Do you remember the old Nationwide Insurance TV commercials and their quote “Life comes at you fast”?

Well, if you haven’t kept your finger on the Free Agency pulse the last few days, let me just tell you, things have changed at a very rapid pace for the Steelers. Just last time that you and I spoke, we were discussing the merits of how Jayden Daniels fell all the way to 20 in my Mock Draft, and how it completely changed the trajectory of that Mock and the players selected.

Since then the Steelers have signed a new QB with Russell Wilson coming on board with a reported 1 year deal. While I won’t get into the details of the contract, rest assure that the braintrust here at SCN is hard at work dissecting what the deal means for the short and long term focus of the team.

As it turned out, that wasn’t the only fireworks Omar Khan had up his sleeve. On the beginning of Day 2, not only did the Steelers snipe Linebacker Patrick Queen from the division rival Ravens, the Dionte Johnson trade talk that had started as a whisper early in the offseason finally began to show some legs, and by the end of the day, the Steelers had a trade partner with the Carolina Panthers to not only ship Johnson out, but bring in a coveted player in Cornerback Donte Jackson.

Jackson had been rumored to be linked to the Steelers since the trade deadline last year, and his signing immediately locks up the position opposite JPJ. The trade  makes sure that the Steelers head into the Draft with the Secondary in a much better position than it was a day ago.

So now that the Khan Artist is back at it again this year, it has left me scrambling to figure out just what he is going to do next. The Inside Linebacker position is most likely done getting filled, as now the room includes Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, Mark Robinson, and Patrick Queen. The Steelers might choose to go the Draft route if they feel that they can’t pass up on a talent, such as Jaylen Ford of Texas. Queen at the Buck with Ford at the Mack in a year or two might not be a bad combo.

If you weren’t here for the first article, here is a run down of the rules I am following for this experiment.

For this experiment, I will be doing a scenario involving two paths of acquiring talent.

First, I will outline 2 players in Free Agency focusing on most important team needs by position. The positions I would conisder to be most important currently are Offensive Tackle, Cornerback, Center, Safety, and Defensive Tackle/End. The order might be different for some, but the positions themselves seem to be pretty universal amongst Steeler fans.

I won’t be getting into contract numbers, but I will be concious of the fact that I can’t break the bank for a top flight elite player. COULD it happen? No, it really couldn’t, let’s be honest. The Steelers simply do not do it. Not even in THIS dream world. Not even with an extra cool $30 Mill in the Salary Cap pocket this year.

Secondly, I will use a Mock Draft Simulator to fill in the other needs on that list, going 4 rounds with the Simulator (I want that extra 4th Round pick to play with!). I like to use Pro Football Network’s Simulator because the algorithm throws more trade scenarios at you with some crazy combinations sometimes. The downside is that I don’t think PFN’s player rankings are as accurate as say, PFF’s Mock Simulator player rankings. So please take everything with a grain of salt, again, it’s meant to stimulate the mind to the many possibilities that the Steelers have now that the NFL Offseason Christmas has arrived!

First, I only get one run at it, with no resets. If the Steelers only get one shot at the Draft, then so do I.

Second, whatever trades that I might do, I MUST keep the 1st round pick. NO EXCEPTIONS. The Steelers love the 5th year option for their contracts too much. I can trade, and trade multiple times in the 1st round, but I CANNOT give up the 1st Round Pick.

Third, I cannot initiate a trade. If no one calls, I take the choices I’m given.

Lastly, I do not take trade considerations where the obvious value for either team is lopsided. I want this to be as realistic as I can make it. I will note when I pass on a trade, this is typically the biggest reason why.

With the rules now attended to, let’s get to the results!

Scenario 2 Free Agency – Steelers sign Brian Allen (Center) and Curtis Samuel (WR)

Brian Allen was originally a 2018 fourth-round draft pick by Los Angeles, he started in 32 of 50 regular season games across five seasons with the Rams (missed 2020 due to injury). He was the starting center in 16 of 17 regular season games and every postseason game during the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI-winning 2021 season, and that performance earned him a Pro Bowl alternate nomination for that season. This signing closes the gap on filling the Center position, but I don’t think the Steelers are done just yet here.

Curtis Samuel has proven production at the NFL level over his 7 seasons with the Panthers and Commanders, gathering in over 300 catches and 3000 yards in addition to 22 TD’s. The former second round pick out of Ohio State fits in well at the Slot, and helps the Steelers fill in what has quickly become a glaring roster need at Wide Receiver. Without a clear WR2 on the roster, look for the Steelers to dip into the Draft well to find some help, or perhaps this is the year one of the Practice Squad players finally gets a clear shot coming into Camp of making the roster.

