William Jackson III would be a Steeler now if the Bengals hadn’t drafted him one spot ahead of the Steelers.
At least it seems that way according to a little nugget in Ed Bouchette’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers chat.
The Steelers chose cornerback Artie Burns with the No. 25 pick. According to Bouchette, they had Burns ranked “a hair” behind Jackson on their draft board.
Conspiracy theorists suggest that the acrimony between the Steelers and Bengals spilled over into the draft room, and that the Bengals knew the Steelers were desperate for a cornerback and drafted Jackson so the Steelers couldn’t get him.
Many draftniks had Burns ranked a lot more than a “hair” behind Jackson. NFL Draft Scout ranked him the 66th-best prospect and had him pegged as a second- or third-round pick.
Perhaps the Steelers are downplaying the gap between Jackson and Burns in their rankings to dispel any notion that the Bengals stuck it to them.
The Bengals were in position to do that because they lost to the Steelers in the playoffs and therefore picked ahead of them in the first round. Time will tell whether Jackson or Burns is the better pick. For now, Jackson is merely the Bengals’ consolation prize.
