Steelers Draft Preview: 2011

It's that time of year again.  We don't know who the Steelers will draft.  We don't know if those players will sign contracts in this calendar year or if any of them will play the 2011.  So, you take the usual subterfuge, misinformation, and uncertainty that usually surrounds the draft and add a lockout.  Awesome.

There are only a few things I'm sure about regarding the Steelers and the 2011 NFL draft:

1. They're not taking a quarterback in the first round.
2. They don't need a center.
3. The Steelers will need to trade up in the first round to draft Mike Pouncey.
4. They have seven selections.
5. They need at least one defensive lineman (an end and a nose tackle, preferably), at least one offensive lineman (either a guard or a tackle, preferably both), a running back, at least one cornerback, a tight end, and a linebacker.  A return specialist and possibly a wide receiver wouldn't hurt.

The trouble is that I don't think there's a 3-4 end in this draft that would be suitable.  There are a couple of possibilities at nose tackle.  After Von Miller, linebacker is a fairly mixed bag.  There are two cornerbacks that are sure-fire first round guys in Patrick Peterson and Prince Amukamara, but everyone else has holes.  There are a ton of good offensive tackles and the guard class is pretty deep.  On the one hand, that means that they can get someone that's very good in the first round.  On the other hand, that means they could potentially wait until the second or third round to get someone just about as good.

The defense is ancient, but they may have one more good year left in them.  If Aaron Smith can at least start the season healthy -- and he doesn't retire -- then they're fairly well set up at end with Ziggy Hood and Brett Keisel.  It wouldn't hurt to inject some youth into the defensive line, but they may be able to hold everything together for one more season.  The thing that worries me is Casey Hampton.  Without anyone to stop him from eating and without offseason conditioning programs to keep him in game shape, my guess is that he's pushing about 370 or 380 at this point.  If the owners appeal the lockout decision and things drag into July, he'll probably check into training camp over four bills, if he checks in at all.  There is not another Casey Hampton in this draft.  There are, however, some big dudes that can clog up the middle, so that will have to suffice.  (Editor's Note: I have given up on the idea that the Steelers will switch to a 4-3 defense.  I don't think that happens as long as Dick LeBeau is still alive, which potentially means another 80 years of the 3-4.)

Offensive line is not as glaring a need as everyone makes it out to be -- I thought everyone came together and played well towards the end of the season in 2010, even with all the injuries -- but I think we can all agree that tabbing a quality guy in the first round certainly helps.

Rashard Mendenhall isn't reliable enough to be this team's only quality running back and I doubt anyone would feel secure with the running game if it was a platoon situation with Ike Redman and Mewelde Moore.  They need another body and the good news is that the running backs are basically interchangeable in this class.  I would be fine with the Steelers taking Mark Ingram in the first round, even though there are bigger needs out there and they took Mendenhall in the first round in 2008.  But, there's probably better value to be had later in the draft, so let's focus on that and hope the Steelers do the same.

If James Farrior can play at his 2010 level and doesn't retire, then linebacker is a more secure position than I led you to believe.  Maybe they can get by without taking a linebacker, but this defense lives and dies at the linebacker position, which means you can never have enough of them.

I don't think there's a safety worth drafting in any round this year, let alone round one.

That brings us to cornerback.  One of my biggest talking points is that the Steelers never have needed and never will need talented players at the cornerback position.  This defense has been all about pressure on the quarterback since 1992.  Kill the head and the body will die.  Well, I'm going to go ahead and ease up on that because 1) Steelers opponents have shown a tendency to completely abandon the running game and, 2) the NFL is turning into a passing league, so you need to have three solid guys at the cornerback position.  I like Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, and William Gay, but they're not going to get it done long term.  Therefore, I would be OK with the Steelers taking a cornerback in the first round.  I would even be fine with them taking more than one cornerback in this draft.

First Round:

I have no inside information, but I think they take an offensive lineman here.  Pouncey won't be available, but they should certainly snatch him up and count themselves lucky if he is.  When he's gone, I really like Derrek Sherrod from Mississippi State at the offensive tackle position.  He's a smart kid, he's a hard worker, and he's a great player.  I think he would fit right in with the Steelers.  He needs to get stronger and he needs to get a little meaner, but I think those things will come once Willie Colon is told that he is being replaced at right tackle.  The aura of pure hate around Colon will rub off on Sherrod and he will be good to go.  Heading into the Senior Bowl, there was talk that Sherrod was the best tackle in the draft.  He goes out, has a great week of practice and a terrific game, then runs a poor 40 at the Combine and his Pro Day and suddenly he's a bum.  I don't agree.

At guard, the draft gurus of the world like Baylor's Danny Watkins.  I like Rodney Hudson of Florida State.  I don't like Florida State in general, but the Steelers love them some Seminoles, so that is a possibility.  Hudson has a second round grade, but I would be fine with them taking Hudson 31st overall.

