Pittsburgh Steelers full 2018 mock draft
By Conor Dorney
The contract saga of Le’Veon Bell figures to drag into the start of the season, meaning that Kevin Colbert will explore all available options to secure his eventual replacement. This draft class is loaded at running back, and it’s possible that Pittsburgh snatches up a player like NC State’s Nyheim Hines in the fifth round.
Hines is small but is also one of the most explosive running backs in the class, having the ability to take it the distance at any time. Hines would be valuable as the “lightning” back to the thunder that the team currently carries on the depth chart in Bell and James Conner.
Looking to add depth on the interior of the defensive line, the Steelers snag Nyheim Hines’ teammate, Justin Jones, with their final selection in round five.
NC State figures to have nearly all of their defensive line picked up in this draft and Jones shows nice potential as a run-stuffing defensive tackle. He’s more of an in-between player but the Steelers could move him around their defensive front in order to free up rushers on the edge.
*The Steelers currently have no sixth round selection*
Washington’s Will Dissly is a former defensive end who has steadily improved since switching over to the offensive side of the ball, and could hear his name called on day three of the 2018 Draft.
Dissly has great size (6-foot-4 and 262 pounds) and enough athleticism to make a mark as a solid in-line blocker at the next level. The Steelers figure to take a tight end at some point during this draft and Dissly would represent a solid pickup if they opt to address the position in the later rounds.
The Steelers have made a habit of taking athletic edge players late in the draft over the past couple seasons and Florida State’s Matthew Thomas could fit that bill in the final round of 2018.
Next: 2018 NFL Free Agency Tracker
Thomas (6-foot-3 and 233 pounds) didn’t do much production-wise during his Seminoles career but posted some eye-popping numbers at the Combine, including an incredible 6.58 time in the 3-cone drill. Thomas is the type of player you can take a flyer on late and, at the very least, hope he becomes a valuable player on special teams.