Several top Steelers draft prospects opt out of 2020 season

2020 has been the strangest of strange years. Nothing is as we expect it and this includes football. As far as college football goes, there is still uncertainty if there will even be a season and if it does happen, it is unclear what it will actually look like.

Ahead of potential cancellation of the 2020 college football season, several of the top players in the country have chosen to opt out of the season and just prepare for the 2021 NFL draft. Are these top draft prospects truly concerned about their health due to COVID-19 or is this just a maneuver to get out of another year of work before they cash in? That’s a debate for another day.

But if you look at the top prospects who have opted out, one thing they have in common is they are all players who should be on the Pittsburgh Steelers first-round radar. Here’s the list of the top guys who have opted out of interest to Pittsburgh.

LB-Micah Parsons | Penn State

EDGE-Gregory Rousseau | Miami

WR-Rashod Bateman | Minnesota

WR-Rondale Moore | Purdue

CB-Caleb Farley | Virginia Tech

DL-Jaylen Twyman | Pittsburgh

Every one of these players would be an excellent addition to the Steelers in the first round. But is there risk involved in drafting a player who took an entire year off? Should the Steelers be concerned? There’s a good chance more than one of these players will be on the board and would likely represent value based on the draft slot.

If the entire season gets canceled this whole point will be moot but if college football happens it certainly complicated the scouting process of these players. The Steelers are notorious for playing it safe with the draft and it will be worth watching how they approach these players.