Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Recap

In the midst of a tumultuous off season the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the annual "winners" at the draft, had some serious needs to fill for the first time in a while. Age, departures, and sub-par performances left holes on the offensive line, in the secondary, at wide receiver, and at running back. A much larger article on the Ben Roethlisberger saga will be appearing later, but for now just a few quick hitters on how they did on draft day.

Draft Thoughts

• Despite some unexpected players (Brian Bulaga, Dez Bryant) being available when the Steelers went on the clock with the 18th pick, the Steelers stuck with the guy they had targeted from the beginning of the off season. Florida center Maurkice Pouncey is a 6'4" 304 pound bulldog and will provide instant help to an offensive line coming off an underwhelming year.
• In one of the more discussed moves of the draft, the Steelers drafted three outside linebackers in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th rounds respectively. Pittsburgh is a team traditionally known for its pass rushing outside linebackers, but only two can ever play a down together, and, perhaps more importantly, it is not a position that was considered a need. Some suspect however that this was a strategic move to improve the Steelers coverage unit on special teams; an area where they struggled mightily last year.
• Replacing traded WR Santonio Holmes became a priority in this draft. Along with the continued improvement of second year blazer Mike Wallace, the Steelers hope 3rd round draft choice Emmanuel Sanders out of SMU will help replace Holmes. Sanders should also help in the return game right away.
• In a league that is increasingly moving towards a two-back system, the Steelers may have struck late round gold by snagging Jonathan Dwyer out of Georgia Tech with 188th overall pick. Dwyer is a bruiser and should help spell starting running back Rashard Mendenhall immediately.
• The biggest trade of the draft for Pittsburgh happened when the Steelers traded for Bryant McFadden, a former Pittsburgh defensive back that spent the last year with the Arizona Cardinals. The veteran player should make a difference on a unit that had a rough year.

Steelers Picks

1. C Maurkice Pouncey - Florida (18th pick, 1st round)
2. OLB Jason Worilds- Virginia Tech (52nd pick, 2nd round)
3. WR Emmanuel Sanders - SMU (82nd pick, 3rd round)
4. OLB Thaddeus Gibson - Ohio State (116th pick, 4th round)
5. OG Chris Scott - Tennessee (151st pick, 5th round)
6. CB Crezdon Butler - Clemson (164th pick, 5th round)
7. OLB Stevenson Sylvester - Utah (166th pick, 5th round)
8. RB Jonathan Dwyer - Georgia Tech (188th pick 6th round)
9. WR Antonio Brown - Central Michigan (195th pick, 6th round)
10. DE Doug Worthington - Ohio State (242 pick, 7th round)

Grade: B