We are only weeks away from the beginning of NFL free agency and with that, the league will head straight into the 2020 NFL draft. We love digging into mock drafts for the Pittsburgh Steelers and this time we look at Chad Reuter’s for NFL.com.
The Steelers don’t have a first-round pick so we jump to the second round for their first choice.
Reuter has the Steelers taking former Alabama edge rusher Terrell Lewis. It won’t take long for the Steelers to identify their primary draft needs once free agency starts. The team’s top need is going to likely be either an edge rusher or defensive tackle based on free-agent losses. Edge rusher Bud Dupree and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave are both looking to cash in elsewhere leaving two huge holes in the Steelers starting lineup.
Lewis is a fascinating player but hard to study due to his injury history. When he’s healthy and on the field, he shows all the traits of an elite pass rusher but still lacks a ton of subtle skills because he’s missed so much time.
Reuter also threw in a third-round pick for the Steelers based on their upcoming compensatory pick for the loss of Le’Veon Bell last season. With this pick he has the Steelers taking former Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Hurts is a fascinating prospect who gets pushed down in the draft due to a deep quarterback class and some issues with turnovers. But he’d be an excellent value here even if he only plays a Taysom Hill type of role early in his career while he works on his game.
