The Steelers and the 2021 Draft

Don't want to disappoint you, but this post will contain no letter grades or opinions as to how the Steelers "did in the draft."  I make no claims to any expertise that would allow me to do so.  No one actually KNOWS how these kids are going to do in the NFL - not Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, nor Bill Belichick, let alone Mel Kiper, Mike Greenburg, Booger McFarland, or the "PM Team" blowhards on 93.7 The Fan - until they get to training camps and begin practicing with and against and playing against actual NFL players, so we won't REALLY know how the Steelers, or any other team, did in the '21 draft until sometime in 2022 or 2023.

Still, on Draft Day(s), you have to be optimistic.  Two days ago in this space I wrote of how pleased I was with the selection Alabama's RB Najee Harris with the Steelers first pick.  In the second round, the Steelers surprised (and enraged!) a lot of people by selecting tight end Pat Freiermuth of Penn State.

Again, I will put my trust in Tomlin, Colbert, & Company with this pick, and will also say that any college TE who carried the nickname "Baby Gronk" should - should - be well worth a second round pick.  Plus, besides Harris, Freiermuth is the team's only selection that I can honestly say I actually saw play and on whom I have a semi-informed opinion, and I remember liking what I saw when I did see him play, so bring him on!

After the second round, the Steelers had seven more selections and used them to select two offensive linemen (a position of need), two linebackers (can one or both of them become an "edge rusher"?), a defensive lineman, a cornerback, and, in a very intriguing selection, a 263 pound punter!

After the draft, the Steelers also signed eight undrafted free agents (UDFA) - two cornerbacks, two linebackers, two safeties, and two wide receivers.  I won't even begin to speculate about them, but I will predict that at least two of them will make the team, and one of them could be a special teams standout.  We can also all remember that Donnie Shell, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, was an UDFA, and we can all dream, can't we?

Like I said, we should all be optimistic after a Draft, but, realistically, of the nine dated players, if five of them become solid starters over a period of five seasons or more, and if at least two of them can become Pro Bowl caliber players, I am guessing that Mike Tomlin and the team will be more than happy with "how they did" in this Draft.