As each week passes, the fate of the Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick swings. Going into Week 12, the Steelers held the No. 5 overall pick in the first round sitting at 3-7. Now, after getting a win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers are 4-7 and their first-round pick has fallen to No. 12 overall.
The Steelers have a handful of upcoming draft needs headlined by help at offensive tackle. Dropping seven spots would most likely take Pittsburgh out of the mix to draft the first offensive tackle in this class but the reality is there is no consensus about who the top players are at offensive tackle.
The middle third of the first round is often no-mans land for teams. The elite prospects are all gone and the difference between the available players and those who will go a dozen plays later isn’t that different.
So if you are the Steelers and you do end up in this range of picks, it will dramatically change the impact that first-round pick could make. Are we advocating any sort of tanking? Not at all. This season is going to play out how it does and you hope the players and staff try to win every game even if they are completely meaningless in the big picture.
