Steelers Going RB in 4th Round Doesn't Take Away From Clear Mistake of Passing on JK Dobbins

The Pittsburgh Steelers finally addressed their predicament at running back by using the No. 124 pick of the NFL Draft on Maryland product Anthony McFarland Jr. However, with James Conner's contract dilemma far from sorted out, it was expected that Pittsburgh would pounce on a RB much earlier.

We're not saying the McFarland selection is a terrible pick. Far from it, actually. It just doesn't hide the fact that passing on JK Dobbins was a huge mistake.

The former Ohio State star fell to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 55 overall in the second round, giving an already unstoppable offense led by MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson yet another weapon to work with.

This makes Pittsburgh's patience to address running back all the more foolish. With pick No. 49, the Steelers opted for Notre Dame wide receiver Chase Claypool instead of Dobbins. While we understand that JuJu Smith-Schuster could be on his way out, that's far from a sure thing. Additionally, Diontae Johnson was an absolute stud as a rookie in 2019.

As sexy as a one-two punch of Claypool and Johnson looks on paper, the right move here would've been Dobbins, who could be ready to handle an NFL workload from Day 1.

The Ravens are fresh off a 14-2 record and they've arguably landed the two biggest steals of the Draft, the other being LSU linebacker Patrick Queen at pick No. 28.

Pittsburgh taking Claypool allowed Dobbins to fall right into the Ravens' rich lap. If Smith-Schuster ends up staying, this pick will look a lot worse than it already does. Steerers fans have every right to question the moves of general manager Kevin Colbert.