Steelers Hit it BIG on Day 2 According to Multiple Analysts

[Steeler Nation]

Now that the doors have officially been closed on the 2022 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers are beginning to evaluate their roster going into minicamp. NFL fans watched the opening round on Thursday night and saw a variety of surprises transpire throughout the evening. For Steeler Nation, the anticipation built as we got closer and closer to the 20th overall selection which was ultimately used on quarterback Kenny Pickett. Naturally, the bulk of the fanfare gets drawn to the first round by the teams, fans, and the league, but there were other monumental picks made in the hours following.

For the Steelers, they’ve historically had most luck on the second day of the draft, being rounds 2 and 3. With names like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, James Conner, Cam Sutton, Diontae Johnson, Alex Highsmith, and Stephon Tuitt, the Steelers tend to hit a homerun after the first round. So how did they make out this go-around? As it turns out, multiple national media outlets graded the Steelers one of the best on Day 2.

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Steelers Get Graded By ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. On Their Promising 2022 NFL Draft Class​

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The Steelers’ selections on Friday were:​

Round 2: George Pickens, WR, Georgia (52 overall)

George Pickens makes a catch verses Alabama. (Curtis Compton/AJC)



Round 3: DeMarvin Leal, DE, Texas A&M (84 overall)

DeMarvin Leal takes the ball away versus Auburn. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)




Let’s take a look at what some different analysts thought using their own different metrics:



Pro Football Focus

Overall, Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded all seven of the Steelers’ draft as a “B+”. Per PFF, the Steelers may have fallen flat on their face on Thursday night, but bounced back in a big way on Friday:

George Pickens carries some risk given his medical history and unknowns off the field, but there’s no denying he possesses true “X” receiver potential. He’s physical with a massive catch radius, elite ball skills and good acceleration. Pickens earned an incredible 88.0 receiving grade as a true freshman before injuries derailed the last couple of years.

Before his final season, DeMarvin Leal was seen as a high first-round prospect. He regressed in his final season and is a little bit stuck between positions, but there is real talent there — and at this point in the draft the risk is well worth taking. Leal had an 88.3 PFF grade in 2020 and goes to a team with the right environment to find his best play.

Compared to the rest of the league, PFF had eight other teams ahead of the Steelers, being the Seattle Seahawks (A-), Philadelphia Eagles (A), New York Jets (A-), Kansas City Chiefs, (A+), Detroit Lions (A+), Carolina Panthers (A), Baltimore Ravens (A+), and the Atlanta Falcons (A).



NFL.com

NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter was also a fan of the Steelers’ second day selections. Reuter awarded the Steelers with an “A” grade on their 2nd and 3rd picks. He explained:

In his final Day 2 as the Steelers GM, Kevin Colbert took yet another promising receiver in Pickens, who has excellent playmaking ability and quickness after the catch, but has had injury issues. Leal will be a nice fit at the five-technique if he can play with a strong base consistently and use his length effectively on the outside. The secondary and pass rush group could use more depth, so expect picks in those spots on Saturday.

Strictly looking at Reuter’s Day 2 grades, it looks like Reuter was a fan of a lot of the second day action, as he graded 12 other teams either the same (A) or higher (A+). The only team who received a perfect “A+” grade were the Chiefs according to Reuter.



USA Today

The team at Touchdown Wire graded the Steelers’ entire draft a “B+” rating. After the Steelers’ first round selection on Pickett, they explained:

Then they added two other players with first-round talent, who might have slid in the draft due to other factors. Inconsistent quarterback play in 2020 and a knee injury prior to 2021 might have caused Pickens to slide out of the first round, but the receiver we saw in 2019 — and in flashes in 2021 after coming back from the injury — is a first-round player. DeMarvin Leal suffered as a “tweener,” but in Pittsburgh with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Cameron Heyward around him, Leal should find some opportunities to pin his ears back and get after the passer.

Similar to the other analysts, they had the Seahawks, Panthers, Falcons, Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, New York Jets, and the Eagles all with higher grades than the Steelers after the 7th round concluded.



