The Pittsburgh Steelers have gotten better on the offensive side of the football this season, and unless something goes wrong, they should be a better team on that front than they were a season ago.
While acquiring Michael Pittman Jr. helped improve the group, depth remains a way for the Steelers to get better in. There’s also an obvious need for a better quarterback than what’s currently on the roster, but the hope is that Aaron Rodgers will be on the roster soon enough.
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To help Rodgers, the Steelers definitely need to add as much talent as possible around him.
Luke Easterling of Athlon Sports predicted the Steelers would do just that. He had the Steelers taking Indiana standout Omar Cooper Jr. with the No. 21 overall pick. Cooper was one of the best players in the country last season.
“Depth was a huge issue for the Steelers last year, and even with the acquisition of Michael Pittman Jr. via trade, they should still look to load up on high-end talent at the position.
“Cooper’s well-rounded skill set and physical playing style would be an ideal fit, and his knack for making big plays in clutch moments would be a valuable addition, no matter who ends up under center in Pittsburgh next year or beyond,” he wrote.
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At points throughout last season, Cooper bailed the Indiana offense out. With Fernando Mendoza and Indiana being the best team in the country a year ago, Cooper was a big part of that, as Indiana’s offense was able to throw it up and have a guy downfield.
Pairing him with Pittman and DK Metcalf would give the Steelers a really good room. While adding a WR might come as a surprise to some, the idea makes a lot of sense. Cooper also fis what the Steelers like as a person.
“Think about what they’ve done over the last few years and what Omar Khan has done. They got rid of [Chase] Claypool, [Diontae] Johnson, Pickens, all these guys that are out there and not really helping the culture of the locker room,” said Christopher Carter, per Steelers Nation. “[Khan] brings in Metcalf, who is a, ‘Yes, sir,’ [type of person], and he brings in Pittman, who is also a high character guy. So you have two guys who bring positivity to the locker room.
“So you bring in a first-round guy who can ascend those guys, but he would do that under their tutelage.”