Who Will Be The Steelers First Selection In The NFL Draft?

PITTSBURGH, PA - For the first time in more than half a century, the Steelers don't have a first-round pick in the NFL draft. They traded the pick, which turned out to be the 18th selection in the 2020 draft, to acquire All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Miami Dolphins.

So while fans don't have the suspense of wondering who the team might take in the first round, there has been abundant speculation on who they might choose with their initial pick, the 49th overall, in the second round Friday.

Nearly all pro football prognosticators have the Steelers attempting to bolster what was a lousy offense in 2019. Although the consensus wasn't unanimous, the overwhelming favorite to be the Steelers first selection in draft is Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor.

Here are various predictions of who the Steelers will take:

• Austin Andersen, Sporting News: Taylor

"Taylor checks so many boxes that he might not last all the way to No. 49, but if he does, then the Steelers would be happy to pair him with James Conner in the backfield. Conner battled injuries last season and is heading into the final year of his contract. Bringing Taylor to Pittsburgh makes a lot of sense."

• Neal Driscoll, Pro Football Network: Taylor

"James Conner has just been decent, and the Steelers have made it no secret they plan to upgrade the runningback position before the 2020 season. Jonathan Taylor needs to work on
his fumble-itis, but he has rare speed and insane production."

• Jacob Klinger, PennLive: Jalen Reagor, wide receiver, TCU

"His relative lack of production (TCU wasn’t very good) in his final year with the Horned Frogs is what will allow him to slide this far to the Steelers. And once there, he’s more than poised to plug into multiple receiver positions in an offense that badly needs his game-breaking ability."

• Tommy Jaggi, Still Curtain: Taylor

"Though he’s not without his flaws, Taylor has some prototype traits for the running back position. At 5’10” and 226 pounds, Taylor possesses an ideal build to carry the load. He also can hit pay-dirt with his 4.39 speed."

• Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: Taylor

"It's hard to imagine (Taylor) lasting this long but if (he does), the Steelers have an easy choice; get Big Ben some help in the backfield in case James Conner can't stay healthy."

• WalterFootball: Jalen Hurts, quarterback, Oklahoma

"Mason Rudolph was so bad that he was benched. The Steelers will be looking for a new successor for Ben Roethlisberger."

• Nate Bouda, NFL Trade Rumors: Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver, USC

"At 6'4", Pittman's a massive downfield threat the offers something different from Pittsburgh's other receivers."