimeter. He has good speed, great route running, and very good hands. In the 2nd round I chose quarterback Matt Corral , who was my 2nd ranked quarterback in this draft class. He would fit Matt Canada’s offense perfectly and has good upside with solid college production. This pick will be controversial as everyone is very opinionated on which QB they want, but Corral in the 2nd would be great value. Next I grabbed Nick Cross with the 84th overall pick, and could be a replacement for Terrell Edmunds if he doesn’t get brought back in 2023 after signing a 1-year deal. Cross is young, athletic, and fearless, but he does need to develop a bit before entering a full time role.
I haven’t been addressing the offensive line very early in many of my mocks, as they signed some good players this off-season and appear to have their starters set. However, they do need developmental players there and some depth, which Matt Waletzko could be. He is a freakishly long (36″ arms) offensive tackle prospect that has the size and athleticism to become an elite player at the position. Playing at a lower level of competition and not having a lot of experience that’ll translate to an NFL offense will require him to sit for a year to gain experience, but the sky is the limit. With these last few picks I had to grab high upside players, as the Steelers appear to have a lot of their starters set this season. I started that by grabbing Christopher Allen who is a very instinctive pass rusher. He may never develop into a 3-down player as he has a tendency to get pushed around in the run game, but he has very good instincts and hand usage when getting after the passer. Kevin Austin Jr. is a wide receiver that has been a one year wonder putting together a 888 yard and 7 TD campaign in 2021, but having only 6 career catches prior. He is a classic height/weight/speed guy who could provide some big plays in down the field. Ohhh, and he is am aggressive run blocker which the Steelers will like. I round it out with nose tackle Noah Elliss, who is a big boy in the middle. Tyson Alualu can’t play forever and the team will need to groom his eventual replacement.”
All of these simulators obviously rank people in very different locations, but you can see trends, as well as some overlapping names. The simulators now have all the same picks as the compensatory picks have finally been announced!
Let us know below what you think of all of our mocks we did this week and who you think would be good prospects to look into heading into the final days before the 2022 NFL Draft! Click to comment below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Every Monday, Steeler Nation will be putting out our 3M’s Mock Drafts by three writers (Mike Stiffler, Matt Papiernik, and Ben Michaelian). We’ll be rotating through three mock draft simulators. Coincidentally, all three of us have a name leading with the letter ‘M’, hence the catchy title.
The three simulators are Pro Football Focus’, Pro Football Network’s, and The Draft Network’s. By analyzing three different simulators and rotating through them, it’ll give a better idea of who will be available and how the Pittsburgh Steelers draft could shake out in April.
Below are the three mock drafts for this week. We started with Mike taking TDN, Ben taking PFF, and I took PFN. Here is a link to last week’s as well.
Mike’s Steeler Nation Mock Draft:
Mike wrote: “I think this is probably one of the realistic options if Malik Willis does indeed drop out of the Top 11. I don’t think the Steelers have the desire to put together a trade package similar to what they did in 2019 where they went from the 20th pick to the 10th. I think the Steelers brass wants to keep as many assets as possible and only end up dropping around 20 spots in the 3rd to do so. Willis is their man, Willis is their future face of the franchise. DeMarvin Leal in the 2nd is some insurance for the Stephon Tuitt situation. Leal never took the strides we expected in 2021 but will have a golden opportunity to learn behind Cam Heyward while being apart of the rotation. Justyn Ross is someone who has enjoyed all the possible ups and downs of college success. A great freshman year paired with a National Championship to spinal fusion surgery that saw him sit out all of 2020. 2021 wasn’t the best year but Clemson didn’t offer him any help in proving he was the player he once was. Imposing height at 6’4” Ross is worth the risk late in the 3rd to see if he can regain form. Kyren Williams is someone I’ve mocked to the Steelers all off-season. Not high draft capital but a running back who can come in and spell Najee Harris right away. He isn’t a typical college running back who needs to work on catching the ball or pass protection, he is someone who is a true 3-down back but is going to be able to excel in a limited capacity. Sterling Weatherford is a really interesting prospect. A small school prospect out of the MAC, at 6’4” brings rare size to the safety position. He wouldn’t be expected to come in and play right away since the signing of Terrell Edmunds but he would be a great asset on special teams and could find himself on the field later in the year in sub packages. Vincent Gray possesses great length at the corner position. After a rocky start to his career in 2019 & 2020, he showed the production in 2021 as a shutdown corner. With some holes still in his game, he should have the time to develop in the Steelers secondary. Carson Wells is their late round flyer. More than likely a practice squad candidate, the Steelers select Wells in hopes he could one day become a rotational edge option”
