In two months, the NFL league year will start and the Pittsburgh Steelers begin the process of sorting out who stays and who goes for 2020. A disappointing finish to the 2019 season shut Pittsburgh out of the playoffs for a second straight season. But there is optimism with the return of Ben Roethlisberger and a large contingent of 2019 rookies who showed promise.
Nevertheless, with salary cap tight, the Steelers are going to once again rely on a rookie class to fill in gaps straight out of the gate. Here are the three positions where 2020 rookies can help the Steelers the most.
Running back
We saw Benn Snell Jr. have early success as a rookie last season and even Kerrith Whyte who was undrafted played well. You hate to speculate on the futures of James Conner and Jaylen Samuels but both disappointed in 2019. Running back might be the easiest position for a rookie to come in and play big early.
Offensive guard
In the event the Steelers choose to release Ramon Foster for salary cap space, there will be a glaring need for a starting guard. Unless the Steelers opt to move up a tackle like Zach Banner and slide Matt Feiler inside, an immediate replacement will be necessary. With the talent around them, a rookie guard (or even tackle) could have early success.
Tight end
With what the Steelers ask a tight end to do, adding a rookie here would be no problem. However, with how athletic and dynamic some college tight ends have become, adding a rookie whois a legitimate receiving threat could pay huge dividends in the Pittsburgh offense.
