The Pittsburgh Steelers’ path through the early part of this year’s NFL Draft seems pretty obvious with less than a week until the big event.
They have major offensive line needs that they are expected to address early before moving on to addressing some of the other spots that could use reinforcements.
PFF’s Steve Palazzolo thinks there is a possible situation where the Steelers should go in a very different direction.
During an April 18 appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Palozzolo said that he would “sprint to the podium” if Brock Bowers was available for the Steelers.
“You make it work with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. You just make it work. And I think the tight end name and label is similar to what Buffalo did with Dalton Kincaid. They said, ‘Hey he’s our slot receiver’. They fed him the ball. Bowers is a better prospect than Kincaid, and he is an absolute weapon and playmaker. I would sprint to the podium to make that move anywhere 15 or later in this draft.”
One of the Best Tight End Prospects Ever
Bowers heads into this year’s draft as one of the best prospects the NFL has ever seen at the tight end position.
He was absurdly good right from the start of his college career.
As a freshman, Bowers led all Bulldogs in catches, yards, and touchdowns with 56 catches for 882 yards and 13 TDs.
He did that on a Georgia team that won the national championship and featured Ladd McConkey, Adonai Mitchell, and Jermaine Burton as their other pass catchers.
Bowers was even better as a sophomore. In 2022, he made 63 catches for 942 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also added 9 carries for 109 yards and 3 rushing TDs.
His junior season was hindered a bit by injury. He missed a couple of games after having ankle surgery. He was still able to make 56 catches for 714 yards and 6 touchdowns in 10 games.
After declaring for the draft, Bowers didn’t participate in the NFL Combine because of an injury. However, he did run the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds at his Pro Day.
At 6’4″ and 243 pounds, that gives Bowers a combination of size and speed that is going to make him a nightmare for opposing defenses whether they choose to cover him with a linebacker, safety, or corner.
Right now, the expectation is that the Jets are going to take him with the 10th pick in the draft. It has become a popular selection in mock drafts and he is the favorite to be picked 10th at +150, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
However, he could give the Steelers a very interesting choice to make if the Jets don’t take him and he ends up sliding to pick 20.
Why it Could Work for the Steelers
There are some obvious issues that would come with making this pick.
The biggest is that the team has actual needs that they’d be ignoring if they took Bowers in the first round.
They don’t have a center and they need an upgrade at offensive tackle.
While ignoring those in round one wouldn’t be ideal, the Steelers could address another need with Bowers.
They don’t have a dependable second pass catcher.
George Pickens is their only receiver that had more than 250 yards in 2023.
The team’s second best pass catcher right now is tight end Pat Freiermuth, who only had 308 yards last season.
Bowers would be an upgrade over Freiermuth at a position that could become a lot more important in the Steelers’ new offense. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith likes to throw to his tight ends.
He also likes to run the ball and probably wouldn’t mind running out of two-tight end sets with Bowers and Freiermuth in 2024.
Bowers would also provide the Steelers with something they won’t be able to get at wide receiver. Bowers is an elite prospect. All of the elite prospects at receiver will be gone way before the Steelers pick.
It is very unlikely that Bowers will make it to 20 as the Jets aren’t the only team picking in front of the Steelers interested in the tight end, but Pittsburgh will have to seriously consider taking him if he’s somehow available when they make their first round pick.
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