Steelers land franchise OT Michael Oher in 2009 redraft
The 2008 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers ended in a Super Bowl championship in one of the greatest games ever played. This put the Steelers at pick No. 32 in the 2009 NFL draft. It's hard to be too critical of the Steelers pick despite the fact that defensive tackle Ziggy Hood didn't work out as a pro.
But what if they could do it all over again? This is what Pro Football Focus did when they redrafted the first round of the 2009 draft using their draft grades as a guide.
In their redraft, they gave the Steelers former Ole Miss offensive tackle Michael Oher. Oher spent eight seasons in the NFL and started all 110 games he played in. Oher was originally drafted No. 23 overall by the Baltimore Ravens. Oher never made a Pro Bowl or was named as an All-Pro.
Having Oher as the 32nd-best player in this draft highlights just how bad the 2009 draft was. The Detroit Lions got it right with Matthew Stafford No. 1 overall but even looking at the rest of the Steelers picks, you can see just how bad it was. Wide receiver Mike Wallace was the Steelers best pick in the third round. He went No. 17 overall in the redraft.
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Zach Charbonnet, SEA Charbonnet's path to additional work is clear. Kenneth Walker has missed 10 games in his three pro seasons, which is partially why Charbonnet has 318 scrimmage plays in his two NFL campaigns. Add that to Charbonnet ranking fourth in PPR points per scrimmage play (min 175 plays), and he may be the most valuable alternate back and well worth a RB4 draft-day investment. Advertisement 2. Jaylen Warren, PIT Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has never met a run-heavy game plan he didn't like, meaning Warren should see enough work to, potentially, lead all alternate backs. The wild card here is if rookie Kaleb Johnson, who had 262 scrimmage plays and 23 touchdowns at Iowa last season, develops into a bell-cow role. If that happens, Warren could falter below his RB3 valuation. 3. Austin Ekeler, WSH Ekeler is still one of the best pass-catching backs in the NFL. He ranked first in yards per target and yards per reception among RBs with 40+ targets last year. Kliff Kingsbury is an expert at utilizing pass-catching backs in his offense, so Ekeler is a very good borderline RB4/RB5 in half- and full-PPR leagues. 4. Rachaad White, TB White was relegated to a lesser role in this offense late last season. He has a path to redemption under new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. White was one of only four running backs with six or more games of 5+ receptions last year, and he was only one of six RBs to average 1.0 or more PPR points per scrimmage play (min. 150 plays). If White repeats that production pace, he may end up with a borderline platoon role, making him a fantastic RB4 option. 5. Trey Benson, ARI Benson didn't get many carries last year, but he did a lot with what he was given. His 15.9 percent rate of 10+ yard rushes mimics what he did at Florida State. With James Conner headed into his age-30 season, Benson could see a workload increase that generates much more than his current low-end RB4 value. 6. 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Nick Chubb, HOU Joe Mixon has started to show signs of wear and tear after six straight years of bell-cow work, and an ankle issue threatens his early-season availability. Chubb could be first in line for carries if he returns close to his 2023 form, when he posted an incredible 21.4 percent rate of 10+ yard carries. The caveat is that Woody Marks could move ahead of Chubb on the Texans' RB depth chart. The backups to bell-cow starters generally have minimal fantasy value outside of an injury to the bell cow, making them low-cost insurance options. Fantasy managers should acquire these players late in drafts, so the cost is minimal, and your squad gets significant protection against the gargantuan scoring drop-off that can happen when a bell-cow back is lost to injury. Advertisement Here are the nine backups to bell-cow starters: 1. Tyler Allgeier, ATL 2. Isaac Guerendo, SF 3. A.J. Dillon, PHI 4. MarShawn Lloyd, GB 5. Justice Hill/Keaton Mitchell, BAL 6. Raheem Mostert, LV 7. DJ Giddens, IND 8. Tahj Brooks, CIN 9. Blake Corum, LAR (Photo of David Montgomery: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
