Steelers first round pick in five tries: Version two

Trying to decipher who the Steelers first round pick will be in 2020 has become increasingly difficult.  When you cross check the schools Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin have visited with the team’s major needs, there aren’t many players to pick from.  We are beginning to wonder if the Steelers might break their trend of only picking players in the first round from schools they have been to.  With all that in mind, here is our attempt to guess the Steelers first round pick in five tries:

1.  Najee Harris – RB – Alabama

As much as we don’t like the idea of a running back in the first round, it’s a good bet Najee Harris will be the selection.  The Steelers have been doing everything possible to salvage this upcoming season.  Drafting a back as a quick fix to the running game would fall right in line with this type of thinking.

2.  Eric Stokes – CB – Georgia

When the Steelers sent corner Steven Nelson packing, corner became our position to keep an eye on in the first round. Stokes is everything the Steelers like in a corner.  He is tall, long, and ultra-athletic with ample production at Georgia.  The final clue for us was Pittsburgh brining defensive backs coach Grady Brown to the Georgia pro-day as well.  Stokes is the choice in our latest mock draft.  Steelers Mock Draft 3.0: The Post Pro-Day Edition

3.  Jayson Oweh – Edge – Penn St.

We can not rule out the possibility of the Steelers going edge in the first round.  There is absolutely no depth at this position behind Watt and Highsmith.   This is a pretty thin edge class in 2020, but there is one intriguing player who may be around when the Steelers select at 24.  Jayson Oweh from Penn St. fits the mold of a Steelers outside linebacker.  He absolutely destroyed his pro-day, testing off the charts. https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/jayson-oweh?position=EDGE

The rub here is that Oweh had very little production at Penn St.  He did not record a single sack in 2020, despite all that natural ability.  This is among the toughest prospects to figure out in the entire draft.  We do know however how much the Steelers love drafting physical freaks.  Oweh could easily be a surprise selection at 24.

4.  Travis Etienne – RB – Clemson

Travis Etienne is the only prospect worth both Tomlin and Colbert’s time at Clemson.  Trevor Lawrence is out of the question, and there are no other first round talents this year out of that school.  He is almost certainly plan B in the Steelers selecting a running back hypothetical.

5.  Creed Humphrey – C – Oklahoma

This is where we go off the Colbert and Tomlin trail.  They did not attend the University of Oklahoma pro-day, and there were no other big schools having theirs to sway them in another direction.  The question then becomes can the Steelers really pass on the best center in the draft?  This is such a pressing need for this team they may be forced into breaking tradition.