Steelers first-rounder T.J. Watt didn't mince words when describing Pittsburgh's defensive standard to Steelers.com. "Bad ass football," Watt said. "I think of guys flying around, making hits, playing with swag. I think that's what I embody. I think that's what football is and that's what makes football so fun."
Along with the Steelers, RB James Conner also anticipated the Philadelphia Eagles were interested in drafting him somewhere in the mid-rounds. The Eagles were shopping for running backs, with the Vikings considering them a threat to draft Dalvin Cook in the second round. Conner knew he might be a Day 3 pick, but the Eagles (who took cornerback Rasul Douglas No. 99 overall) and Steelers gave him hope he might land in the third. The Steelers drafted Conner with the 105th overall pick.
JuJu Smith-Schuster doesn't scare one coordinator "at all," but his compete level will keep him in the mix in the Steel City.
As Steelers linebacker James Harrison turns 39 today, here's a look at how the star can continue to fend off Father Time for a few more seasons.
Post draft, Steelers remain at 12/1 odds to win Super Bowl 52, according to Westgate Las Vegas Superbook. That trails the Green Bay Packers (10/1), Dallas Cowboys (8/1) and New England Patriots (3/1). The draft typically doesn't sway odds too much, barring big-time rookie quarterbacks helping bad teams.
Steelers land three players in the top 25 in player sales, according to an NFLPA release this week. Antonio Brown is No. 11 overall, followed by Ben Roethlisberger at No. 22 and Le'Veon Bell at No. 24. Pittsburgh is one of four NFL teams - along with the Raiders, Cowboys and Packers - with three in the top 25. The Cowboys lead with five (including Tony Romo).
The Pittsburgh Steelers are putting aside their football rivalry in an effort to lend support to ex-Raven Todd Heap after his young daughter's death last month.
At a dinner in March, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin hit it off with Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Watt, who wound up being the team's first-round pick.
Ben Roethlisberger gave James Conner a few pointers about how to get open during a workout before the Steelers drafted the Pitt running back.
Injuries limited Ladarius Green to six games with the Steelers last season, but he was participating with the team on Tuesday.
Good sign: TE Ladarius Green is participating in Steelers' Phase 2 of voluntary offseason workouts/ Green missed the last five games of the season with a concussion. (Photo via @Steelers)
Pittsburgh secured an ideal eventual replacement for Ben Roethlisberger by drafting Josh Dobbs during the fourth round.
More Steelers roster cuts: Running backs Brandon Brown-Dukes and Gus Johnson, wide receiver Canaan Severin and cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz. The Steelers were expected to trim the cornerback depth chart after drafting Tennessee's Cameron Sutton and Brian Allen.
The retired QB has started sports academies and is pushing his brand V7
Wide receiver Martavis Bryant was not on the field for Steelers' Phase 2 of offseason workouts Monday. Bryant, who's under conditional reinstatement by the NFL, has steps to take before rejoining teammates for practices, including securing a local counselor. He's hopeful for minicamp or sooner. Off-season workouts are voluntary. Organized Team Activities begin May 23.
One potential late-round tight end target the Steelers missed out on was Clemson's Jordan Leggett (5th round, Jets). The team had dinner with Leggett around the time of Clemson's pro day. The Steelers were selecting in the late fifth round, 173rd overall, while Leggett went 150th. The team took Utah cornerback Brian Allen.
Joshua Dobbs was selected with the same number pick as Dak Prescott in 2016. The two shared similar successes in the SEC.
The wide receiver grouping in Pittsburgh is getting almost crowded enough to make Ben Roethlisberger forget he doesn't have a tight end.
The Steelers released quarterback Zach Mettenberger after selecting signal-caller Josh Dobbs in the fourth round of the 2017 draft.
Steelers release QB Zach Mettenberger. Drafting Tennessee's Josh Dobbs in the fourth round made this an easy call. The former LSU star and part-time starter for the Tennessee Titans did not play in a game during his one year with Pittsburgh.
While the Steelers were intrigued by Reuben Foster's skill set, T.J. Watt seems to have been the safer pick.
Getting carved up by Tom Brady in the playoffs reinforced how important it is to have quality pass coverage, and the Steelers responded in the draft.
Easy to see where the NFL is going based on this year's draft - 30 of the top-100 picks were corners (17) or receivers (13). The Steelers followed this model with WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and CB Cameron Sutton among their first three picks. They want more press-man corners and more reliable red-zone targets.
ESPN Insider's NFL draft experts recap the 2017 draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers, including Mel Kiper's draft grades, Todd McShay's favorite pick and more.
ESPN's Mel Kiper gave the Steelers draft a B+ grade. He ranked Houston's Tyus Bowser slightly higher than the Steelers' first-round pick, pass rusher T.J. Watt, and he thought running back James Conner was a bit of a reach in the third, but mostly Pittsburgh got great value in their draft.
| RD(PK) | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1(30) | T.J. Watt | OLB | Wisconsin |
| 2(30) | JuJu Smith-Schuster | WR | USC |
| 3(30) | Cam Sutton | CB | Tennessee |
| 3(41) | James Conner | RB | Pittsburgh |
| 4(29) | Joshua Dobbs | QB | Tennessee |
| 5(30) | Brian Allen | CB | Utah |
| 6(30) | Colin Holba | LS | Louisville |
| 7(30) | Keion Adams | DE | Western Michigan |
| TEAM | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 399 | 327 |
| Baltimore | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 343 | 321 |
| Cincinnati | 6 | 9 | 1 | .406 | 325 | 315 |
| Cleveland | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 264 | 452 |
| NAME | POS | TYPE | PREV. TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. Abdul-Quddus | S | UFA | DET |
| S. Acho | LB | UFA | CHI |
| J. Adams | OT | UFA | HOU |
| J. Addae | S | RFA | SD |
| D. Aiken | LS | UFA | NYG |
