Pittsburgh Steelers: 2021 NFL Draft replacements for retired players

Hunter Long, TE, Boston College

Now onto a potential replacement for Vance McDonald. A guy who could line up beside Eric Ebron next season to be a primary blocking tight end, or become a potential replacement if he doesn’t sign for the Pittsburgh Steelers next year is Hunter Long. Long played his ball at Boston College and is starting to gain more traction after a solid outing at the Senior Bowl.

Hunter Long stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs around 250 pounds. Last season for Boston College, he snagged 57 balls for 685 yards and five touchdowns. Long is a nice red-zone target, using his size to win contested-catch situations and is a solid blocker at the position. McDonald did most of the blocking at the tight end position this season for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Long could develop into that role for the Steelers going forward.

Long is projected to go off of the board somewhere between the second and fourth-round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He would be a nice mid-round addition for Pittsburgh. With McDonald retiring, not having a lot of depth at the position and Ebron becoming a free agent next year, the position needs to be attended to.

Long could come in a be more of a complementary tight end to Ebron in blocking and then develop into the starter if he chooses to leave Pittsburgh next off-season. This is a nice potential add for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2021 NFL Draft.