The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a weird spot entering the NFL draft. They have a good all-around roster but have some huge roles at significant positions.
One such hole is at quarterback, where they currently have Mason Rudolph as the starter. While the team will likely sign Aaron Rodgers at some point, the team could also benefit greatly from adding a young option at the position.
The team also has a need at running back after losing Najee Harris in free agency to the Los Angeles Chargers. They have Jaylen Warren, but he is better suited as a complementary back than a three-down back.
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That makes their ideal draft scenario to take running back Omarion Hampton with pick No. 21 and quarterback Kyle McCord with pick No. 83, according to NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter, make a lot of sense.
The Steelers mainly struggled on offense last season with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback, so the team could use a youth and talent injection into the unit.
That could start at quarterback, but with a worthwhile value at the position unlikely to be there at 21, starting with the mostly consensus second-best running back in the draft class is the ideal option.
Hampton is a physically and athletically gifted running back out of North Carolina who looks the part of an elite back. At six feet tall and 220 pounds, he has an ideal combination of size and quickness that a typical three-down back has.
Even if Hampton doesn’t quite have the versatility the team is hoping he does, he certainly has the size to be a power back and complement Warren well out of the backfield.
McCord was a highly productive quarterback prospect at Syracuse last season after transferring from Ohio State. McCord was overshadowed by C.J. Stroud as an underclassman, but thrived in the ACC, breaking the conference’s total yards in a season record with 4,779 yards.
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Both players fit the needs of the team and are valued around where the Steelers have picks, making them solid picks and even potential values. While Hampton would start right away, it would be interesting to see how involved McCord would be as a rookie, especially if Aaron Rodgers is on the roster as the starting quarterback.
With the typical volatility of both running back and quarterback leading up to the NFL draft, it will be interesting to keep an eye on both players’ draft stock going forward, as each could look dramatically different come late April.
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