Steelers Get Two More Pitt Panthers in CBS Seven-Round Mock

A recent seven-round mock draft by CBS Sports has the Pittsburgh Steelers adding two more Pitt Panthers to go along with 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett.

The mock draft published this week by Bryan DeArdo has the Steelers taking defensive tackle Calijah Kancey with their first-round draft pick and then going back to their next-door neighbors at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex later in the draft class.

Kancey is not seen by everyone as a fit for the Steelers’ 3-4 base scheme, but his pass-rush skills could certainly help the team’s defensive front and he could learn behind returning starters.

“Pittsburgh would present an ideal situation for Kancey as he would be flanked on the Steelers’ line by perennial Pro Bowler Cameron Heyward and fellow veteran Larry Ogunjobi,” DeArdo wrote.

With the Steelers’ two second-round picks, DeArdo has the Steelers taking Alabama defensive back Brian Branch and Syracuse tackle Matthew Bergeron. 

Branch is a versatile defender than can play both safety and slot cornerback and would help offset the loss of Cam Sutton and Terrell Edmunds via free agency. 

Bergeron comes from a run-heavy scheme at Syracuse and could provide immediate depth and competition for the Steelers at tackle, particularly on the right side, where Chukwuma Okorafor has struggled in the run game, but excelled in pass protection.

In the third round, he projected Rice wide receiver Rashee Rice going to Pittsburgh, comparing him to former Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Missouri edge rusher Isaiah McGuire went to provide depth behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith in the fourth round.

In the seventh, DeArdo predicted the Steelers will go back to tackle, and back to Pitt, landing tackle Carter Warren, who protected Pickett’s blind side with the Panthers.

East Carolina running back Keaton Mitchell is the final pick in the CBS mock draft. The undersized back ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash and would present a different dynamic to bigger Pittsburgh regulars Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.