The Steelers Should Absolutely Go All In With A Pair Of Pitt Panther No. 8's To Fill A Big Hole During The 2023 NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers brought in Andy Weidl from the Philadelphia Eagles to work with Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin in the front office. Weidl is credited as the architect of the Eagles’ draft strategy that has produced one of the deepest rosters in the NFL. He built the team from the trenches out and it has paid off with the Eagles’ second Super Bowl appearance in five years.

The Steelers currently possess picks 17, 32, 49 and 80 in the first three rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft. The Steelers pick a little late to get the very best prospects on the offensive and defensive lines, but that may be a blessing in disguise. The Steelers could turn to another Pitt Panthers star in this year’s draft to fill a significant hole on defense and tap Calijah Kancey who should be available when they kick off the second round of the draft.

Last season, Pittsburgh looked to excise their demons by drafting Kenny Pickett to replace Ben Roethlisberger. They famously passed on Dan Marino when they had the chance to pick him to replace Terry Bradshaw. The Steelers didn’t actually pass on Aaron Donald, he was selected two picks ahead of their 2014 Ryan Shazier selection, but the undersized Donald and Kancey are remarkably similar physically. 

Pickett and Kancey both coincidentally wore number 8 while they played for the Pitt Panthers, so maybe it is fate that they are destined to remain teammates in the NFL. 

Kancey is a junior who entered the NFL Draft after three years on the Pitt defensive line. He was First Team All-ACC in his sophomore year and his junior year saw him win the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Kancey also earned a place as a consensus All-American in 2022 and Panthers coach, Pat Narduzzi, compared him to Donald who left Pitt just before he took the job in 2015.

Pittsburgh has the highest-paid defense in the NFL, but the defensive line in particular is a troubled unit. Cam Heyward is one of the best interior linemen in the NFL, but he will be 34 next season. The next best lineman is Larry Ogunjobi who the Steelers should bring back as a free agent, but he will be 29 next season. The rest of the unit is a patchwork of mostly old free agents and late-round draft picks who have not panned out.

Rookie DeMarvin Leal demonstrated that he will be a part of the Steelers’ solution long-term on the defensive line and pairing him with Kancey could give the black and gold a pair of young run-stopping bullies. The two young defensive ends could benefit greatly from one on one matchups with guards, while TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith occupy both tackles, tight ends, running backs, and the hot dog vendor if the opposing coaches think it will distract Pittsburgh’s dynamic duo on the outside.

Pittsburgh Steelers Should Prioritize This Pending Free Agent To Bolster Defense

If Ogunjobi signs a team-friendly deal and returns to the fold for the Steelers, the rotation at defensive end could be incredible. Heyward and Ogunjobi could benefit greatly from the rest and competition that Leal and Kancey could provide. The Eagles generated 68 sacks with a seemingly endless parade of fresh bodies rushing the passer and with Watt and Highsmith on the outside, Pittsburgh’s pass rush could be even better than Philadelphia in 2023.

At 22 and 21 years of age, Leal and Kancey don’t have to take over immediately and the presence of Heyward and Ogunjobi would mean they don’t have to. The two young defensive ends who are significantly better run stoppers than pass rushers at this point in their careers would give both older players important rest throughout the regular season. Heyward in particular could become even more effective if he only had to give 110% on 75% of his current workload.

If the Steelers decide not to spend money on Ogunjobi, a rotation of Leal and Kancey opposite Heyward could produce a viable platoon at the other defensive end in 2023. The Steelers could spend a later pick on South Carolina defensive lineman, Zacch Pickens to complete the rotation, but would likely have to endure some growing pains with two rookie defensive linemen playing meaningful snaps next season.

Nobody knows exactly how Khan and Tomlin are going to approach this off-season and it remains to be seen how much input Weidl will actually have on the black and gold. He may be a genius at setting the draft board, but if they ignore his recommendations, it won’t matter how good he is at evaluating talent. It is hard to believe they brought him in to ignore him, but they did keep Matt Canada, so anything is possible.

Pickett was not and will not be Marino, but the Steelers didn’t draft him to become the former Miami Dolphins legend. Kancey isn’t going to be Aaron Donald, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be a highly productive player for the Steelers. The point is not to draft Pitt Panthers, but the best football player available to fill a significant need. A pair of eights that could turn into aces seems like a good start for the Steelers in 2023.