Aside from Peterson and Amukamara, there's one cornerback that I think is a first round guy.  If either of the top two guys are still available -- they won't be, but still it's pretty to think so -- then take one of them.  If not, then I would be fine with the Steelers taking Colorado's Jimmy Smith if he's still on the board.  Smith is as big as Ike Taylor -- 6-foot-2 and 218 pounds -- but he's more polished at the position.  Taylor spent his first couple of years in college at running back, so he had to learn the ropes.  Smith also has better hands than Taylor, but who doesn't?

Failing all that, take the best defensive lineman available.  That will probably be Phil Taylor of Baylor.  He's a massive dude, but he carries it well.  He would be a suitable substitute for Big Snack.

My Pick: With the 31st pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Derrek Sherrod, Offensive Tackle, Mississippi State

Round Two:

It's possible that Hudson may still be floating around at this point, but that's highly doubtful.  If he's there, take him.  If not, I have an outside the box pick: Jonathan Baldwin, wide receiver, Pitt.  I know the Steelers have Hines Ward and Mike Wallace and youngsters Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders, but Ward can't play forever and Sanders and Brown are more complementary guys.  Baldwin is actually ranked in the 40s on most boards and could sneak into the first round, but there are questions about his focus and he has been very inconsistent over the past two seasons.  I think that will scare a lot of teams away and cause Baldwin to drop.  I think the current mix of guys at the receiver position for the Steelers will get Baldwin to focus and tap into his vast potential.  I think those factors will keep Baldwin from turning into the next Limas Sweed.

If he's gone, there's still a decent chance that they take a cornerback, like Brandon Harris from The U.  They could also go guard or take the best defensive lineman available.  I think they hold off on tight ends until much later.

My Pick: With the 63rd pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Jonathan Baldwin, Wide Receiver, Pitt.

Round Three:

I think they go defense here, even if they went defense in rounds one or two (even rounds one and two).  If they didn't take Phil Taylor from Baylor in the previous two rounds, I like Kenrick Ellis out of Hampton.  He's 6-foot-5 and 346 pounds, which means he'll fill the void left behind by Casey Hampton quite nicely.

Cornerback or guard are still possibilities here as well, but I'm going to go defense.

My Pick: With the 95th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Kenrick Ellis, Defensive Tackle, Hampton.

Round Four:

Regardless of whether or not they've already taken a cornerback, I really like Kendric Burney out of North Carolina.  He's a smaller guy at 5-foot-9 and 186 pounds, but he's a tenacious player, he's a solid tackler, and he's made for the Cover 2 defense, which is something the Steelers have been playing in their own way for the past couple of seasons.


My Pick: With the 128th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Kendric Burney, Cornerback, North Carolina.


Round Five:

This is a surprisingly weak tight end class, but the Steelers always seem to take one.  They just happen to need one in this draft.  Let's pull a name out of a hat, shall we?

My Pick:  With the 162nd pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Lee Smith, Tight End, Marshall.


Round Six:

I know who I want the Steelers to take in Round Seven and the only other item left on my Master List is linebacker.  I like Orie Lemon from Oklahoma State because he has a cool name and should be available.  He also is about the right size at 6-foot-1 and 242 pounds and should be able to contribute on special teams.

My Pick:  With the 196th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Orie Lemon, Inside Linebacker, Oklahoma State.


Round Seven:

I think that Kendric Burney is my Brian St. Pierre pick for this draft, but I also have a really good feeling about this pick.  I like Noel Devine from West Virginia.  Most folks believe that he's too small to survive in the NFL and they may be right.  But, damn is he fast.  

He's the kind of player that you feed the ball to 7-10 times a game and see what happens.  He may make a game-changing play or he may lose an acceptable amount of yardage.  For a team that has a need to fill or can't take losses of yardage on offense because their guys can't make it up or their defense can't bail them out, he's a bad fit.  For a team like the Steelers that run a high risk, high reward offense and have a tendency to lean on their defense, he's perfect.

He also fills two needs, since he's a running back and could be used in the return game.  Most rankings have him as going undrafted, but there is no signing of undrafted free agents with the current labor situation.  The best course of action would be to draft Devine, secure his services, and hopefully reap the rewards when he makes something spectacular happen on offense or special teams.

My Pick: With the 232nd pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Noel Devine, Running Back, West Virginia.

And... that's it.  I'm sure there will be a number of surprises to come and that the Steelers will draft a number of guys I've never heard of and will have to research.  That's the beauty part about this time of year.  When the names come off the board, the sky is the limit.  Everyone can be a star, everyone can help the team, and even Matt Spaeth has potential.