If Denver did not agree to our trade, who do you think we would have taken at #20?

[RuthlessBurgher]

The Broncos said that if they didn't move down from #10 to #20, they would have taken Bush at #10 themselves, which means that the rest of the picks from 11-19 likely would have happened the same way if our trade never happened.

So looking at who was ultimately available at #20, where do you think we would have gone instead (due to the drop-off at ILB after the two Devins, we'd have to address a different position in the first instead).

Do you think we would have drafted an edge rusher like Montez Sweat? A corner like Byron Murphy or Rock Ya-Sin? A safety like Darnell Savage or Johnathan Abram? The guy who actually was selected at #20 in tight end Noah Fant? Any other options?

[flippy]

I woulda went with Sweat in a heartbeat. I never woulda expected him to be there and I thought he might be one of the guys worth trading up to get.

However, the Steelers might not have liked him getting booted from MSU and he might not even be on their board.

Fant would have been the 2nd best choice imho. But I think we woulda reached for a corner again. We woulda had our pick of the litter, but I have this feeling we would liked someone unusual. Or we woulda picked Johnson since we had a 1st round grade on him.

[Iron City Inc.]

Sweat would have been a nice consolation prize. I didn't think he would slip as far as he did. Skins got excellent value with him.

[Buzz]

I had us taking Sweat in my mock at #1-20.

[Steel Maniac]

Tough call; Sweat would have been the safe pick but after last year’s reach in the first round , I think they’d have taken a whoever was their highest rated cornerback.

[hawaiiansteel]

Tough call; Sweat would have been the safe pick but after last year’s reach in the first round , I think they’d have taken a whoever was their highest rated cornerback.

I agree, either Byron Murphy or Rock Ya-Sin or possibly S Darnell Savage.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I truly don't know. The Steelers seem to set up their board with different criteria than any of the "experts" and in a way that even those with great insight into the FO don't get. The most recent example was the first round selection of Edmunds last year. Who had that name on their list?

We've been saying it on this board for years now (the first time I remember the discussion was during the 2016 draft) that the team wants to meet with these guys and values character above all else. I have no idea who they ranked as the high character guy who they would have selected between guys like Murphy, Ya-Sin, Sweat, Fant etc. The one thing I do know is that fans, who just know these guys from watching games and reading up on them pre-draft, have no idea where the team's mindset is at.

Funny side note, most opinions are based on the mocks of the top analysts. Then, when a pick goes away from the norm - either chosen much earlier or later than they said a player should be, we determine that it was either a horrible reach or a steal. Why? Because none of the guys who make lists said that pick should have been made there. So, now the Raiders pick a guy at 4 who none of the experts had within the top 15. What an awful pick, right? But, who made the pick? A guy who just last season was considered the number one expert college/draft guru. Had Mayock still been in studio instead of making the pick, I'll bet half of the mocks you saw would have had Ferrell at 4 and nobody would have batted an eyelash when the pick was made.

[fordfixer]

Probably a Kicker

[RuthlessBurgher]

The reaction of this board when rumors surfaced regarding out interest in guys like Darnell Savage and Rock Ya-Sin was interesting.

Many folks freaked out thinking that Colbert and Tomlin might possibly make a "extreme reach" for someone like Savage or Ya-Sin at #20.

Well, it turns out that Savage was the first safety off the board, ahead of more heralded names such as Abram, Rapp, Adderley, etc. Green Bay actually traded up to get him at #21.

And then Ya-Sin was taken by the Colts (who absolutely owned the draft last year with Quenton Nelson, Darius Leonard, Braden Smith, etc.) only one spot after board favorite Byron Murphy, and a full dozen spots before the much more heralded Greedy Williams.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Two weeks later, there are questions that may never be answered regarding the Steelers’ 2019 NFL Draft

With two weeks to let the Steelers’ 2019 draft sink in, one BTSC writer wonders to what extent circumstances were altered due to the decisions of other teams and what the FO was actually hoping would happen.

