At this point, it feels like when the Pittsburgh Steelers go on the clock with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, they will be choosing between the highest-rated offensive tackle or highest-rated cornerback on the board. This is the angle Pro Football Focus took in its latest one-round mock draft for the Steelers.
In this scenario, PFF has Pittsburgh taking former Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks. The top four offensive tackles are already gone and Banks is the fourth cornerback off the board so for the analytics-forward guys at PFF, this was the right pick. Here’s what they had to say:
Banks continues to quickly rise up draft boards and seems solidly locked into the first 20 picks. He is CB4 based on consensus mock drafts and should set up the position to go over the listed prop number on DraftKings.
In looking at how this played out the one caveat would be not including an edge rusher in the equation. Missing out on Bud Dupree means the team must draft one early. And in this scenario, Nolan Smith, Myles Murphy and Will McDonald IV are all available. Those players would at least be comparable but at a different position.
Let us know in the comments who your pick is in this mock draft.
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