Steelers pick 9 in 2019 NFL Draft

PITTSBURGH — Did the Pittsburgh Steelers get what they wanted and needed in the 2019 NFL Draft?

“Yea,” Mike Tomlin said with a smile, “but we always do.”

For only the third time since Kevin Colbert took over as GM, the Steelers traded up in the 1st Rd and picked arguably the best linebacker in the draft in Michigan’s Devin Bush. But is he finally the replacement for Ryan Shazier the Steelers have been looking for over the last 18 months?

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“We will see,” Colbert said. “We’ll see if he helps us win the Super Bowl.”

The Steelers have a three year window to go after that seventh Lombardi with the current core players in tact, most notably Ben Roethlisberger, however even the future hall of fame quarterback needs some help.

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They picked up wide receiver Diontae Johnson (Toledo) and tight end Zach Gentry (Michigan) as pass catching options over the three day draft to help expand Big Ben’s options. The success of Johnson and Gentry will more than likely see how “well” the Steelers came out of the Antonio Brown trade because they are the picks acquired in the deal with the Oakland Raiders.

But the offense got more help in the form of Benny Snell Jr, running back from Kentucky, who, along with Herschel Walker, are the only two in SEC history to rush for more than 1,000 yards and at least 13 touchdowns in his first three seasons at their school.

One of the more intriguing picks is Justin Layne, cornerback, from Michigan State who grew up in Cleveland. He said he hoped to be picked by the Browns, but now that he’s on the other side of the rivalry he watched as a kid, he says, “they gonna pay. They gonna pay.” An athlete with extra motivation certainly will help a defense that created only 15 turnovers last season.

Only time will tell if this draft was a good one for the Steelers, but it certainly has a good feel about it in late April.

Cox Media Group