Markus Wheaton

Well, I was right the Steelers would go receiver in the third round; just wasn't the guy I thought would be there. The Steelers grabbed 5'11 189lbs Oregon State product, Markus Wheaton.

Now, he's not Mike Wallace speed wise but I think he has much better hands. Hell, your local Fed Ex guys has better hands then Wallace. He is explosive and a dangerous deep threat. He has trouble with press coverage but he is a great prospect the Steelers can mold.

Over his time at Oregon State his numbers got better and he became a much bigger part of the Beaver offense; 675 yards as a Sophomore, 986 yards as a Junior and 1,244 yards as a Senior.

Le'Veon Bell

The Steelers finally went back to Steeler style football with this pick. I hoped for a back like Le'Veon Bell but didn't think he'd be there this late. He is a big guy at 6'1 230lbs. He is athletic, powerful and is an instant upgrade to the Steelers backfield.

Le'Veon was a really productive back at Michigan State carrying 382 times for 1,793 yards and 12 touchdowns as a Senior. He is big but has great speed running a 4.5 forty yard dash. Most people will be disappointed that this is not Eddie Lacy but this is a Steeler style running back. In the last few years we've went away from Steeler football and Le'Veon helps get us back to that type of football.

RB Signed

The Steelers have agreed to terms with free agent running back LaRod Stephens-Howling. LaRod was a Pitt product drafted in the seventh round, 240th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. In his four year career he has rushed 183 times for 652 yards and 11 touchdowns; he has also had three return touchdowns.

Draft Day Two

We are a few hours from the start of day two which means I need to get my picks in fast. Now, in a perfect world Eddie Lacy, Tank Carradine or Jonathan Banks would fall to the Steelers pick at 48, but I don't think that's going to happen. With that being said the Steelers need a lot of help in the secondary and on the line but of course they will continue the best available mentality.

With that being said I think the Steelers grab John Cyprien, safety from Florida International. He is big at 6'0 217lbs and fills a big void left by the departure of both Ryan Mundy and Will Allen. Cyprien is the hardest hitter of all the defensive backs, he can get through bodies to get to ball carriers and is fantastic at reading offenses.

 

My third round pick is not going to be a popular one because so many fans still want to see a corner. I don't have them taking one yet because they do have some young talent. The Steelers still have starters Ike Taylor and Cortez Allen. They also brought back William Gay, for some reason, while Josh Victorian and Curtis Brown got some much needed experience last season. So, for the third round I see Pittsburgh grabbing some much needed receiver depth with Aaron Dobson out of Marshall.

At 6'3 and 210lbs, he has size that the Steelers really don't have; only two receivers on roster over 6'1. He runs great routes, has super reliable hands and has great leaping ability. He will get some time to learn in Pittsburgh behind some of the bigger talents but could greatly contribute. 

Jarvis Jones

This draft has been no where near predictable but the Steelers certainly held to those aforementioned predictions. With the 17th pick the Steelers selected pass rush specialist out of Georgia, Jarvis Jones. Jones joins Lawrence Timmons as the only linebackers taken in the first round in nearly two decades.

Jarvis was extremely productive at Georgia leading the nation with 28 sacks over the last two year; including a league leading 14.5 last season. Jarvis will come in and compete with Jason Worilds for immediate playing time in the spot previously held by James Harrison.

The biggest risk is the fact that Jones was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine. Lets hope that the doctors that checked him out did their homework and he can be a cog in our defense for the next decade.

Draft Day One

We are just twenty four hours away from the first round of the NFL draft and that means its time for my pick. Now, I haven't got one of these right since I correctly picked the Heyward pick two drafts ago, but I'm about due.

The Steelers are in need of some key players in key positions. Cornerback, receiver, safety and of course linebacker. The one thing you'll soon understand about me is I don't like conventional picks. I'm not a fan of the popular pick because it hardly ever happens, see Courtney Upshaw last draft.

So, with that being said what are the Steelers to do?

Our defense was terrible last year and it was largely due to the lack of pressure. Its simple really, the more pressure you apply the more turnovers and sacks you get. Keep the other offense struggling and you will keep the yardage allowed and the points allowed low. Thus winning games, of course. Even with the other needs I think pressure becomes the focus for the Steelers. We need to get pressure on quarterbacks and we need to get some quality players on the line. The patch work job we've done isn't going to get the job done.

With that being said I think the Steelers go with an edge rusher, but not Jarvis Jones like most people think. I like Bjoern Werner, DE from Florida State.

He's not a huge guy at 6'3 and 266lbs but I think could transition. We need defensive lineman and he could possibly move to outside linebacker. He has good speed, a great motor and is extremely versatile. He has the JJ Watts skill set to move, stop and jump to knock down passes. He can cover tight ends if need be and could be a huge asset on the weak defensive line.

There are plenty of good players at our other needs that can be snatched up later in the draft and the Steelers really need to hit on a defensive line prospect. This could be the guy. 

Bad Steelers?

I haven't chimed in too much this off season but I think its far overdue. I keep reading so much negative comments about the Steelers and its finally hit a point. What are people looking at? Seriously, are the "experts" even looking at the players that left this organization.

Mike Wallace was a drop machine and plays for money. Nothing else. He offers the ability to stretch the field but Miami doesn't have the QB to get him the ball; he's not Big Ben. Wallace has what he wants so he's not going to put in the extra time that champions do. He'll be good but not great.

James Harrison? James Harrison? I love Harrison but the Harrison from three years ago. His statistics have dropped consistently over the last three years and his age has become a huge factor. Normally I don't care about age because so many athletes do well as they get older but he wasn't under that category. I will miss him but unlike most Steeler fans I understand the need to move on. Worilds is younger, cheaper and effective.

Willie Colon is a player I have never understated how much I think was overrated. He was a penalty machine and our poor running game surfaced when he moved to right tackle; keep in mind we had a resurgence in the run game when he got hurt and Flozell Adams took his place. We have young talent if they can just stay healthy. Gilbert, Adams and Beachum could all be good at any position, better then Colon.

Rashard Mendehall has got worse since the fumble in the Super Bowl and it took Keenan Lewis four years to make any impact. And lets all be honest, while he was good he was not lock down. Hell, I think all the corners were on and off but Cortez Allen was more consistent then Lewis.

Mundy and Allen, while good, are extremely replaceable and the Dwyer, Redman backfield will be a formidable one two punch. We finally seen promise from Ziggy Hood over the last year or so and our younger players could be ready to step up.

Our receiver class has lost some talent but is not by any means bad. Brown in my opinion is better then Wallace; Sanders has huge upside; Burress and Cotchery are proven and capable veterans; Gilreath was good in preseason last year and could have an impact this season.

Our defensive line is inexperienced but we have plenty of young players and don't even get me started on linebackers. I am so sick of hearing that its one of biggest concerns. This is Pittsburgh. Where linebackers are never weak. Sean Spence will finally get to show us what he can do this year; I expect Woodley to bounce back from him off year; and Timmons will still be Timmons.

Now, before we run screaming the sky is falling just remember this is Pittsburgh and in Pittsburgh all we do is win. There are plenty of talented receivers and lineman in this draft. We have the backup quarterback we've needed for a few years and we have some talent at running back that just needs to be capitalized on.

Relax people, its April.