2012 NFL Draft analysis: Pittsburgh Steelers

Now that the 2012 NFL Draft is over, we're profiling each team's draft. Who were the steals? Who were the reaches? We continue with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were largely able to sit back in the draft and let very good players fall to them. The team got perhaps the biggest steal of the firs round in guard David DeCastro. Pairing him next to Maurkice Pouncey should quickly give Pittsburgh one of the best interior offensive lines in the NFL.

Then to snag offensive tackle Mike Adams in the second round and defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu in the fourth was a coup. Both Adams and Ta'amu came into the draft with questions on how well they could actually hold up at their college positions. But the plus of going to the Steelers is that they'll be slowly integrated into the lineup.

Questionable selection: OLB Sean Spence, round 3, pick 86
Spence is an undersized linebacker whom most think can only play the weak side in specific 4-3 sets. It's hard to see him fitting on Pittsburgh unless he's moved to safety. That's a high pick to take on a project. The third round could have been used to take a running back who can play while Rashard Mendenhall comes back from injury.

Late-round steal: TE David Paulson, round 7, pick 240
Paulson was sneaky good at Oregon, but was underutilized in their spread offense. He didn't help himself, though, by having an average offseason process. But he's a tight end who can create space to get open and has reliable hands.