NFL mock draft 2021: Four quarterbacks in the top five, Watson stays put

The Pittsburgh Steelers will inevitably be losing a lot of important pieces from their recent success as a franchise due to their current cap situation. Now with Ben Roethlisberger allegedly returning as the starter for the 2021 season, Pittsburgh is in a weird spot.

I believe the Steelers will lose guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Bud Dupree and Alejandro Villanueva to free agency and Markice Pouncey has already announced his retirement. With Big Ben at the helm, I think this may turn into a bit of a rebuild sooner rather than later.

Picking so late in this draft, they miss out on the top quarterback prospects. But what they can do, is look ahead and grab a guy to protect the future of their franchise. Whoever that may be. Drafting a guy like Samuel Cosmi seems like a great fit in my eyes.

I am not nearly as high on Cosmi as some other draft evaluators. I don’t think he’s quite ready to step in and be an effective blindside protector, but I do see some traits that can be developed.

Cosmi is a very effective run blocker. He is good and space and has heavy hands to manipulate defenders and open holes. In pass protection, he has pretty good footwork, but I think his frame is a little thin to hold up at the next level against NFL rushers. Cosmi is 6-foot-7 and just 300 lbs. He has the athleticism to hang with true speed rushers, but power rushers, like Myles Garrett, could take advantage of him.

But if the Steelers view this as a buffer year and feel their ceiling is limited for 2021, they may just throw him out there to get him some valuable experience. After a year or two of experience on an NFL field, with NFL coaches and in an NFL weight room, Cosmi could become a viable starting tackle for the Steelers.