(Pittsburgh, PA) The Pittsburgh Steelers concluded this year’s NFL Draft by selecting 7 players, mostly on defense. Safeties Terrell Edmunds (1st) in the first round and Marcus Allen (5th), WR James Washington (2nd) and QB Mason Rudolph (3rd) from Oklahoma State, OT Chukwuma Okorafor (3rd) RB Jaylen Samuels (5th) and DT Joshua Frazier (7th) heard their names called this weekend.
The Steelers also signed 13 Undrafted Free Agents led by Pitt return specialist Quadree Henderson and Penn State defensive tackle Parker Cothren,
Here are 3 things about the Pittsburgh Steelers draft that stood out to me:
1. Two Safeties? Yep, that’s what the Black and Gold did (despite the fans protest) they had a reason for doing it. Edmunds played Strong, Free and LB at Virginia Tech. Seems to me that he may play some inside LB for the Steelers, while Allen will be at Strong Safety moving Sean Davis to Free Safety. Just my opinion.
2. Is Rudolph Big Ben’s replacement? I can’t stand that question. When did QB Ben Roethlisberger retire? He made the Pro Bowl last year and plans to play 3 more seasons. Rudolph had a stellar career at OSU, passing for 4,901 yards and I also witnessed him carve up Pitt for 497 yards and 5TDs. I’m thinking he could be Landry Jones replacement.
3. What position does Samuels actually Play? He’s listed as a RB, and also a TE, but can play WR. According to his stats, he had 1,000 combined WR and RB yards, which is impressive. I’m thinking Stevan Ridley is the odd man out.
Notes: The Steelers announced that they’ve released S JJ Wilcox.
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