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Pro Football Focus recently released their three-round mock draft in the AFC North and for the Steelers they had them selecting Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little at 24th overall in the first round, North Carolina running back Javonte Williams at 55th overall in the second round and Kentucky inside linebacker Jamin Davis at 87th overall in the third round.
The Steelers have a lot of holes on their roster heading into the draft and Little, Williams and Davis would certainly address areas that they're lacking. Little hasn't been linked to the Steelers in other mock drafts like Oklahoma State offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, but this is a deep tackle draft, so there are a number of solid options. It would be surprising to see the Steelers get Williams at 55th overall, as he'll likely be gone by then. They'll have to select Williams in the first round or trade up in the second round most likely to get the North Carolina running back.
Davis in the third round would be a really good value pick. He was just a one-year starter at Kentucky, so that's why he'll be a third-round pick, but he has a ton of upside. He's a sideline-to-sideline linebacker and has great size and athleticism. Davis next to Devin Bush at would give the Steelers a solid duo at inside linebacker.
Below are the three excerpts from PFF explaining their selections of Little, Williams and Davis for the Steelers in their three-round mock draft.
"If the Steelers aren’t going to take a quarterback — and Pick 24 would be a weird spot to do that — then let’s protect Big Ben. He refused to hold on to the ball for any length of time in 2020, presumably because he didn’t want his injury-riddled body to take any hits. Pittsburgh is losing mainstay Alejandro Villanueva and his 77.1 pass-blocking grade at left tackle, so the team must replace him immediately or Ben will continue to throw the ball short and quick, leaving the offense devoid of big plays. Insert Walker Little, Dillon Radunz, Christian Darrisaw or any other large human being. Little hasn’t played in a few years, but he has all the tools to be an elite tackle in the NFL."
"If the passing offense continues to be lackluster and short, the Steelers are will need a home-run hitting running back so that they can at least create explosive plays on the ground. Pittsburgh finished 31st in explosive run play percentage in the regular season. Javonte Williams' 4.59 yards after contact in 2020 is over a yard better than the Steelers' overall yards per carry mark last season. The Steelers will try to run him into the ground, and he will keep on breaking tackles and gaining extra yards. Clemson's Travis Etienne could work here, as well."
"Pittsburgh also needs someone to play next to Devin Bush. Davis has been rocketing up draft boards the past couple of weeks because he is a freakish athlete who, while he needs to play a little better within himself, possesses great potential. His length is exciting for NFL teams, particularly with his ability to close open windows in the passing game and to match up body-wise with the new breed of NFL tight ends. He comes out of the box as a run stopper and has the traits to become a great coverage linebacker."
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