CBS Sports

CBS took a different approach to their grading system and leveraged a variety of different analysts in their reviews. In doing so, they broke down the Steelers’ picks and graded them separately. Looking at the Day 2 picks, let’s take a look at where they landed in their evaluations:

Chris Trapasso graded the Pickens selection as a solid “A”:

There’s the Pittsburgh Round 2 WR. Pickens has first-round talent and first-round film. Tall, long, sudden, enormous catch radius. Nasty demeanor on the field. Torn ACL and maybe some maturity issues knocked him down the board. True WR1 capabilities.

Looking at the Steelers’ third-round pick of Leal, Trapasso graded this pick as a “B”:

His 2021 film wasn’t close to how good he was in 2020. In today’s day and age, it’s strange that he’s a legitimate tweener. But Steelers love those type and have to get younger on their DL. Solid value.

Compared to the other picks in each round, Trapasso only had the Chiefs as the “A+” pick in the second round with Skyy Moore, and he had 18 teams graded higher in the third round.



Finally, I decided to add my additional grades to the Steelers’ second day. To preface, I consider the second and third rounds as the peak of the Steelers’ draft. They addressed major concerns on both sides of the ball and came away with starting-caliber talent with each pick. But with that said, I go back to the second-round selection on Pickens with Moore still on the board. I understand why the Steelers went with the higher-rated receiver in Pickens, but I would’ve liked to see Moore line up in the slot with Johnson and Claypool on either side. Looking at Leal, I love the pick. He’ll line up well opposite of Cam Heyward on the line and can absorb double teams to open up rushing paths for Highsmith and Watt. Therefore, my grade for the Steelers’ second day is an A-.



How do you think the Steelers did on the second day? Who would you have rather seen them take? Let us know in the comments below!

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[slashsteel]

If both the third rounder and 2nd rounder live up to their potential their value... It could be a A+ 2nd day.

 

[slashsteel]

See another comment that said DeMarvin regressed in his final season. Someone should copy that bullshit and put it on his locker.

 

[madinsomniac]

First off **** what PFF says… even when they are positive about the Steelers tgat doesn’t change that they are pissant ******* fucktards …. **** that Chris Collinsworth owned crapfest all over the place

 

[madinsomniac]

Now i agree we did well.. i just don’t want to legitimize those hacks at pff… steelernation has better insight than those pro jackasses

 

[BamaSteeler52]

I like Pickens think he will do great things as long as he keeps his head right.
Watched a lot of SEC ball and seeing Leal he never jumped off the screen as a force, I hope he did not hit his ceiling...
Austin is intriguing as a player just not sold on those physical attributes consistently transferring to the NFL.

 

[Steeltime]

Grading the draft today? Pfffft, I graded the damn thing two weeks ago.

Yeah, that was before the picks took place - so what? If I can grade a draft before a guy has played a frigging snap, then I can grade the draft before it takes place.

 

[Troglodyte]

I keep hearing that Leal was rated higher prior to the 2021 season, but his stats improved in 2021. What gives?

 

[madinsomniac]

Grading the draft today? Pfffft, I graded the damn thing two weeks ago.

Yeah, that was before the picks took place - so what? If I can grade a draft before a guy has played a frigging snap, then I can grade the draft before it takes place.

2008 i think we universally got a B+ for what would later be revealed as a FMinus draft

 

[Steeltime]

2008 i think we universally got a B+ for what would later be revealed as a FMinus draft

You are crazy, man! Limas Sweed is going to be a freaking star!

Know what Randy Moss wants to be when he grows up?? Limas Sweed.

 

[stuntmanmike]

It’s a draft we’ll just have to sit back on… hard to judge… drafting 20 we all know is like being the youngest at the dinner table by the time they done passing the chicken around the table nothing left but necks and ********… Pickens just reminds me too much of Denzel Mims same build same everything 6-3 200ish freak athlete taken in the second round with a busted knee he’s nothing burger. Leal, if youre an offensive lineman you want to block him all day 280 5flat… this is the nfl there no days off Leal only seems to show up every now and again. something about the “Memphis Express” tells me hes going to become a great fan favorite… he really has the heart of a tiger. But we passed on Zack Tom great center prospect to take him… for me, this draft will be remembered for the year we passed on Zack Tom to draft Tom Thumb! GoSteelers!!!

