Breaking down the Steelers picks in the new TD Wire mock draft
Our friends over at Touchdown Wire have a brand new two-round mock draft out and we decided to give it a look to see how the picks for the Pittsburgh Steelers. You can check out the whole thing right here. Let’s break down these picks and see what we would do differently.
First round-S Brian Branch, Alabama
Sep 17, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Brian Branch (14) returns a punt for a touchdown against the UL Monroe Warhawks at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama won 63-7. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
Second round-EDGE Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Second round-DT Gervon Dexter, Florida
[Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]
Overall
First off, major bonus points for some outside-of-the-box thinking with these picks. I love the pick of Alabama safety Brian Branch and it is absolutely an option. Even with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds on the team, Damontae Kazee might leave in free agency and the Steelers love to utilize three safeties.
Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
Moving to the second it’s a good news/bad news thing. Isaiah Foskey is a great edge rusher and would be a perfect player to add to the rotation with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Given how far the pass rush fell off last season, this is definitely a win.
But count me among those that don’t love any mock draft that sends Gervon Dexter to the Steelers. Not because I think he’s a bad player, quite the contrary. I am just not sure if he fits what the Steelers need. North Dakota State offensive tackle Cody Mauch came off the board one pick later and that would have been the direction I went in as a potential replacement for Dan Moore Jr.
