Steelers Draft Needs: Offensive Line - A Bigger Need Area than You Think...

For several years, partially due to no fault of their own, the Steelers philosophy of offensive line building was “plug and patch.” The Steelers went from five years from 2005 to 2010 without using a premium pick on offensive line.

• And during that span they ended in two Super Bowls with undrafted rookie free agents starting on their offensive line.

As Steel Curtain Rising observed a year ago, it was almost as if the Steelers were defying gravity – winning in spite of a poor offensive line. But the house eventually began winning its money back in and Ben Roethlisberger was left to foot the bill.

The Steelers reacted by drafting

• Maurkice Pouncey, center, in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft
• Marcus Gilbert, tackle in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft
• David DeCastro, guard, in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft
• Mike Adams, tackle, in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft

Unfortunately, for much of 2012 it appeared their efforts were all for nought. David DeCastro got hurt in training camp. Early on run blocking was woeful. Willie Colon had trouble transitioning to guard.

• For a brief spell the line improved, and the Steelers, dare we say, had the look of a Super Bowl contender.

But then Willie Colon got hurt (again). Mike Adams was injured at times, Marcus Gilbert, after injuring so many team mates, got injured himself, and appeared to have regressed before that.

And by the time the Steelers headed to Baltimore for a late season show down, Pouncey was playing guard, Doug Legursky was playing center, Kelvin Beachum was starting it was musical chairs on the offensive line, a tune Steelers Nation got oh too familiar with in 2008, 2010, and 2011.

All of this goes to show you that the offensive line remains a need for the Steelers in the 2013 Draft. Willie Colon is gone. Doug Legursky may not be brought back, and Marcus Gilbert has some people worried.

• Is offensive line the most pressing draft priority for the Steelers?

No, and this is something that has been true for a long time.

But if a quality tackle or guard falls to the Steelers in the 2nd or 3rd that they expected to be gone and has a much higher grade than everyone else on the board, the Steelers would be foolish to ignore him.

The Mike Tomlin era has made one lesson abundantly clear:

• You can never have enough quality offensive lineman.

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Steelers Draft Needs: Wide Receiver and Tight End, Two Positions with the Opposite Problem

It’s a Tale of Two Cities for the Steelers tight end and wide receiver needs entering the 2013 NFL Draft. Both positions are areas of need, but for very different reasons.

• Speaking strictly in the short term, the Steelers do not need wide receivers. 

They’ll start 2013, assuming no injuries, with Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Jerricho Cotchery, and Plaxico Burress with David Gilbreath as a worthy contender for the 5th receiver spot.

• An NFL team could do worse with this front foursome at wide out.

Of course appearances can be deceiving and in this case they do. Burress and Cotchery are well into their 30’s, and recent restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders is in the final year of his contract.

On top of that, none of the players on the Steelers roster at wide out is known for his speed, an obvious deficiency.  The Steelers must think to the future, and begin to reload their wide receiving corps, and they’d be wise to begin doing it early in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Troubles at Tight End

At tight end the Steelers have the opposite problem. Assuming Heath Miller makes a full recovery from his ACL tear, at age 31 he’s got a number of years of quality football left in him.

Behind him the Steelers have David Paulson, a 7th round draft pick who “overachieved” and looked quite good in 2012. Matt Spaeth is back and so is David Johnson, both of whom should be growing into their best football years.

Now, neither man is every going to be the second coming of Mark Bruener let alone David Casper, but getting just a little extra value out of the number 40 through number 45 men on your game day roster can take you a long way in the NFL

• The problem is that Heath Miller will likely not be available until late in the season.

That means that the Steelers need to find some way to make up for his 71 catches either through the tight ends, wide receivers, or through an improved running game or a combination of all three.

• Paulson, Johnson, and Spaeth are not going to combined for 71 catches next year…

…but the other two scenarios are plausible, but depend on a lot of “ifs.”

The Steelers can’t base their offense, not to mention Ben Roethlisberger’s health, on a series of “ifs.”

They need to upgrade at tight end, and they need to bring in someone who can help them relatively quickly or else suddenly get really strong at running back or much more dynamic at wide receiver.

• And therein lies the danger. 

Many mock drafts have the Steelers picking Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert at 17th in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Yet many other draft nicks say that Eifert isn’t good enough to go that high. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Steel Curtain Rising is not fit to say whether Eifert is a worthy pick at 17, a reach, or someone so terribly overrated he'll be a bust in the NFL.

• But one thing is clear.

The Steelers have a need to fill at tight end, but they must resist all temptations to reach to fill it. The last time the franchise attempted to do that, Troy Edwards happened.

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Steelers Draft Needs: Running Back - Black -n- Gold Not as Bad Off as You Think

Running back brings a case where both Steelers front office and the pundits might be both wrong.

