In my draft primer, I broke down what positions I think the Steelers should be targeting in this year's draft, the strengths and weaknesses of this year's class, and the importance of a great haul of prospects to the Steelers.
We're three rounds deep and they still have a lot of work to do. They grabbed two offensive linemen and an inside linebacker, which means they still definitely need at least one cornerback, a running back, a defensive tackle, a defensive end, another linebacker, a safety, and maybe another offensive lineman. They have four picks in the seventh round, so the least important of those positions (in their eyes) will be filled out in that round. I just hope that's not where they take a running back, because that's what I think is their biggest remaining need. Hopefully they take one in the fourth or fifth round.
Thus far in the draft, I think they're doing a great job. If you want to hear from someone who really knows what he's talking about, follow Jim Wexell on Twitter. I knew nothing about Sean Spence before I checked out his Twitter page and took a look at what Wex had to say. When I saw that the Steelers took Spence, I was confused and frustrated. After I took a look at Wex's page, I was excited.
First of all, Wex actually talked to linebackers coach Keith Butler. Butler said, as I theorized, that Stevenson Sylvester will take over for James Farrior next season. Spence will back up Lawrence Timmons and contribute on special teams. Spence doesn't have great workout numbers -- probably why he fell to late in the third round -- but he's a solid player in space, plays faster than his 40 times, and is a leader on the field with excellent instincts. I'm not big on workout warriors myself, so I think it's great that they took a solid football guy in the third round at a need position.
I'm totally fine with the fact that they took offensive linemen with the first two picks. Offensive tackle Mike Adams of Ohio State not only fills a need, but it was a value pick. Adams was ranked in the low-to-high 30s on most boards that I saw and the Steelers got him at 56 overall. He's a huge dude at 6'7" and 323 pounds and has great feet. The book on him is that he needs to find his way to the weight room -- only 19 reps on the 225 pound bench press -- and that he needs to get tougher in general. He has a tendency to play smaller than he is and he tested positive for marijuana at the combine.
There are negatives and positives, but you can't teach a guy to be gigantic and have quick feet. With DeCastro and Adams added to the mix, that gives the Steelers the kind of flexibility and options that they were lacking last year. The opening day line could be Adams, Foster/Legursky, Pouncey, DeCastro, Gilbert. It would be great if that's the way it plays out, since they'd still have some quality depth behind those guys and it also means that the line got considerably younger and more athletic, pretty much overnight. Even if Adams and DeCastro don't crack the line-up in 2012, they still provide flexibility and options. I love what they've done so far.
Regarding who they'll take today, I don't have any more insight than I had in the first three rounds, where I was 0-for-3 with my picks. However, that doesn't mean I'm not going to try. In rounds 4-6, I think they should take a running back, cornerback, and defensive tackle. Here are the guys at those positions that I think should still be available.
Round 4:
Defensive tackle: My boy Alameda Ta'amu of Washington is still available, as well as Josh Chapman of Alabama.
Running back: Chris Polk, Washington and Lamar Miller, Miami (Fla). If Miller is still sitting there when the Steelers pick, they should grab him.
Cornerback: Coty Sensabugh, Clemson, Alfonzo Dennard, Nebraska, Ryan Steed, Furman.
With the 119th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Alameda Ta'amu, Defensive Tackle, University of Washington
Round 5:
Fifth round has been my sweet spot historically, so I'm just going to make a pick. I correctly tabbed Brian St. Pierre in 2003 and Joe Burnett in 2005. Backing all that up is that it looks like WVU cornerback Keith Tandy should still be available and Wex likes him a lot. That's a slam dunk right there.
With the 159th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Keith Tandy, Cornerback, West Virginia
Round 6:
Running back or bust here, provided they didn't select one in a previous round. But, just in case they don't take my advice and pick the guys I identified for rounds four and five, here's some guys that should be available when the Steelers will be on the clock for the 193rd overall pick.
Running back: Terrance Ganaway of Baylor is a big dude (about 6', 240 pounds) and Vick Ballard of Mississippi State at about 6 feet and 215 pounds could be a good fit as well.
Cornerback: Donnie Fletcher, Boston College, Charles Brown, North Carolina.
Defensive end: Jack Crawford, Penn State, Malik Jackson, Tennessee.
With the 193rd pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Terrance Ganaway, Running Back, Baylor
Round 7:
Let's close things out with a safety, defensive end, another cornerback, and another linebacker.
With the 231st pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Duke Ihenacho, Safety, San Diego State
With the 240th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Scott Soloman, Defensive End, Rice (could also play outside linebacker)
With the 246th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Jeremy Lane, Cornerback, Northwestern State
With the 248th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers Select:
Shawn Loiseau, Linebacker, Merrimack
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