2011 NFL Draft Needs: Pittsburgh Steelers

The 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers came within a touchdown of taking home their third Lombardi Trophy of the new millennium and their seventh in franchise history. After sleepwalking through the first quarter, Big Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to an early second half comeback to keep Super Bowl XLV close but in the end Aaron Rodgers and the deep Green Bay Packers’ receiving corps were too much for the Steelers’ secondary to handle.

Rodgers exposed what has been one of Pittsburgh’s biggest weaknesses for years. Even with the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year roaming deep in the defensive backfield, Rodgers carved up the Steelers D to the tune of 304 passing yards and three TDs through the air, not to mention multiple drops by Jordy Nelson and James Jones that had big play potential written all over them. Ike Taylor is a good corner but will turn 31 in May and definitely showed his age trying to guard the likes of Nelson, Jones and Greg Jennings. His counterpart Bryant McFadden had a decent season but he too showed that he was no match for the Packers’ loaded receiving corps. The Steelers defense is getting older at all levels and could definitely use an injection of young talent to at least give the veterans a breather once in a while. Casey Hampton will be 34 in September and his best days are clearly behind him. James Harrison, although still one of the most dominant defensive forces in the league, will be 33 in May, and James Farrior celebrated his 36th birthday in January. The Steelers are a team that has the luxury of choosing the best player available when they select 31st overall in the first round of April’s draft. They are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball but could definitely use some of their picks this year to fortify their already dominate defense and address multiple concerns along the offensive line as well. With that being said here are Pittsburgh’s biggest needs in the 2011 draft.

Cornerback: Rodgers and the Packers showed that if you can get the ball out quick enough against the Steelers D, they are very susceptible to the pass. Even with Troy Polamalu as their safety net, Taylor and McFadden do not have what it takes to stick with a deep, talented receiving corps. Behind the two starters the Steelers don’t have much talent in William Gay and Anthony Madison who are both serviceable at best. Pittsburgh hasn’t had a shutdown corner since Rod Woodson in his prime and with so few other holes to fill cornerback should be a top priority. The two top corners in Prince Amukamara and Patrick Peterson will both be long gone by the time Pittsburgh picks at 31 but there is some borderline first-round talent that should still be on the board. Colorado’s Jimmy Smith has great size (6-2, 211 lbs.) and demonstrated great speed (4.42 40-time) at the combine. Smith would immediately bolster the depth at corer and eventually push Taylor and McFadden for playing time. There are some serious character concerns with Smith that surfaced at the combine however and he may too risky for the Steelers to take a chance on. Some other possible options would be Miami’s Brandon Harris or Texas’s Aaron Williams.

Offensive Guard: For the past few years the Steelers have had serious concerns along their offensive front. They hit a home run in the first round of last year’s draft when they drafted eventual Pro-Bowler Maurkice Pouncey to address a dire need for a starting center. Pouncey was terrific in his rookie season and losing him in the AFC Championship was a devastating blow. Besides Pouncey, the Steelers interior line was marginal at best. Chris Kemoeatu can be frustrating because he has shown the ability to be an absolutely mauling run-blocking presence who can destroy players at the point of attack, but he has serious difficulty pass blocking and takes bad penalties in critical situations at times. Ramon Foster is nothing more than a project player and will probably be relegated to back-up duty once Pittsburgh addresses its need for an interior lineman. If the football gods smile upon the Steel City in April and Maurkice’s twin brother Mike is available when the Steelers pick at 31 he should definitely be the choice. Mike Pouncey brings the same intangibles his brother did when he was selected last year and the Pouncey brothers would solidify the interior line for years to come. If Mike is not available the team should take a good hard look at Villanova’s Ben Ijalana who would be a solid addition to the interior line and could also provide some much needed depth at tackle as well.

Offensive Tackle: Mike Tomlin lost his starting right tackle in June when Willie Colon went down with an Achilles injury and had to put his left tackle Max Starks on IR early in November with a neck injury. Colon is set to become a free agent and the Steelers will have difficulty bringing him back after already placing the franchise tag on linebacker Lamarr Woodley and Taylor set to become a free agent as well. Colon and Starks’ backups were Jonathan Scott and Flozell Adams. Adams turns 36 in May and although his strength and excellent run-blocking abilities are still apparent, he is a huge liability in pass protection. Scott showed glimpses of being a serviceable starting tackle and performed admirably in Starks’s absence but is still probably better suited as a backup. The Steelers should definitely have some options at 31. Ijalana might be an ideal fit with his capability of playing at the tackle or guard position. If Wisconsin’s Gabe Carimi or Colorado’s Nate Solder are available, they may be too hard for Tomlin and the Steelers to pass on.