By Bryan Anthony Davis
May 9, 2019, 9:21am EDT

With minicamps starting and second-guessing having gone on for two weeks after the 2019 NFL Draft, some questions will start being answered about the validity of the Steelers’ decisions. But some queries regarding the events surrounding each selection will never be satisfied. Here is a look at some of them.

Had the Seahawks not traded up and selected D. K. Metcalf two picks earlier, would the Steelers have still selected Diontae Johnson over him?

While that would have been the fan’s choice, the WR Toledo seemed to fit the identity of Darryl Drake’s stable of wideouts. It would have been tempting, but I’m thinking Johnson would have still gotten the nod over the shirtless wonder from Ole Miss.

Was Zach Gentry’s selection a knee jerk reaction to the Raiders trading up to get TE Foster Moreau ?

The Steelers seemed to covet the TE from LSU as a ready-now player. The Raiders seemed to also, hence trading up to nab him. I’m deducing that Gentry was next on Pittsburgh’s big board and the combination off enormous size and position need triggered the pick. It’s my assertion that any player picked at that position would have been nothing but a TE.

Did the Steeler Front Office have interest in Chase Winovich or was the outcry for him purely fan or media manufactured?

The big plans for living on the edge with Ola Adenyi have not wavered. The golden-haired Wolverine, while still a possible priority for the Steelers, was bigger for the fans. The wideout position loomed larger on the big board, much more than rush OLB. Had Chase still been there at their next pick, it would have been a tossup between Winovich and Justin Layne.

With Cincinnati reportedly set to select Devin Bush at No. 11, did Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin enjoy the experience more knowing that they traded up and snatched the linebacker right out from under them?

They will never admit that rivalries and emotions don’t play a factor in their decision on who they select. But I think the selection of Bush (a player that the Bengals reportedly coveted along with other teams) was sweeter knowing that they will wrest them away from Cincy.

Who would have been the selection at 20, had the deal never come into fruition?

My thought is that CB Rock Ya Sin or TE Noah Fant would have gone with the 20th pick at the original draft position. While the rest of the draft would have looked much different from what we know.

Once again, these questions will never be answered and my speculation could be way off base. But the most important answers will be provided by the newly-minted players in the upcoming weeks, months and years.

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2019/5/9/18522940/two-weeks-later-there-are-questions-that-may-never-be-answered-regarding-the-steelers-2019-nfl-draft

[Oviedo]

I think they would have taken the guy taken at #20--Noah Fant

If not him them likely Sweat or Savage

[Iron City Inc.]

Many seem to believe we stole Bush from the Bengals with the trade up. To me Denver very likely takes Bush at 10 anyway so the Bengals likely knew whey had to jump up if they wanted to get Bush n that he would not be there for them at 11.

[Shawn]

The reaction of this board when rumors surfaced regarding out interest in guys like Darnell Savage and Rock Ya-Sin was interesting.

Many folks freaked out thinking that Colbert and Tomlin might possibly make a "extreme reach" for someone like Savage or Ya-Sin at #20.

Well, it turns out that Savage was the first safety off the board, ahead of more heralded names such as Abram, Rapp, Adderley, etc. Green Bay actually traded up to get him at #21.

And then Ya-Sin was taken by the Colts (who absolutely owned the draft last year with Quenton Nelson, Darius Leonard, Braden Smith, etc.) only one spot after board favorite Byron Murphy, and a full dozen spots before the much more heralded Greedy Williams.

Savage is savage. I honestly couldn’t find much wrong with his game. I believe he has a perennial pro bowler ceiling.

[Shawn]

Many seem to believe we stole Bush from the Bengals with the trade up. To me Denver very likely takes Bush at 10 anyway so the Bengals likely knew whey had to jump up if they wanted to get Bush n that he would not be there for them at 11.

nothing like killing two birds with one stone. Taking a talent like Bush, and stealing him from a division rival is a sweet sweet thing.

[Steel Maniac]

nothing like killing two birds with one stone. Taking a talent like Bush, and stealing him from a division rival is a sweet sweet thing.

Yes!! After the way they took Willie Jackson from us a few years ago, it felt nice sticking it to the Bengals. And fill our biggest need too.