Day Three

The final day of the draft has come and gone and I think I speak for most fans when I say I'm pretty happy with it. They addressed some needs and added a lot of much needed depth. So how did the final day pan out for the Steelers?

Round 4, Pick 14 (111)
Shamarko Thomas- This kid is a powerful hitter, has great speed running a 4.2 forty and has great instincts. He could have an immediate impact if Polamalu or Clark go down with injuries. Now, he is injury prone but hopefully taking a reserved role for a year or two will prevent that from becoming a problem.

Round 4, Pick 18 (115)
Landry Jones- The Steelers finally this season have addressed our poor backup quarterbacks. They signed the talented Bruce Gradkowski and now have drafted a young prospect. Landry has good size at 6'4 225lbs. He has a good arm but has a knack for making poor decisions more then he should. But the negativity and questions you may have can't really be brought to the forefront since he won't be asked to play anytime soon. If Big Ben goes down the Bruce will be the man under center. Landry will most likely sit for the next three or four years to learn.

Round 5, Pick 17 (150)
Terry Hawthorne- This is a relative unknown to me but as I dived into the corner I really liked what I saw. He is a big corner at 6'0 195lbs. The big thing with Hawthorne is that he is mainly a containment corner. His back pedaling is not that great, he has issues with taking unnecessary risks and doesn't use his height to extend to get passes. He needs to be polished but this could turn out to be a great late round pick.

Round 6, Pick 18 (186)
Justin Brown- Brown is a big guy at 6'3 209lbs. Now, I'm a bit partial but I do not like this pick at all. There were in my opinion better receivers on the board like DeVonte Christopher, Mark Davis and Ryan Spadola. I have an issue with his loyalty and willingness to work past adversity after leaving Penn State to play a season at Oklahoma. I don't like the pick and I don't expect him to make the roster.

Round 6, Pick 38 (206)
Vince Williams- I'm confused by this pick as well. Once again there were in my opinion a lot better linebackers still available like Chase Thomas or Michael Mauti, seriously how did they pass up those guys? He is injury prone and don't even say Mauti is because he had one injury in his collegiate career. Williams is camp fodder in my opinion and a wasted pick because they could have got him as an undrafted free agent.

Round 7, Pick 17 (223)
Nick Williams- This a behemoth of a man at 6'4 309lbs. I love this pick and I'm really excited to see him this camp and preseason. He is explosive running a 4.97 forty at 300 plus pounds. He is so versatile being able to play a 3-4 tackle or an end in a 4-3 scheme. This little known player from a little known school could be one the steals of this draft if he takes advantage of the opportunities he will be given.

So, there they are. The future prospects of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Overall I give the Steelers a B grade. They addressed some needs, added some great depth and some great prospects. But in true head scratching fashion they still passed on some very talented players.

My favorite picks were Shamarko Thomas and Nick Williams.

Stay tuned for my report on the undrafted rookies signed by the Steelers.