 

[SteelerSask2]

Hopefully hedges the bet if Pickett doesn't work out. Also could he a complete home run if all three do. Or damn near if Pickett does and one other

 

[stuntmanmike]

I see Kenny coming through but just don’t see the upside. the real question will be did Steelers brass condemn themselves to mediocrity by drafting Pickett? Will they be able to break out and get to the Super Bowl… remember before Ben came… cowher took a team that chuck noll built to the super bowl and lost, mostly cuz we had a very average qb. then years and years of nothing one step forward two steps back then Ben.. Ben was able to break us out of 8-8 Syndrome. We moving back to 8-9 9-8? Is Kenny a replacement for Ben or O’Donnell?

 

[slashsteel]

I keep hearing that Leal was rated higher prior to the 2021 season, but his stats improved in 2021. What gives?

As I said in another thread I think they thought the guy had the tools to explode. Apparently his improvement wasn't to their level of expectations. But he clearly didn't regress.

 

[Steeltime]

It’s a draft we’ll just have to sit back on… hard to judge… drafting 20 we all know is like being the youngest at the dinner table by the time they done passing the chicken around the table nothing left but necks and ******** ...

 

[SteelerSask2]

I understand not liking a pick but let's just not pretend we know the future. Would you have wanted Trevor Lawrence last year. The book is not written on him but the first chapter wasn't very good.

 

[jitter77]

I understand not liking a pick but let's just not pretend we know the future. Would you have wanted Trevor Lawrence last year. The book is not written on him but the first chapter wasn't very good.

I thought Lawrence was way over-hyped and wonder what Pickett would have done if he was on Clemson. In fairness to Lawrence Jacksonville is /was a total **** show. He may turn out to be a franchise QB, but going to need some help. Both Manning's were pretty terrible in their first years as well.

 

[SteelerFan448]

I keep hearing that Leal was rated higher prior to the 2021 season, but his stats improved in 2021. What gives?

What I took away from everything I read is he was expected to have a dominant 2021. Despite the stats, he didn't have a consistent effort and that's why he fell. I also don't think he tested very well either. He's still had a pretty high rating and good upside as a defender.

 

[SteelerFan448]

I see Kenny coming through but just don’t see the upside. the real question will be did Steelers brass condemn themselves to mediocrity by drafting Pickett? Will they be able to break out and get to the Super Bowl… remember before Ben came… cowher took a team that chuck noll built to the super bowl and lost, mostly cuz we had a very average qb. then years and years of nothing one step forward two steps back then Ben.. Ben was able to break us out of 8-8 Syndrome. We moving back to 8-9 9-8? Is Kenny a replacement for Ben or O’Donnell?

I mean, is that any different than what we see now where a "non-losing season" is the standard rather than playoff wins?

 

[madinsomniac]

Leal fell because he had a bad workout and he weighed in a tweener

If this was a year that wasn’t loaded at DE then he would have gone higher… .. there were just so many guys with a grade just below his that teams figured why gamble on him adding weight when they could get a guy with almost as good a grade thats already fleshed out

 

[SteelerSask2]

I thought Lawrence was way over-hyped and wonder what Pickett would have done if he was on Clemson. In fairness to Lawrence Jacksonville is /was a total **** show. He may turn out to be a franchise QB, but going to need some help. Both Manning's were pretty terrible in their first years as well.

Agreed. But point being no one is a sure thing and no one is a bust till they are.

 

[Drink IRON City]

First off **** what PFF says… even when they are positive about the Steelers tgat doesn’t change that they are pissant ******* fucktards …. **** that Chris Collinsworth owned crapfest all over the place

Could you provide a Citation that explains the capacity of your anger ?


Salute the nation

 

[Drink IRON City]

It doesn't matter what grade we associate to this draft today.

What does atter is what grade is associated to this draft in 2-3 years.



Salute the nation

 

[steelreeling]

You are crazy, man! Limas Sweed is going to be a freaking star!

Know what Randy Moss wants to be when he grows up?? Limas Sweed.

lol

 

[steelreeling]

Leal fell because he had a bad workout and he weighed in a tweener

If this was a year that wasn’t loaded at DE then he would have gone higher… .. there were just so many guys with a grade just below his that teams figured why gamble on him adding weight when they could get a guy with almost as good a grade thats already fleshed out

agreed