The Pittsburgh Steelers took chances in the 2018 NFL Draft, and we look
back at home each pick played out in their first campaign.
The season is over and the rookies have their first seasons
under their belt. While it is tough to gauge a player until after around year
three, we can at least get a start on whether they seem to be heading in the
right direction from when they were picked.
The Pittsburgh Steelers draft class had its ups and downs
from the end of the draft to the end of the season. Unlike seasons in the past
couple years, not many of the rookies had large roles during the season.
Pittsburgh seems to have gotten a few good players that will
grow into solid contributors when it is their time in 2018’s draft. The
development of them is key to long-term success.
The Steelers drafted four offensive and three defensive
players with their seven picks. The big question mark was Terrell Edmunds in the first followed
by three straight offensive picks on day two.
Now that the season is over, we can kick off offseason
coverage and my favorite part of that is draft coverage. We are going to
re-grade every pick the Steelers made in 2018.
TERRELL EDMUNDS
2018 STATS: 78
TOTAL TACKLES, ONE SACK, ONE INTERCEPTION, 4 PASSES DEFENSED
I am not afraid to admit where I am wrong and I seem to have
been here. When the Steelers pick Terrell Edmunds I was admittedly furious with
the pick. The Steelers just selected a player no one probably would have looked
at for the first two rounds at 28th overall.
At the time, guys like Darius Leonard, Jessie Bates, Justin Reid, Mike Hughes and Josh Jackson still remained on the
board. I was thrown way off guard by the Edmunds pick and let everyone know it.
In my meet the pick piece I released my
frustration at the head scratching pick.
My plate has been served a healthy helping of crow cooked up
by none other than Edmunds himself. I will gladly eat every bite of it as I
hoped he would serve it to me.
Edmunds showed us why Tomlin and Colbert decided to pick the
kid when they did. He showed great growth over the course of the season and
proved to be a fast learner.
He did display some growing pains but very rarely does a
rookie not look like a rookie at least some of his rookie campaign. These guys
are young and adapting to the highest level of football so it takes time.
Edmunds can be the starter the Steelers need to help anchor
a secondary that is still trying to build up to be a game closing secondary. It
will be a while before we truly know the value of this pick but he got off to a
great start so far.
Re-grade: B+
JAMES WASHINGTON
2018 STATS: 38
TARGETS, 16 CATCHES, 217 YARDS, ONE TOUCHDOWN
With their second pick, the Steelers took another receiver
in James Washington. The pick was made to help replenish their deep threat
receiver after trading Martavis Bryant to Oakland.
Washington was expected to come in and catch deep passes
from Big Ben when necessary. He was a monster for Oklahoma State in college
compiling a career of 4,472 yards on 226 catches for 19.8 yards per catch and
39 touchdowns.
He was exactly the type of receiver Kevin Colbert likes to
find in the draft. It made all the sense in the world after the Bryant trade
and he seemed like a perfect weapon for the offense.
The new deep threat title quickly faded as he hauled in just
eight catches over the first 12 weeks of the season. He drew the ire of fans
after diving for a ball in Denver that he did not need to, even drawing
criticism from Ben after that.
However, Big Ben pulled him aside and assured him he still
has confidence in the rookie and he would continue to go to him. The
reassurance helped leading Washington perform well in the final four games
catching 8 of his 13 targets for 140 yards.
The rookie ended the sour 2018 season on a high note and the
hope is that will carry into 2019. With the Antonio Brown drama brewing hot, he
may have no choice but to step it up a notch.
Re-grade: C+
MASON RUDOLPH
2018 PRESEASON
STATS: 24/44, 54.5% COMPLETIONS, 315 YARDS, 3 TD 1 INT
Rudolph never got a chance to play in 2018 and that is a
good thing. He played in every preseason game in some capacity and, while he
looked exactly like a rookie, showed some promising things for his future.
Rudolph and Washington were teammates in college and the two
enjoyed a lot of success with each other. Rudolph was once considered a top
quarterback in the draft. He was even projected to go in the first round at
points leading up to the draft.
The Steelers showed heavy interest in him pre-draft and he
was indeed available in the first for them. They passed on him twice until the
third round came around and they used the pick acquired from Oakland in the
Bryant trade to take him.
