As the NFL Draft approaches, one of the top questions in the draft is who will be the first running back off the board? Will it be Alabama’s Najee Harris? Will it be Clemson’s Travis Etienne?
A team in desperate need of a running back is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last year, the Steelers ranked last in the league in rushing yards and yards per carry. Over the weekend, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette released a story saying the Steelers are likely to address its running back situation in the first or second round.
Will Harris or Etienne be available for the Steelers? They could be.
Most see Harris as the first running back coming off the board in the second part of the first round or early in the second. Etienne is listed right where the Steelers are picking at No. 24 through the early second. Neither of the two will be available to the Steelers in the late second round when they pick at No. 55 overall.
“To me, to go running back in the first round is such a big leap,” Peter Schrager said on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Monday. “You really need to love the player. Najee Harris and Travis Etienne are both fantastic, but the Steelers are not like a running back away. So, like we have learned over the years you can get a running back in the second round. One of the kids from North Carolina or you can get any of these other running backs in the third, fourth or fifth.
“Unless you feel Etienne and Harris are those guys, I would like to think the Steelers are not that pick away from rebuilding their offense and their running game.”
Schrager’s colleague on Good Morning Football, Kyle Brandt, does not agree. He thinks the Steelers need to get a running back because they are a running back away from winning a Super Bowl and players like Harris and Etienne potentially could be the final piece of the puzzle they need.
“This is probably the last rodeo for Ben Roethlisberger. They can win the Super Bowl this year. They can,” Brandt said. “With that defense and that offense, which is why if you have someone really tasty, like Najee or Travis Etienne, I would do it. I would. Because I do think they can put them over the top.”
The question will be answered on April 29th when the 2021 NFL Draft Kicks off in Cleveland. Who goes first? And will the Steelers pull the trigger if Harris or Etienne is available?
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