Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-Round 2019 NFL mock draft focuses on secondary

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 01: Terry McLaurin #83 of the Ohio State Buckeyes catches a pass against the Northwestern Wildcats in the first quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 01, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Round 3, Pick 66 (via Raiders): Terry McLaurin, WR, Ohio State

Losing Antonio Brown is going to hurt. The trade had to happen because the relationship between him and the team was beyond repair, but they still traded away a player who has topped 1,000-yards in each of the past six seasons and did so in seven of the past eight.

They still have a No. 1 target as JuJu Smith-Schuster has developed into one of the best young pass catchers in the game. Their 2017 second-round pick had 917 yards as a rookie and then increased that total to 1,426 yards this past season. However, the Steelers need more depth beyond him.

James Washington is on the roster, but he severely underperformed based on his draft status. The 60th overall pick in 2018 had just 16 receptions for 217 yards. He’s going to have to battle free-agent addition Donte Moncrief for snaps but just banking on him improving may not be the best strategy. That leads to them adding a wideout here in Terry McLaurin out of Ohio State — who they pick up using the first of two selections in this draft obtained in the AB deal.

McLaurin doesn’t get the same love his teammate Parris Campbell does, but he has plenty of upside as a wide receiver. In 2018, he averaged 20 yards per catch and scored 11 touchdowns off just 35 receptions. He could be the perfect complement to Smith-Schuster and Moncrief in the Steelers pass happy offense.

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