Monday, May 16, 2022

Pittsburgh Steelers Post-Draft NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2022 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the Pittsburgh Steelers rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 21 (22nd)
  • Best ranking: 20 (USA Today)
  • Worst ranking: 22 (The Athletic)

Below you will find a post-NFL Draft roundup for the Steelers in our consensus 2022 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 22

Player who benefited most from draft: OT Chukwuma Okorafor

Okorafor gets his name in bold, but Dan Moore Jr. also qualifies as a player who benefitted from the Steelers' draft. The team didn't address the tackle spot through an external signing in free agency or via the draft, all but solidifying its confidence in Okorafor and Moore. As a rookie, Moore started every single game and showed signs of being the left tackle of the future, while Okorafor had an average season. Either position could've benefitted from an upgrade this offseason, but that didn't happen, so Okorafor and Moore won't have their spots threatened. -- Brooke Pryor

NFL.com -- Rank: 21

Kevin Colbert's final draft as Steelers GM went the way many expected. The man responsible for bringing Ben Roethlisberger to Pittsburgh targeted Big Ben's successor with the first-round selection of Kenny Pickett. The Steelers know Pickett better than anyone -- Pitt and the Steelers share the same practice facility -- and it was telling how Mike Tomlin chose to answer a question about Pickett's immediate viability as a potential Week 1 starter. "He certainly has a chance," the coach said. "... We felt he came ready-made in those ways. Hopefully that's an asset to him in terms of being able to compete and being ready, if his performance dictates." The Mitch Trubisky era could be over before it even started.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 21

They took quarterback Kenny Pickett in the first round, which means it's only a matter of time before he takes over as the starter. That's a good thing.

USA Today -- Rank: 22

First-round QB Kenny Pickett could be an upgrade juxtaposed to the declining play of now-retired Ben Roethlisberger. Yet Pickett might not be much of an upgrade at all from Mitch Trubisky nor have the long-term impact Willis could. Gonna be fascinating to see how this unfolds.

The Athletic -- Rank: 21

This has been an offseason of tremendous change for one of the NFL's most stable franchises. Ben Roethlisberger retired, so the Steelers begin on-field practices this month with two new quarterbacks, free agent Mitch Trubisky and first-round pick Kenny Pickett. The Steelers like to think the rest of their roster is strong enough to remain competitive during the quarterback change. Our voters aren't as sure, dropping Pittsburgh seven spots from where it finished last season.

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