Now that we have filled in a couple spots of need on the roster, the Draft is beginning to look like how the Steelers typically approach it: by filling the glaring holes in the roster so that the Draft can focus on future/present WANTS, not NEEDS. Being on the backend of that equation has gotten the Steelers in hot water before (Artie Burns, Kendrick Green).

Scenario 2 Mock Simulator Results

Rnd 1 (20) – Jackson Powers-Johnson (Center), Oregon – With Center still being a need, the Steelers pick the athletic JPJ2 to be the future of the position. Great size (6′ 3″, 325 lbs) and agility, Powers-Johnson at least KNOWS what it feels like to score 40 or more points… OFTEN. Not much more needs to be said for what many consider to be the best Center prospect this year.

Notables Still Available: Johnny Newton (DT), Chop Robinson (EDGE), Cooper DeJean (S), Byron Murphy II (DT), Kool-Aid McKinstry (CB). One trade was available, but the Ravens were only throwing an extra 2nd NEXT year to move down.

Rnd 2 (51) – T’Vondre Sweat (Defensive Tackle), Texas – There are certain players the Steelers have had over the years that deserve way more credit than the national media gives them. Guys like Chad Brown, the ILB from the famed Blitzburgh defense, or James Farrior, the quiet leader of the 2005 Super Bowl defense, or the Comp I am envisioning for Sweat would be none other than fellow Texas alum, Casey Hampton, AKA “Big Snack”.

T’Vondre Sweat is a monster of a man. At 6′ 4″ and 366 lbs, he was born to play the 0 Technique, and does it well. Swallowing up double teams, Sweat also has the motor to continually push upfield and collapse the pocket. Pittsburgh’s run defense would be improved immediately with a player like this, and I am willing to give up a 2nd round pick for a guy who really should be going in the 1st round, but won’t due to the devalued nature of true 0 Tech’s around the League as two-down players.

In this version of the simulation, it seems everyone wants to trade future picks to move up. I turned down all of them.

Notables Still Available: Tyler Nubin (S), Cooper Beebe (OG), Kris Jenkins (DT), Max Melton (CB)

Rnd 3 (84) – Roger Rosengarten (Right Tackle), Washington – After watching seven Offensive Tackles come off the board in Round 1 (Jeremy Betz called for 8 in his latest Mock Draft, BTW), I reached 5 slots for the best OT left on the Board. It seems that if I had really wanted an upper-tier guy, I should have taken one in the 1st Round, which is also a trend that I have seen when doing these Mocks at other times. The issue is that five of the Tackles are off the board by #20 and the other guys are slotted for late in the first, so taking one usually requires moving down from #20.

Notables Still Available: Caelen Carson (CB), Devontez Walker (WR), Jeremiah Trotter Jr (ILB), Kris Jenkins (DT), Braeden Fiske (DT)

Rnd 4 (120) – Jaylan Ford (Mack Backer), Texas – I don’t know why, but I really like the tape on this guy. Maybe it’s because he played behind my Round 2 pick, T’Vondre Sweat, and also behind expected First Rounder Byron Murphy II. Ford is a playmaker, constantly around the ball, and is considered to be one of the better Off-Ball Linebackers to come out this year. I still want to see him behind a different DL to see if he will continue to be successful, but in this scenario, I don’t have to worry about it TOO much since I have one half of his teammates secured already.

Rnd 4 (121) – Jamari Thrash (Wide Receiver), Louisville – No relation to the former NFL Wide Receiver James Thrash, Jamari has Slot Receiver ability written all over him. He has the IQ to sit on zones properly, and the requisite quickness to separate from defenders once he secures the ball, and fights for the tough yards.

Notables Still Available: The only other player I was considering here was Brandon Coleman (G). There was a glut of Wide Receivers and Running Backs, so I went with the WR.

Roundup – To recap, in Free Agency I was able to fill two of the biggest holes in the roster with a Center and Wide Receiver, making it easier to come into the Draft and selecting the best player available.

In the Draft, I got the (hopefully) future franchise Center, a run-plugging Nose Tackle, a road-grading Right Tackle, the best off-ball Linebacker in the country last year, and a Slot guy to fill out the Wide Receiver room. Here is the complete list of players:

Brian Allen (C)

Curtis Samuel (WR)

Jackson Powers-Johnson (C)

T’Vondre Sweat (DT)

Roger Rosengarten (RT)

Jaylan Ford (ILB)

Jamari Thrash (WR)

Now the roster looks a lot more complete, and without any major holes to fill, the Steelers can roll into Camp waiting to see how the next phase of player acquisition starts: Camp Cuts from other teams. Someone inevitably ALWAYS becomes available.

What do you think of the approach? Did we fill in enough of the roster holes to improve the team? Who would you have picked differently seeing some of the other Notable Players that were still available? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to watch out for the follow up articles on the other side of the Free Agency leading up to the NFL Draft!