The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in a playoff slump the past couple of years. Even though they haven’t had a losing record, they have missed the playoffs and have decreased the elevated play that they are used to. The Steelers have struggled defensively and are not even close to the defensive driven team that they are famous for. They also have lost their offensive flare and barely manage to be average in the league. Last year’s draft class ended up being a blessing for the Steelers and have signed a few free agents. They will use this draft class to see if they can reshape themselves to the playoff team they use to be. They have nine selections and will have to use those to be able to compete in a division that is extremely competitive.
Needs: TE, WR, DL, CB
Tight End: The Steelers have a great tight end with Heath Miller but he is getting long in the tooth and doesn’t seem to have any competition behind him. They should draft one so that they can be groomed and mentored by Miller. Also the league has seen a lot of success from tight end tandems, something the Steelers may be able to use to help spark up their offense. They will be adding this more for depth so will not be using an earlier pick, if they see someone great in the mid rounds Pittsburgh should take a chance.
Wide Receiver: Pittsburgh has been a busy bee in free agency looking at wide receiver and signing Lance Moore and Darius Heyward-Bay. Both of those receivers aren’t known to be true number two receivers, and while they add great experience and depth, Pittsburgh might want to take advantage of the depth of the receiver class in this draft and grab a big bodied receiver early on. They have wanted a big bodied receiver to improve red zone efficiency, also to replace Jericho Cotcherys 10 touchdown productivity. With the 15th pick they may want to take a wide out who will complete this receiving core who looks to be one of the best in the league. If a lot of the top receivers are taken before pick 15, they should be patient and let the depth of the class help them.
Defensive Lineman: The defense is being completely remodeled and has lost a lot of their defensive lineman to free agency. They lost Ziggy Hood, Al Woods, and don’t seem to be signing veteran Brett Keisel anytime soon. They will be looking for someone to possibly take the starting responsibilities at the defensive end position and will also look to add depth at the nose tackle position. Pittsburgh will take someone in the mid rounds but if they see someone who has dropped, it will be a tempting opportunity and we cannot predict if they will take it or not.
Cornerback: The secondary of this defense has had upgrades in free agency but Pittsburgh needs to draft someone to be on the other side of Ike Taylor. This position has been a need for the team for a while but they haven’t drafted anybody in the earlier part of the draft and that needs to change. Pittsburgh will look for big corners that can start automatically and upgrade not only the secondary but will be a huge piece at bring back the Pittsburgh defense to the promised land. They should use the first round pick, but if not, they should not draft any later than the second round.