With just two weeks remaining before the start of the NFL Draft, we're starting to see some of the national prognosticators solidify their boards. Players are moving up or down based on final analysis or based on some of the scuttlebutt they're hearing.
Some of that is based on medical issues. For example, Arizona State's Brandon Aiyuk had surgery recently to repair a core muscle injury. He'd obviously been dealing with that for some time.
Will teams hold that against Aiyuk, a top-10 receiver in this class? We'll see.
One thing we haven't gotten a lot of this year -- because most people around the country are shut in -- are the smoke screens we're usually getting by now. There doesn't seem to be a lot of information -- or misinformation -- floating about.
This draft seems to be all about the analysis. I've dug into this draft more so than any in my 28 years of covering the league. Instead of relying on the analysis of others -- as you typically do, especially with later-round guys -- I've taken the time to look at more than 300 players in this draft because I've had more time to do so.
Thanks, coronavirus.
But it's led me down a path with which I'm pretty happy. There are about 8-10 receivers in this draft I would take ahead of any of the top running backs. In this draft, one of them falls to the Steelers' top pick. Therefore, I was more than happy to take one of those guys here in Michael Pittman, as I believe the Steelers would be.
Making matters even better, one of the top five running backs also wound up being available. As I watched players go off the board in the mock draft simulation I was running, I would have considered trading a pick in 2021 to move up 10 or so spots to make sure I got Cam Akers. As it turned out, I didn't have to move up. He was still there at pick 102.
So, without further ado, here is my latest mock draft now two weeks out from the 2020 NFL Draft.
Round 2, pick 49 -- Michael Pittman, WR, USC (previous pick, J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State): At 6-foot-4, 223 pounds, Pittman is similar in size to Plaxico Burress. And with his 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, Pittman is faster than Burress, who ran a 4.59 40 when he came out in 2000 and was Kevin Colbert's first first-round pick with the Steelers. The only difference is that Burress was a top-10 pick and the Steelers are getting Pittman at 49. That's how deep this draft is with receivers. Pittman also catches the ball better than Burress, who was more of a body-catcher. Pittman has natural hands. He caught 101 passes last season at USC. As a bonus, Pittman was an outstanding special teams player, earning All-Pac-12 honors early in his career and finishing with 17 career tackles, three blocked kicks and a punt-return touchdown. Oh, and his father, Michael Sr., had a decade-long career as a running back in the NFL. And we know how the Steelers love players with an NFL background. Pittman, who played with JuJu Smith-Schuster as a freshman at USC, screams Steelers draft pick, which is why I passed on J.K. Dobbins, my top-ranked running back, and Jonathan Taylor, to take him, hoping that with three of my top five backs still on the board, one might be available with the next pick. The Steelers had good luck taking Smith-Schuster in the second round in 2017. They go that route again with another USC pass-catcher.
Round 3, pick 102 -- Cam Akers, RB, Florida State (previous pick, Alex Taylor, OT, South Carolina State): As the mock got closer to 102, I would have been tempted to trade a 2021 pick to move up and get Akers, my fifth-rated running back in this class. He's got everything you want in a feature back, he just happened to run behind a terrible Florida State offensive line. Honestly, this was even easier than taking Pittman at 49. Akers was easily the best player still on my board. If the Steelers come out of the draft in two weeks with Pittman and Akers on their roster, they'll be ecstatic.
Round 4, pick 124 -- Keith Ismael, G-C, San Diego State (previous pick, Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas): I've got to say that Ismael has been on my radar for quite some time. But he seems to be rising up the rankings for prognosticators. There's good reason for that. He's tough. He's strong and athletic. And he has experience at both guard and center. And he will be a future starter at one of those spots. The Steelers need another player with center experience on their roster. Ismael would be a good addition in the middle rounds as a depth piece this year and a starter down the road.
Round 4, pick 135 -- Davon Hamilton, DT, Ohio State (previous pick, Willie Gay, LB. Mississippi State): Hamilton isn't a true nose tackle, but I'm not sure the Steelers will be looking for a classic nose. Much like Javon Hargrave, they could be looking for a player capable of holding that spot down whose more impressive traits include being able to rush the passer. At 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, Hamilton has the size to hold the point. But he also had six sacks last season in his only season as a starter for the Buckeyes. He's an ascending player who would fit nicely into what the Steelers are building on their defensive line.
Round 6, pick 198 -- Willie Gay, LB, Mississippi State (previous pick, K'von Wallace, S, Clemson) -- Gay was my pick in the fourth round in my last draft, but I didn't feel great about it. Watching him on tape, you see a player with talent but a complete lack of refinement and instincts. But wow, does he make a ton of sense in the sixth round. In fact, he's a steal here. He'll be a depth piece right away -- and special teams demon -- spending a year learning behind Vince Williams. This is the kind of athlete you take a chance on in later rounds.
Round 7, pick 232 -- Derek Tuszka, OLB, North Dakota State (Bravvion Roy, NT, Baylor): Tuszka will be making a big jump up in competition, but he can certainly help right away as a situational pass rusher. He had 29.5 career sacks at North Dakota State, including 13.5 in 2019 to go along with 19 tackles for a loss. That's how a player should dominate lesser competition. His arms are shorter than ideal (31 3/8 inches), which could limit him against tackles with good reach, but he's got a good motor to -- at worst -- be a solid backup edge rusher.
