2024 NFL Draft

Steelers Urged to Watch Talented Clemson LB

Published

8 months ago

September 3, 2023

With the start of college football season, the Steelers were looking at top prospects yesterday. They traveled to State College and checked out North Carolina and South Carolina yesterday. Top offensive talent abounded in most of those games, but the team will see all of the country’s talent by the season’s end. Before the season, however, the NFL Draft hype had already started amongst draft writers.

CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards listed one prospect that each team in the NFL should watch closely. For the Steelers, it is talented Clemson inside linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Pittsburgh has pieced together an inside linebacker room for years since the Ryan Shazier injury. While 2023 looks more promising, Kwon Alexander is a free agent after the year.

“Pittsburgh is not afraid to take a linebacker in the first round, position value be darn,” Edwards wrote. “The son of former the Eagles linebacker is a disciplined, hard-working linebacker who brings accountability to that unit. He embodies the rugged aura for which the franchise has been known throughout its history. Trotter is one of the top linebacker prospects eligible for the draft. Cornerback and potentially a slot receiver to complement Diontae Johnson and George Pickens are alternative routes.”

The one holdup I have with the first-round linebacker idea for Pittsburgh is their intended strategy at the position. After the Devin Bush trade and its subsequent failure, it seems they have moved towards a committee approach at that spot. That seems to be an intelligent strategy if you do not have stars in that position. The Steelers know what they are looking for now, and they are using their inside linebackers to complement one another’s strengths. So, from a long view the Steelers would pass on a first-round inside linebacker. But it’s September, and a lot can change.