Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft Roundup 6.0

Kancey is the Javon Hargrave replacement the Steelers have missed for the past few seasons.

Forbes is flying up my board just like he flew in the 40-yard dash on Friday night, posting a 4.35. He has great ball production, picking off 14 passes and breaking up 18 more over three seasons. That fits with the Steelers, who led the league with 20 interceptions last season but could lose Cameron Sutton to free agency. Forbes also measured in at 6-1 and 166 pounds at the combine. Yes, 166 pounds. That might scare some teams off in Round 1, but they shouldn't discount the high-level instincts and body control that we see on tape.

Banks obliterated the testing in Indy, pushing himself up the draft board. His scheme versatility gives the Steelers coverage flexibility.

As the son of an All-Pro in Pittsburgh, Porter Jr. grew up in the Steelers locker room and got his first taste of playing cornerback by going one-on-one with Antonio Brown. Aside from the personal connections, Porter Jr. is a physical press corner who would immediately improve the Steelers' defense.

A 6-4, 235-pound All-American who can fill this defense's years-long void at off-ball linebacker. Yet the Alabama transfer also knows how to make a mess in the backfield — perhaps even easier on this unit when you're working behind T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward. In 2022, Sanders finished with 9½ sacks and 13½ TFLs.

Pittsburgh is very happy to land Darnell Wright, who has the size (6-foot-5, 333 pounds), length and toughness to play right tackle in this offense. He can play some guard and brings an element of toughness to the offensive line.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive front is getting old, and it's filled with holes.

Cameron Heyward is still counted among the league's best interior defenders, but he turns 34 shortly after this year's NFL draft. Tyson Alualu turns 36 a few days later and is a pending free agent. Larry Ogunjobi and Chris Wormley are no longer under contract.

Furthermore, Alex Highsmith may not be in the organization's long-term plans as he enters the final year of his rookie contract and will probably demand a significant contract once it ends.

Reinforcements are necessary, and Iowa's Lukas Van Ness presents the type of skill set needed to help all over Pittsburgh's defensive front.

The 6'5", 272-pound Van Ness originally started his collegiate career at defensive tackle before bumping outside to end. He has rare power in his hands to overwhelm blockers with his bull rush. He also posted an outstanding relative athletic score, according to Pro Football Network's Kent Lee Platte.

"Van Ness' draft stock has steadily been on the rise over the last several months and continued through the combine," Holder said. "He is an absolute bear in the trenches who can win with power as a pass-rusher and be a disrupter as a run defender."

The 21-year-old prospect didn't start a game at the college level, though. A proven system with veterans around Van Ness will be the best situation for his development.

Some analysts seem to think that Jones is a bit messy from a technical perspective, and others believe that he might benefit from a move to guard. I do not subscribe to either theory, because I do not want to make Broderick Jones mad. If I did, I might end up like this poor Steelers coach.

Steelers assistant OL Coach Isaac Williams getting thrown out of the club by Georgia OT Broderick Jones during this drill. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/NMCpuUqAj5

— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) March 5, 2023

If Jones was blocking you during the Bulldogs' second-straight championship season, you didn't fare any better. He allowed no sacks, two quarterback hits, and seven quarterback hurries in 470 pass-blocking reps, and he is an absolute mauler in the run game. The Steelers could use a whole lot of all of that right now, and at this rate, Jones owes them one.

Pittsburgh hasn't had much luck in the last 30 years drafting a cornerback in the first round, but maybe the team hits it big with the son of a former Steelers star.

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