It looks like the Steelers should be adding a premier running back in the 2021 NFL draft. They have now met with Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, and Kenneth Gainwell. On Monday North Carolina will have its Pro Day. It would not be surprising if Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, and Matt Canada show up to take a look at Javonte Williams and Michael Carter during their Pro Day.
On March 11th Travis Etienne says the Steelers have had multiple meetings with him. It looks like those meetings were with Matt Canada and Mike Tomlin. Etienne says he would love to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers and would be a great fit in Matt Canada's offense. Obviously, the Steelers are showing some heavy interest in Etienne and the same can be said in regards to Travis as well.
The Steelers have met with Najee Harris multiple times. They did look at him early at the Senior Bowl and gave him plenty of attention. Unfortunately, the Dolphins seem to have the same amount of interest and they draft ahead of the Steelers at pick 18. If the Dolphins or Jets decide to pass on Najee Harris and he falls to the No. 24 pick for the Steelers it would be a no-brainer to select him. In my opinion, he would be the best running back on the board if no one drafts a running back leading up to the Steelers No. 24 pick.
Javonte Williams is the youngest running back in the 2021 NFL draft after he decided to enter his junior year instead of finishing his senior year at North Carolina. I really didn't see Williams's full capability at UNC because he split carries with Michael Carter, but he still managed to put up massive numbers in his junior year. In fact, Javonte averaged 7.3 yards per carry in 2020. He really is starting to gain a lot more attention in the NFL draft as Najee was seen being the best running back. Now draft analysts are starting to view Javonte as being better, but that always happens around this time of year. Many draft analysts always go back and forth before going into the draft.
The bottom line is the Steelers are having multiple meetings with running backs before going into the 2021 NFL draft. Will they pull the trigger on one in the first round? They may have to because now Javonte Williams is starting to be viewed as a first-round running back according to many draft analysts. If the Steelers do not take one in the first round they will have to wait until pick 55 in the second round to even consider picking one. There could be a chance Javonte Williams, Najee Harris, and Travis Etienne could be gone by the time they select in the second round. Who the Steelers view as the most complete back will be determined during their homework being done during their pre-draft process.
It would not be surprising if the Steelers opted to take the youngest running back in the NFL draft. Javonte Williams has less tread than Najee Harris and Travis Etienne. I feel like both Najee Harris and Travis Etienne are the most complete backs in the draft though. Najee is a powerful running back who can catch out of the backfield and bring the physical running game back to Pittsburgh. Travis Etienne is not as powerful but seems more polished than both running backs at catching the ball out of the backfield. At the end of the day, the Steelers will need to decide who has everything they want before going into the 2021 NFL draft.
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