Steelers Draft Picks 2018: S Allen, TE Samuels, DT Frazier Selected On Third Day
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers' top two picks on the final day of the NFL Draft on Saturday were former Penn State safety Marcus Allen and tight end Jaylen Samuels.
With the 148th pick in the 2018 #NFLDraft, we select S Marcus Allen. pic.twitter.com/vZLFL7xTf5
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 28, 2018
Allen, a hard-hitting safety was the 148th overall pick. He is the sixth player in Penn State history to reach 300 tackles in a career, ranking fifth in school history with 321 stops in 2017. He was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection by conference coaches in 2016 and became the first safety to lead PSU in tackles since 2002 with 110 stops.
Samuels went 17 picks later in the fifth round.
What will @JaySam1k bring to our RB group?
Please see below. pic.twitter.com/JHuMjOVYL9
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 28, 2018
With their final pick in the 7th round, the Steelers selected DT Joshua Frazier.
With the 246th pick in the 2018 #NFLDraft, we select DT Joshua Frazier.#SteelersDraft pic.twitter.com/ThosRFbxW3
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 28, 2018
The Steelers picked safety Terrell Edmunds in the first round on Thursday, then a pair of Oklahoma State studs – wide receiver James Washington and quarterback Mason Rudolph - on Friday.
It took until the 76th overall slot Friday night, 44 picks after the last one, that Rudolph was selected by Pittsburgh. The Steelers get a big, strong-armed, highly competitive QB — yep, sounds a lot like incumbent Ben Roethlisberger, who is 36 and closing in on the end of his championship career.
"It's not Ben's job to teach me anything. It's my job to learn," said Rudolph, who added he dreamed of becoming a Steeler.
Pittsburgh has had little success with backups for Big Ben, with another Oklahoma product, Landry Jones, never approaching the Roethlisberger level.
When Oklahoma State played at Heinz Field last year and won 59-21, Rudolph threw for five touchdowns in the first half.
Third round pick Mason Rudolph talks about his journey to the Steel City.
????: @NFLTotalAccess
????: Day 3 of the #NFLDraft begins at Noon on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/YaXOCxqZYv
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 28, 2018
Five quarterbacks went on Thursday night, from top overall pick Baker Mayfield (coincidentally, a Sooner) to Lamar Jackson of Louisville at No. 32. Then, nothing.
Until Rudolph, who was not on hand.
Rudolph will join Washington, his main target at Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh's second-round choice.
"To go on to the next chapter with one of your brothers and the best receiver you've spent your whole college days with and maybe spend 15 years with," Rudolph said, "it's awesome."
Washington gives the AFC North champions a boost at the wide receiver position just a day after they traded Martavis Bryant to Oakland.
Washington caught 226 passes for a school-record 4,472 yards and 39 touchdowns in four seasons with the Cowboys. Like Rudolph, Washington is already familiar with Heinz Field. He caught five passes for 124 yards when Oklahoma State blew out Pitt 59-21 last September.
This is the second straight year the Steelers have taken a wide receiver in the second round.
Hall of Famer @RodWoodson26 with the assist. #SteelersDraft
????: #NFLDraft on @nflnetwork, @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/u9BbkvpKEO
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 28, 2018
They selected JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second round of the 2017 draft. Smith-Schuster's rapid development made the talented but enigmatic Bryant expendable.
The 6-foot Washington can line up both in the slot and on the outside and can get downfield. He averaged 19.8 yards per reception during his college career.
— Chukwuma Okorafor (@Chuks__77) April 28, 2018
Later in the third round, the Steelers took tackle Chukwuma Okorafor from Western Michigan.
Former Steelers Rod Woodson and Max Starks were on hand at the Draft to make the team's Day 2 announcements.
Washington, Rudolph and Okorafor join Edmunds, of Virginia Tech, who the Steelers took 28th overall.
Looks quite good in Black & Gold. pic.twitter.com/5sn9GSglhC
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 27, 2018
The 6-foot-1, 217-pound Edmunds had four interceptions in 2016 but was limited to just 10 games last season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Edmunds was taken a dozen picks after the Buffalo Bills selected his brother Tremaine with the 16th overall selection.
Injured Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier made the announcement, amazing football fans everywhere when he walked out on stage after suffering a spinal injury in December.
(TM and © Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
