The Steelers have undeniably relied more heavily on veteran acquisitions, even if they have young talent, but to what end? While they have what looks to be a nice, relatively young core now, what will it look like in time? Of the Steelers’ projected top 32 contributors this year, 22 are players they drafted or developed as college free agents. How many of them will still be here after their rookie contracts expire, and how many will they replace from the outside?
That is the crux of the issue. In the past couple years, the Steelers have, disproportionate to their history, retained their draft picks.