After the Steelers’ loss to the Buffalo Bills, they are into the NFL Draft season. And the Athletic’s Dane Brugler revealed his first two-round NFL Mock Draft. With the team picking 20th and 51st overall, there are now realistic slots to put prospective players into that slot. Brugler has the Steelers selecting Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean in the first round to fill that void across from Joey Porter Jr.
“One of the top athletes in the draft, DeJean has experience as an outside corner, inside corner and a box/middle-field defender. I’ll be sending a petition for the NFL to add a dunk contest at the combine so we can see DeJean go to work. And we already know he performs well wearing black and gold,” Brugler said.
DeJean is a talented player. He is one of those players that scouts expect to pop in the testing metrics. That could be something the Steelers are drawn to, and the type of versatility he brings to the table is attractive, too. He has become a popular pick among pundits to fill the void left by Levi Wallace on that side.
Meanwhile, the Steelers also go to the well locally in this class and take center Zach Frazier with their second-round pick to fill that void.
“Having grown up 90 miles south of Pittsburgh, Frazier embodies the toughness and physicality you expect from a Steelers offensive lineman. His late-season leg injury clouds his projection a tad, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he became a starting NFL center very early next season,” Brugler said.
The stout and physical Frazier is perfect for the Steelers’ diverse run scheme, and his leadership and smarts would fit well on the offensive line. One of the best centers in the country that would help the Steelers solidify their offensive line for whoever would play at quarterback next season.