Mike Tomlin has gone on record saying the Steelers need to improve the talent they have at running back. With Rashard Mendenhall coming back form injury too soon in 2012, Tomlin opened the door for either Jonathan Dwyer or Isaac Redman to seize the starting role.

• Both men fumbled the opportunity….

… Strictly speaking that is. In fact, as Steel Curtain Rising has said time and time again, after Willie Colon settled into his new position at guard and before he got hurt (again) the Steelers running game was looking better than it had in years, certainly since 2007.

• When Colon got hurt, so did the running game.

On top of that, Redman started the year injured, and Dwyer was nursing injures for much of the season as well.

• The Steelers have two capable runners. 

But even if that is true, the Steelers still need to draft a running back, perhaps early. Dwyer and Redman may be capable, but both are in the final year of their contracts, and neither seems to be the proverbial “Feature Back” which was once so fundamental to NFL success.

Baron Batch might develop into serviceable running back. He could conceivably the second coming of Mewelde Moore, which would not be a bad thing for a former 7th round pick. Unfortunately at this point he's more notable for his amazing human interest story and his blocking abilities.

So the Steelers do need to add talent and depth at running back, but perhaps not as early or as urgently as most argue.

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Steelers 2013 Draft Needs: Quarterback + (Punter & Kicker)

Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin play it close to the vest. Both men made it through their press conference prior to the 2013 NFL Draft without mentioning the name of a single collegiate player.

Colbert, however, did let his field craft slip at the NFL owners meetings when he refused to rule out drafting a quarterback in the upcoming draft.

In years past that’s the only position he’s ruled out drafting.

• Don’t be fooled though, the Steelers will not draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft

However, the Steelers could be in the market for a quarterback sooner than in year’s past, not having taken a signal callers since drafting Dennis Dixon in the 5th round of their now maligned 2008 NFL Draft Class.

Ben Roethlisberger is entrenched as the Steelers starter, he’s only 31 and still has 3 years left on the contract he signed in 2008. Yes Ben is getting older, and that process may be sped up by the hits and injuries he’s taken.

But it is too early to think of grooming let alone drafting a successor.

• And the Steelers have glaring needs elsewhere. 

With Bruce Gradowski under contract for two years, and the option of bringing back Charlie Batch apparently still viable, the Steelers should in no way think quarterback before day three of the draft, if even then.

Forget About Kickers and Punters

Same goes for kickers and punters. While Drew Butler can improve, there’s no need to use a draft pick on a punter – we saw what happened the last time they did that.  And Shaun Suisham kicked incredibly well in 2012. Drafting a kicker would be a waste.

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List of the Pittsburgh Steelers (Known) Pre-Draft Visits

Just like every other NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers spent much of April entertaining NCAA collegiate football players in advance of the 2013 NFL Draft.

At first the stream of news of players making visits to Pittsburgh in advance of the NFL Draft was steady, and it was clear that the Steelers were interested in linebackers.  Or they were trying to fake the rest of the NFL into think linebacker was a priority. Then, as pointed out in a recent edition of Steel Curtain Rising’s Watch Tower, the news stopped.

For some undisclosed reason, the Steelers abruptly stopped making announcements on which college players were making visits to the South Side in advance of the 2013 NFL Draft.

However, bloggers who were willing to roll up their proverbial sleeves and sort through Twitter feeds and the like could get some insight on additional pre-Draft visits to the Steelers.

To that end, Steel Curtain Rising has compiled the following list of college players who visited the Steelers South Side complex prior to the 2013 NFL Draft.

College Running Backs Visiting the Steelers
Christine Michael, Texas A&M
Johnathan Franklin, UCLA
Le’Veron Bell, Michigan State
Eddie Lacy, Alabama

College Offensive Tackles Visiting the Steelers
Nik Embernate, San Diego State University

College Linebackers Visiting the Steelers
John Simon, OSU (Ohio State University)
Vince Williams, FSU (Florida State University)
Jarvus Jones, University of Georgia
James Collins, Southern Mississippi University
Khaseem Greene, Rutgers University
Michael Mauti, Penn State
Malliciah Goodman, Clemson University
Sio Moore, University of Connecticut

College Wide Receivers Visiting the Steelers
Josh Boyce, TCU (Texas Christian University)
Justin Brown, Okalahoma University
Tavarres King, University of Georgia

College Cornerbacks Visiting the Steelers
Blidi Wreh-Wilson, University of Connecticut
Xavier Rhodes, FSU
B.W. Web, William and Mary University
Tharold Simon, LSU (Louisiana State University)

College Safeties Visiting the Steelers
Jonathn Meeks, Clemson University
Philip Thomas, Fresno State University
Shamarko Thomas, Syracuse University
Will Davis, Utah State
Duke Williams, University of Nevada

That’s a list of 25. Per NFL rules, the Steelers were allowed to invite up to 30 college players to make visits prior to the 2013 NFL Draft. So the identities of five other players, in addition to whatever players they invited in from Pitt, are unknown.

