Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL Draft recap
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Wisconsin's Nick Herbig leads the Big Ten in sacks (through 11-19-22), but he has also broken up six passes over the last two seasons.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, led by general manager Omar Khan, traded the 17th overall pick and the 120th pick in this year’s draft to the New England Patriots and moves up three spots in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. With the 14th overall pick, they drafted former Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Later, they moved back in the third round by trading the Carolina Panthers the 80th overall pick in exchange for the 93rd overall pick (where they took Georgia tight end Darnell Washington) and 132nd pick (selected Wisconsin OLB Nick Herbig).
This after a free agent period this offseason netted them a number of key pieces and potential starters in Patrick Peterson, Elandon Roberts and Isaac Seumalo among others.
| Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL Draft Recap | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||
| Selection | Player Selection | Position- School | DN Big Board Rank/ Grade | Nasty’ Take: | Value (1-5) based on DN Big Board Rank and our grade: |
| 1 (14) | Broderick Jones 6’5 304 | OT/Georgia | 5/1st Round | Jones has some technique issues to clean up, but the team gave up just nine sacks in 2022. Jones was the starter at the left tackle spot. | 5 |
| 2 (32) | Joey Porter, Jr. 6’2 193 | CB-Penn State | 18/2nd Round | The 2022 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year essentially snuck into the first round as the 32nd overall pick and was outstanding playing through the pocket of wide receivers in the Red Zone during his time in school. | 5 |
| 2 (49) | Keeanu Benton 6’4 312 | DT-Wisconsin | 32/2nd Round | Benton has shown some pass rush capability, but he is primarily a two-down interior defensive tackle with nose tackle traits. The honorable mention All-Big Ten defender holds the point competitively versus double teams and consistently controls the action with his hand usage. | 5 |
| 3 (93) | Darnell Washington 6’7 264 | TE-Georgia | 44/3rd Round | Washington may have experienced a slide for some, but his blocking capability will only enhance a team attempting to re-establish a physical identity running the football. | 5 |
| 4 (132) | Nick Herbig 6’2 240 | OLB-Wisconsin | 183/3rd Round | Herbig was arguably the team’s best defender over the course of the last two years and his natural pass rush capability could fit well for Pittsburgh after tallying 36 tackles for losses in his career. | 4 |
| 7 (241) | Cory Trice, Jr. 6’3 206 | CB-Purdue | 212/4th Round | Trice, Jr. has a 78” wingspan and put on positive bulk after weighing in the 180-pound range in high school. He has played some safety in school and flashed ballhawking skills in school. | 5 |
| 7 (251) | Spencer Anderson 6’5 305 | OG-OT-Maryland | 307/4th Round | He has started at nearly every position on the team’s offensive line at Maryland, and much of that centered around their gap-schemed attack. He has excelled in pass protection, but he has not fared as well with latch in the run game. | 4 |
| No. 1 UDFA signing | Monte Pottebaum 6'1 242 | FB-Iowa | 346/4th Round | Pottebaum enjoyed his role as enforcer, frequently smashing his own helmet and those of others as a lead fullback for the Hawkeyes. | 5 |
| Draft Grade: | 4.67 |
