The playoff loss to the Ravens loomed large over the Steelers draft

Forgive me if I bring back the bad taste we are all just getting over by reminding everyone of the playoff loss to Baltimore this past season. It wasn’t that the team lost that made it so painful. Most of us knew the Ravens were the better, more complete team going into that wildcard matchup, and while the Steelers had a puncher’s chance, they were heavy underdogs. The bad thing about that role is that sometimes the lesser opponent with the puncher’s chance sticks his chin out and gets knocked out.

And so they did. It was embarrassing at times, as the defense seemed to shrink away from contact and get physically dominated by the big bully of a Baltimore run game that kept landing haymaker after haymaker. Lest we forget, the Ravens racked up 299 yards rushing and had a thirteen play, 85 yard drive resulting in a touchdown where they only called rushing plays. I have matured past the point of getting upset if the Steelers drop a game, but when they are getting trucked play after play and not showing any fight or resistance…well…that is not the Steelers ball I fell in love with in any shape or form.

The talking heads and the sports shows talked non stop linking the Steelers to a quarterback in the first round if one happened to fall to them, and boy, did they ever. Those stuffed shirts have moved on from that playoff loss, as most of the shows and people on it have the memory span of a goldfish with a head injury. The fans have not forgotten, and neither have Khan, Weidl, and Tomlin, from the looks of this draft.

If there’s one lesson Mike Tomlin has learned about AFC North football, it’s that he can win with pretty much a warm body that has a pulse at QB, but he must have a front seven that can shut down the run. Add in the failed Kenny Pickett experience, which if we were all honest, can be equally blamed on both parties, and there was no way this organization was going to bypass shoring up the defense with a signal caller that they were not head over heels all gaga eyes over. The song “Love The One You’re With” does not apply to first round quarterbacks. It’s soul mates for life or hard pass only.

Having already spent the second round pick to acquire DK Metcalf meant there was extra pressure to perhaps overreach in the first round for a passer that might not make it to the third round. Kudos to the organization for sticking to their plans, especially considering that they were still able to draft a potential long term backup in the sixth round with Will Howard, which is about as perfect of a spot as you can get for such a pick. No pressure, no expectations, just making the club is a win.

If I had to give this draft a title, it would be the “No Show All Go” draft. There are no showy, glamour and glitz picks here. Mike Tomlin used the phrase “Steelers DNA” many times over the weekend, and he is not wrong. This is a working class bring your lunch pail and get you-know-what done kind of roster coming to town.

Derrick Harmon injects badly needed youth into the D-line and will be both a run stopper and pass rusher if his game develops as projected. I’ve heard some criticism that Jack Sawyer was not a “need” pick, but the outside rushers dropped like flies as the season went on last year, and this system lives and dies with how effective they are at setting the edge and disrupting the pocket. Sawyer’s strong suit is shutting down that outside run, and if he can help keep T.J. Watt fresh for pass downs, that will pay untold benefits late in the season when games matter the most. When those runs do come down the middle, Yahya Black is tailor made to be a gap eating run stuffer. If he plays most of his snaps next year against the Browns and Ravens and can be a human clog to stop those rip-your-heart-out runs that killed the team last year, that alone will more than validate his selection. He doesn’t have to be fluid or have a repertoire of pass rush moves. He just has to be the immovable object capable of withstanding the battery ram that is Derrick Henry and the new stable of running backs residing in Cleveland this year.

I was not feeling good about this team as last year came to an end, and I watched the Steelers get out-Steelered game after game. This draft feels like a step in the right direction to correct that problem. There are many unanswered questions still lingering over this team…who exactly will be the starting quarterback, will the investments in the offensive line from the previous two drafts start paying dividends, and will George Pickens thrive or self-destruct with the presence of another alpha-receiver on the roster?

This draft, however, is bringing me around again to have hope for the future. Which is exactly what a draft is supposed to do. No one knows how it will work out, and anyone that gives you a grade on it right now is telling tales out of school that mean absolutely nothing. What can be said about this draft, as Coach Tomlin said, is that they exhibit Steelers DNA, they are all go and no show, and they bring a workman’s attitude to their play on the field. Seems like a great place to start for me. It could just pay off on a cold January night in Baltimore when those qualities are needed the most.