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Watch Tower: Breaking Down Emmanuel Sanders Coverage, Non-Coverage of McLendon and Redman Stories

Emmanuel Sanders signing, a run on Steve McLendon, Isaac Redman staying in Pittsburgh. And that doesn’t even count the 2013 NFL Draft. It has been a busy few weeks in Pittsburgh, and this edition of the Watch Tower shines its light on how those stories were (or weren’t covered) by the Steelers press corps.

Money Don’t Buy [Emmanuel Sanders] Love

Don’t blame Emmanuel Sanders next season if he pulls a Greg Lloyd like black out of the Pittsburgh media, because if the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association were calling the shots, Manny Sanders would be an New England Patriot now.

Jim Wexell of Steel City Insider set the tone when news of New England’s interest in Sanders broke:

Can't agree with anguish of #Steelers fans. And I really can't understand the Patriots here. Give me the third-round pick for Sanders.
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) March 16, 2013

Ed Bouchette wrote a full length story declaring that keeping Sanders would be a bigger risk for the Steelers than letting him go, and labeling the choice a “no brainer.” For Mark Kabloy of the Tribune-Review, the one year nature of the Sanders tender was the deal breaker.

Dale Lolley honed in on Sanders injury history and also against the short-term nature of the deal, although Lolley should be credited for reporting on a split between the front office and the coaches on what to do about Sanders (although ESPN's John Clayton broke the news, duly cited by Lolley.)

To find Love for Sanders, you have to go to Peter King of Sports Illustrated who devoted points 6 and 7 of his “Ten Things I Think I Think” of his MMQB column to the Sanders situation. First he blasted New England for its half-hearted, short term offer to Sanders, and praised Sanders, citing his team-high 14.2 yards per catch average.

Ivan Cole of Behind the Steel Curtain also wrote a strong defense of the Sanders signing, although BTSC’s readers voted overwhelmingly for the Steelers to take the pick and let Sanders walk (full disclosure I also write for BTSC.)

 So You Say Sanders Had Multiple Suitors…

After the Steelers matched New England’s offer for Sanders, Dale Lolley immediately told his readers to expect a long-term deal to be worked out.

• Not so fast, shot back Sanders agent Jordan Woy, indicating that Sanders had “several offers” from NFL teams.

Ed Bouchette followed up the story, writing:

Whether he plays for them beyond that is problematic, and the Steelers had to know that when they decided to keep him for another year. 

The New England Patriots weren't the only ones to offer Sanders a contract in free agency, and the Steelers might not be able to keep him beyond next season. [Emphasis Added]

Woy’s statement is woven in pure agent talk. Of course he’s supposed to say his client had plenty of offers (although if that’s the case, then why sign the one that is only for one year?)

But were there really teams lining up to throw money at Sanders? The average fan has no way of knowing, and relies on beat writers for that insight.

• Unfortunately, Ed Bouchette offered none. 

He writes as if the multiple offers for Sanders were a matter of fact, yet gives his readers zero indication as to whether he has verified this claim with any sources, be they named or unnamed.

The Watch Tower has praised Ed Bouchette for his journalistic acumen before and no doubt will again, but the Post-Gazette’s readers deserved more from the “Dean” of the Steelers press corps on this one.

In fairness, though, Bouchette at least covered that aspect of the story whereas the Tribune Review appears to have ignored it.

McLeondon Coverage and... Non-Coverage

Steelers Nation got a jolt last week when news broke that the Green Bay Packers were working out starting nose tackle Steve McLendon, in news broken by the Baltimore Sun via Twitter.

Both Mark Kalboy and Ed Bouchette commented on the story via Twitter. Behind the Steel Curtain wrote a story on the visit and then a follow up suggesting that the Packers might simply be trying to pressure their own nose tackle B.J. Raji into extending his contract.

Ed Bouchette followed with a story on PG Plus, but readers of the regular Post Gazette online got nothing. (As PG Plus still refuses to take my money, I am unable to comment on the quality or depth of Bouchette’s story.)

In contrast, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review printed nothing on the story. A look at their main Steelers page as of 2:00 pm Eastern on Saturday 4/20/13 reveals nothing at all on Steve McLendon. Nothing on his visit to Green Bay, nothing on the 3 year deal that the Steelers signed him to.

• There’s not even a comment on their Steel Mill blog.