Mason is a big-body quarterback with a strong-arm. He showed
touch in college many times throwing the ball to all his receivers but had the
most chemistry with Washington.
The two are now teammates and could become a big part of the
Steelers future. Learning from Big Ben can only help Rudolph’s game and give
him a chance to be the successor to him once he hang up the cleats.
Re-grade: B
CHUKWUMA OKORAFOR
Okorafor was not a “sexy” pick by any means but a necessary one.
After losing Chris Hubbard in the offseason to free
agency, it was needed to replace that depth.
His size and strength are perfect for the NFL. He had
experience at both tackle spots at Western Michigan and that is something the
Steelers love in their linemen is versatility.
The pick made a lot of sense to me after seeing Marcus Gilbert miss most of 2017 with
injuries and a suspension. It makes all the more sense after seeing him miss
most of this season once again and landing on injured reserve late in the year.
Okorafor was expected to be an emergency lineman outside of
some heavy sets he was packaged into. He was just that for most of the year
until Matt Feiler couldn’t go against
Denver.
Chuks was forced into a starting role in the worst possible
week for a rookie to get his first start. He was tasked with manning the right
tackle spot opposite none other than Von Miller.
He did very well for most of the game against one of this
generation’s most prolific pass rushers. He had help from chipping tight ends
and running backs but he held his own for much of the game. His ability to show
promise over the season and learning from Mike Munchak is huge for Pittsburgh in
deciding the future of Marcus Gilbert.
Re-grade: B-
JAYLEN SAMUELS
2018 STATS: 56
RUSH, 256 YARDS, 0 TD, 26 REC, 199 YARDS, 3 TD
Samuels was a very intriguing pick to me. He was a sort-of
utility man in college playing running back, fullback and tight end. He was
mainly a receiver but he did show good run after the catch.
I believe his ability to make defenders miss as well as
receive the football, coupled with his size, made the Steelers want to convert
him to a running back in the NFL.
He played very sparingly until James Conner went down with an ankle
sprain late in the year. Samuels stepped in and had a rough game against
Oakland.
New England was up next and fans feared the worst once
Conner was again ruled out. Samuels stepped up huge and had his first career
100-yard rushing game at any level of his career.
He was a huge part of why Pittsburgh was able to finally
beat New England. He showed very capable of being a number two back as well as
an asset in the passing game moving forward.
With the team losing Le’Veon Bell in the offseason,
Samuels’ progress is key to figuring out the backfield’s future heading into
2019 and beyond. He and Conner could form a very good thunder and lightning
style backfield duo in the future.
Re-grade: B+
MARCUS ALLEN
Marcus Allen played in just two games this season so it is
hard to gauge how good this pick actually was. He was a pick to help replenish
the safety depth after the Steelers bid farewell to Mike Mitchell and Robert Golden in the offseason.
Allen was not active in his slim play time recording just
one solo and one assisted tackle in his two games of action. Allen is a
promising pick still given his college production tackling wreaking havoc
against his opponents at Penn State.
He may get more time next season if Pittsburgh gets rid of
offseason disappointment Morgan Burnett. Davis, Burnett and Edmunds
manned the defensive backfield all season giving Allen very slim chances of
making an impact.
Re-grade: C
JOSHUA FRAZIER
Frazier was thought to be the replacement for Daniel McCullers. Big Dan had not panned
out the way the Steelers hoped when they drafted him in 2014.
New defensive line coach Karl Dunbar revamped McCullers into
the monster he needed to be. He is a rotational defensive lineman with a huge
frame which is great for run stuffing.
With McCullers having a great camp, Frazier was eventually
waived. He signed with Detroit on their practice squad after the Steelers let
him go.
Frazier is raw and has a long way before he will be in
consistently on the defensive line anywhere he goes. The Steelers were on the
right track picking him but it did not work out in Pittsburgh.
Re-grade: D
The Steelers have a new crop of prospects to sift through
and prepare for the 2019 draft to maximize the time they have left with future
first ballot Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger. With the season over
the offseason is just beginning so keep it locked here at Still Curtain for all
your draft coverage needs.
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