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2019 NFL Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers 7-round mock

By Rucker Haringey

BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 22: Greedy Williams #29 of the LSU Tigers defends during a game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Tiger Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 22: Greedy Williams #29 of the LSU Tigers defends during a game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Tiger Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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TUSCALOOSA, AL – SEPTEMBER 22: Henry Ruggs III #11 celebrates a touchdown with teammate Irv Smith Jr. #82 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Crimson Tide defeated the Aggies 45-23. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL – SEPTEMBER 22: Henry Ruggs III #11 celebrates a touchdown with teammate Irv Smith Jr. #82 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Crimson Tide defeated the Aggies 45-23. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Round 2 – Irv Smith, Jr

The Steelers won’t bat an eye if they head into the 2019 season with Vance McDonald and Jesse James as their two top tight ends, but it should be a position they at least discuss heading into the draft. Adding a dynamic pass catcher like Smith could do a lot to assuage concerns about a potential Antonio Brown trade.

Smith was frequently overshadowed by other players on Alabama’s star-studded offense, but he’s a stud in his own right. He managed to catch an impressive 44 balls for 710 yards and seven touchdowns during his junior season. That comes out to an eye-popping average of 16.1 yards per reception.

Ben Roethlisberger’s desire to throw the ball down the field would be a perfect fit for the sort of routes Smith really likes to run. He thrives when he’s given the ability to work against safeties down the seam. That’s a skill that should translate really well to the pro game. It’s a particularly good fit with the Steelers offense.

If Pittsburgh wants to come away with Smith they can’t afford to wait any longer than the second round to snap him up. It’s not out of the question that he’ll find his way into the late first round as the draft approaches. Smith will make some franchise very happy in April. That team could easily be the Steelers.

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