Draft day is upon us. With the 24th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft the Pittsburgh Steelers select …
If the experts’ predictions are any guide, the answer will be Alabama running back Najee Harris.
In a very large turnaround since our look 18 days ago, Harris is now by far the consensus pick for the Steelers. Previously, Harris was third behind two tackles, Oklahoma State’s Teven Jenkins and Texas’ Samuel Cosmi. Now, Harris dominates the predictions with 14 out of 24 experts picking the big Alabama back.
Here’s the list of the rest of the experts and their predictions for tonight’s NFL Draft in Cleveland.
Steelers Now
Our own resident draft expert Nick Farabaugh thinks all the tells are there and the Steelers will go with Harris in the first round.
ESPN
In his final mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. switched up his pick from Oklahoma State’s Teven Jenkins to Najee Harris. The network’s other draft expert, Todd McShay, also thinks the Steelers will take harris. And finally, NFL Nation’s Steelers reporter Jeremy Fowler makes it three ESPN votes for Harris.
CBS Sports
After a bit of shuffling in their mocks, CBS Sports’ panel of experts is now 50% for Najee Harris. Pete Prisco and Ryan Wilson expect the Steelers to grab the talented running back in the first round while Chris Trapasso is predicting Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Fairley. Josh Edwards is thinking a different Virginia Tech player, tackle Christian Darrisaw. Patrik Walker is also thinking offensive lineman with his pick of USC guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
NFL.com
In his final mock draft, NFL.com’s resident draft expert Daniel Jeremiah is sticking with Teven Jenkins to the Steelers. Analytics expert Cynthia Frelund wants the Steelers to take Michigan tackle Jalen Mayfield based on her own analytical criteria. Bucky Brooks is going in a different direction with his pick of Kentucky inside linebacker Jamin Davis. Peter Schrager is picking cornerback Eric Stokes from Georgia. NFL Network’s Charles Davis is aboard the Najee Harris to the Steelers train.
Pro Football Talk
Is it likely? No, but PFT thinks that the Steelers will somehow land North Dakota QB Trey Lance, and won’t even have to move up to get him. Mike Florio thinks Lane will slide all the way to No. 24.
Pro Football Focus
In their final mock draft, PFF also predicts the Steelers will take Najee Harris in an attempt to shore up their running back room.
The Athletic
Previously, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had the Steelers moving up to take Virginia Tech tackle Christian Darrisaw. Not anymore. Brugler, like many others thinks the Steelers will grab Najee Harris at No. 24. For their combined writer’s draft, The Athletic has a more interesting take with the Steelers moving back to No. 30 in the first round and drafting Clemson running back Travis Etienne.
Pro Football Network
Tony Pauline thinks the Steelers will rectify their mistake of not drafting J.K. Dobbins last year and take the similarly built Najee Harris at No. 24. Ben Allbright agrees.
WalterFootball.com
No longer mocking CB Aaron Robinson of UCF to the Steelers, WalterFootball’s final pick is a popular one: Najee Harris.
The Draft Network
Going against the grain (and his last mock draft) Brentley Weissman has flipped his pick from Najee Harris to Georgia CB Eric Stokes. Kyle Crabbs has flipped from Jayson Oweh to Najee Harris. Joe Marino agrees.
The Draft Scorecard
Of the 24 mock drafts we looked at, Najee Harris is now by far the consensus pick with 14 experts predicting the Steelers to take the bruising Alabama running back. Oklahoma St. tackle Tevin Jenkins, who was the most popular pick in our last look, is now mocked to the Steelers by just one person. In second place with just two votes is Georgia cornerback Eric Stokes. Other players with one prediction include Virginia Tech tackle Christian Darrisaw, Clemson RB Travis Etienne, North Dakota State QB Trey Lance, Michigan tackle Jalen Mayfield, Virginia Tech corner Caleb Fairley, USC guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and Kentucky linebacker Jamin Davis.