The Trib’s writers did comment on McLendon via Twitter to be sure, but offered nothing to readers hungry for more than 140 character bites of information on a story with major implications for the Steelers defense in 2013.

• The Tribune Review earns a big, black mark for its non-coverage of the McClendon story.

If You Happened to Want to Read More about Redman...

The other X Factor in the Steelers restricted free agent situation was Isaac Redman. They’d been rumors that a team might make a run on him, but nothing serious got published to that effect and probably for good reason as Redman signed his restricted free agent tender on Thursday evening without getting an offer.

• Not that you would have found out about it by reading the Tribune Review, Post-Gazette, or even Behind the Steel Curtain.

Mark Kalboy did report the news via Twitter, but Redman remains a popular player in Steelers Nation, and his assured return means that he figures to be a major part of the Steelers rushing offense in 2013 and those two facts should have warranted more substantial coverage.

Steelers Black Out News on Visits in Advance of the 2013 NFL Draft 

Early in the month news of the Steeles pre-Draft visits flowed freely, and it was clear that they were evaluating a lot of linebackers.

• Then suddenly, the news stopped.

This is not the first time the Steelers have tried to keep their pre-draft visits secret. Ed Bouchette shared this news with his readers a few off seasons ago on PG Plus, although if memory serves, he was able to uncover and publish the identities of several visitors.

Perhaps he did the same this year on PG Plus. Again, as PG Plus won’t take Watch Tower’s money, I have no way of knowing.

Jim Wexell did report on Twitter that Sio Moore visited the South Side on April 11th:

Sio Moore visiting today. Talked to him at combine. He wore glasses and seriousness reminded me of a Singletary, Kirkland. Great 3rd rd buck
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) April 11, 2013

The average fan has little way of gauging whether it is easy or hard for reporters to find out who is making visits to the Steelers in advance of the 2013 NFL Draft if the Steelers refuse to announce those visits.

But readers should have been informed of the news black out, instead of simply suffering a sudden stop of information.

Ta’amu Takes a Cheap Shot from Steelers Depot

Shortly after news broke that Alameda Ta’Amu had pleaded guilty to a number of counts stemming from last fall’s drunken rampage on the South Side took a cheap shot.

Ta’amu was unfortunate enough to have a friend tweet an old photo of him holding a liquor bottle in the back seat of a car.

• Ta’amu made matters worse by being dumb enough or at least inattentive enough to retweet it.

The website Steelers Depot pounced on the move, suggesting that Ta’amu was out the night before “celebrating” his relatively light sentence, and later updating the post suggesting that the fact that Ta’amu had his “friend” take down the photo was an admission of guilt.

However, as Neal Coolong of Behind the Steel Curtain pointed out, the photo was taken during the day and during the spring or summer, lending credibility to Ta’amu’s insistence that the photo was an old one.

Steelers Depot’s suggestion little more than a cheap shot, and BTSC deserves credit for calling them out on it.

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James Harrison Signs with Cincinnati Bengals

What does James Harrison share with Neil O’Donnell not to mention John Jackson, Myron Bell, Oliver Gibson, and Jamain Stephens?

If you guessed that he was an ex-Steelers who wound up as a Cincinnati Bengal then you’d be spot on.

Allen Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review is reporting that the Cincinnati Bengals signed James Harrison to a 2 year contract. Terms were not disclosed, although it is likely for less money than he left on the table when Steelers tried to get him to accept a 30% pay cut. When Harrison balked, the Steelers cut him, and Harrison has been trying to land a job with another AFC North team since then.

Harrison himself tweeted the news, showing he's already incorporating lingua franca of The Jungle into his vocabulary.

Whodey!!!!!!!!!!! Hello Cincinnati!!!!
— James Harrison (@jharrison9292) April 19, 2013

In an trivial twist to the story, Behind the Steel Curtain is citing an ESPN report that says that Harrison will not actually sign the contract until May.

• Not that it really matters.

With the acquisition of Harrison, Cincinnati cements what is one of the more underrated defenses in the NFL. Unlike Pittsburgh, the Bengals play a 4-3 and how Harrison exactly fits in is unknown but the Bengals already have formidable players such as Gino Atkins, Michael Johnson and Carlos Dunlap in what is one of the strongest front 7’s in the league.

• One thing is clear.

James Harrison still has something left. He may not be the player he was in 2008 or even 2010, but Harrison has something in the tank.

And nobody thrives on motivation like James Harrison.

• If you doubt it, just watch the Steelers 75 Anniversary game where he essentially ended Steve McNair's career as a starter.

That cannot be a reassuring thought for Ben Roethlisberger, who must doubling down on his rosary decades, praying that the investments the Steelers have made in Marcus Gilbert, Mike Adams, and David DeCastro pay off in the form of them developing into players capable of protecting him.

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