Ben’s Steeler Nation Mock Draft:
Ben wrote: “At 20th overall, I was torn between a top receiver in Treylon Burks and a lock down corner in Trent McDuffie. As you see, I took McDuffie. The Steelers’ defense truly needs a long term, shut down cornerback and McDuffie is exactly that. Next, I went quarterback with Desmond Ridder. Ridder has risen up the Steelers’ draft boards and I like what he could bring to the offense as a beginning QB2. Next I went back to the defense and got good depth at inside linebacker. Leo Chenal has all the right tools to be groomed into a steady three-down defensive play caller. He’d be a great contributor on special teams and will be a good back up to Devin Bush and Myles Jack. I then went back to the offense and got Najee Harris a running mate. James Cook isn’t what his brother, Dalvin, is, but he’d be a good third down back and will help Harris get more rest between plays. The Steelers don’t have a solid RB2 in the mix currently and Cook would be exactly that. After Cook, I saw an edge rusher from Kentucky in Josh Paschal and had to get him. Along with MLB, the Steelers also need a solid rotational player on the outside and Paschal would fit well. He’ll have to work on his coverage skills to be considered as a true OLB, but he can get to the QB when it matters. Then I took a wide receiver I’m betting not a lot of Steeler Nation has heard of in Dai’Jean Dixon. Dixon is a big body and can line up either inside or outside of the formation. He plays big and can take hard hits and keep his momentum. Finally, I got depth at safety with Joey Blount. Blount met with the Steelers and he wants to be a Steeler. He’ll need to be coached up in his coverage skills and physical play style, but as a last pick, he has some decent upside potential that they may not find at that point in the draft.”
Matt’s Steeler Nation Mock Draft:
What I had to say about my mock: “I am finishing up the Steeler Nation 3M Mock Draft series with probably my favorite one I have done throughout this off-season. If the Steelers were to end up with who I selected throughout, I think very ew members of Steeler Nation would be upset. I start it off by grabbing one of the premier wide receivers in this draft in Chris Olave. Olave has been a frequent pick by one of us throughout these, and that continues here. He could be a day 1 starter with both experience in the slot and perimeter. He has good speed, great route running, and very good hands. In the 2nd round I chose quarterback Matt Corral , who was my 2nd ranked quarterback in this draft class. He would fit Matt Canada’s offense perfectly and has good upside with solid college production. This pick will be controversial as everyone is very opinionated on which QB they want, but Corral in the 2nd would be great value. Next I grabbed Nick Cross with the 84th overall pick, and could be a replacement for Terrell Edmunds if he doesn’t get brought back in 2023 after signing a 1-year deal. Cross is young, athletic, and fearless, but he does need to develop a bit before entering a full time role.
I haven’t been addressing the offensive line very early in many of my mocks, as they signed some good players this off-season and appear to have their starters set. However, they do need developmental players there and some depth, which Matt Waletzko could be. He is a freakishly long (36″ arms) offensive tackle prospect that has the size and athleticism to become an elite player at the position. Playing at a lower level of competition and not having a lot of experience that’ll translate to an NFL offense will require him to sit for a year to gain experience, but the sky is the limit. With these last few picks I had to grab high upside players, as the Steelers appear to have a lot of their starters set this season. I started that by grabbing Christopher Allen who is a very instinctive pass rusher. He may never develop into a 3-down player as he has a tendency to get pushed around in the run game, but he has very good instincts and hand usage when getting after the passer. Kevin Austin Jr. is a wide receiver that has been a one year wonder putting together a 888 yard and 7 TD campaign in 2021, but having only 6 career catches prior. He is a classic height/weight/speed guy who could provide some big plays in down the field. Ohhh, and he is am aggressive run blocker which the Steelers will like. I round it out with nose tackle Noah Elliss, who is a big boy in the middle. Tyson Alualu can’t play forever and the team will need to groom his eventual replacement.”
All of these simulators obviously rank people in very different locations, but you can see trends, as well as some overlapping names. The simulators now have all the same picks as the compensatory picks have finally been announced!
Let us know below what you think of all of our mocks we did this week and who you think would be good prospects to look into heading into the final days before the 2022 NFL Draft! Click to comment below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
