The Steelers wrapped up with their 2022 Draft and Undrafted Free Agents this weekend with new offensive and defensive players along with a Bethel Park graduate.

The Steelers started off their draft class on Day 1 with a bang in QB Kenny Pickett from the Pittsburgh Panthers at pick 20.

At Pitt, Pickett broke almost every record that Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino had at Pitt, which should tell you he is pretty good at football to break a bunch of records a Hall of Famer held. Pickett also led the Panthers to an 11-2 record along with their first-ever ACC Championship. Which should tell you he is a proven winner.

The Steelers kept on their hot streak on Day 2 by drafting WR George Pickens from the Georgia Bulldogs at pick 22 and DL Demarvin Leal from the Texas A&M Aggies at pick 84.

Pickens is a physical receiver with great hands and has a great shot of becoming the Steelers WR 1 for the coming years.

Leal is a great addition to the defensive line adding depth to a position that was very scarce last season, and he has the opportunity of being the next great Steelers defensive lineman. 

The Steelers then finished with their great draft on Day 3 by drafting WR Calvin Austin III from the Memphis Tigers at pick 138, TE/FB Connor Heyward from the Michigan State Spartans at pick 206, LB Mark Robinson from the Ole Miss Rebels at pick 225, and QB Chris Oladokun from the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. 

Calvin Austin is one of the fastest players in this draft class, and to get him in the 4th round is a great steal for the Steelers, or should I say, “Stealers.”  Austin was even compared by draft analysts to star WR Tyreek Hill.

Connor Heyward, the brother of Steelers DL Cameron Heyward, is going to be used in a very weird role that some Steelers fans may not be used to, but he will be used in a role that Pittsburgh Panthers fans are used to. He will most likely be used in the role FB George Aston had in Matt Canada’s offense.  In this role, Heyward will be an important blocker, short pass catcher, and pitch catcher from the QB.

Mark Robinson will most likely not be an immediate starter for the Steelers, but he will be making plays for them eventually. He is converted from an RB to an LB  in college and he still has some learning to do. But he can be like former Steelers LB Vince Williams who was also a late draft pick who became a key player for the Steelers.

Chris Oladokun is probably not going to be a starter for the Steelers anytime soon since Kenny Pickett was picked in the 1st round this year. But he will be a serviceable dual-threat backup for the Steelers and possibly put in during goalline downs to give the defense a serious rushing threat to worry about at QB along with Najee at RB.

The Steelers had 10 undrafted free agents, but the most notable are OT Jake Dixon from the Duquesne Dukes and RB Mateo Durant from the Duke Blue Devils.

Mateo Durant who was the Duke’s best player last season and the main reason Duke was able to win football games last season. Mateo seems destined to end up as a perfect backup for Najee for years to come. 

Jake Dixon is a Bethel Park alumni who played tight end on the football team for the Black Hawks. Dixon originally went to play DI volleyball at Lewis, but then he transferred to Duquesne for football during his freshman year. There he transitioned from TE to OT. Now he hopes to help the Steelers as an OT for years to come. The Steelers are very short on OL depth so don’t be suprised if you see the Bethel Park graduate lining up on Sundays for the Steelers.

This years Steelers draft and undrafted free agent class seemed to be an overall success for the Steelers. Now it’s time to see how great they can be on the field in September.