Steelers Pre Combine Mock Draft

Now that the East West Shrine game and the Senior Bowl are finished as well as 335 players have been officially invited to the Combine, its time to take another look at our needs.

While I thought in the past I have done more research and planning than other websites concerning Steeler mock drafts (2010 getting 7/10 right) it looks like Ive taken another step towards getting even better tonight.

Did you know that there have been NO, ZERO, NONE underclass Cornerbacks drafted by the Tomlin regime?  Ever.  Nope, neither did I... until tonight.  I was reviewing and comparing a few of the mid round CBs (as MT prefers to draft them) when 2 CBs grabbed my attention.  Both were juniors.  With the possible loss of Ike, and the discovery that Curtis Brown is nothing more than a Special Teamer, there isnt anything behind Tez and Gay.  So how would 2 very young CBs fit, and possibly make an impression, on our defense?  Yes, LeBeau prefers to give the defensive rookies a redshirt, but how far behind would they be if they only had 3 years experience in college- AND had to wait a year to even get any real playing time???

This give me the idea to check the CBs drafted by Tomlin and Co. to see just how many Juniors weve drafted.  And like I said, zero was the answer.  Almost 10 CBs drafted anywhere from the 3rd thru 7th rounds, but ALL of them had at least 4 years of college, even with some having playing time as Freshmen.

FWDD to tonight.  With this new information in hand I decided to take yet another look at who we're losing, who we may lose, and who we may show the door.  I put all of this together with our draft history and came up with a final mock that even my Bears Blogger friend DeShawn hasnt even seen (I do tend to run these by him to get his opinion, but this one clicks so well that it had to be shared to everyone).

Some final points- Im using an educated guess on the comp picks as far as what round and how many, while realistically Im probably off by 1 or 2.  Im also just as aware as you are that if you watched the SB you know damn well that "Defense Wins Championships".

Now that being said, with the 15th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select...

15 Calvin Pryor, S, Lousiville- Typical Tomlin drafting a junior with the 1st pick, however very atypical in that this pick makes back to back defensive picks last year and this one.  MT has always gone Off, Def, Off, Def back and forth.  Until now.  Just like in 2003 we are drafting the best Safety in the draft.  Yes, the best.  HaHa is only in the 1st round because he played for Bama.  The kid has speed, hands AND LOVES TO HIT.  Do ya like the Seahawks defense?  Dick does use a cover 3 at times, and even a cover 1, but if the Shark could cover the top and have Pryor closer to the LOS covering the TE or slot WR (and terrorizing the running game) then this is perfect.
Check this out:  http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/calvin-pryor-1.html

46 DaQuan Jones, DT, PSU- Our run defense is junk.  Stats and performance have both proven that our front 7 arent cutting it.  Ever since we had a stud NT like Casey weve been poor.  The 0 techs job is to take up 2 blockers allowing the remaining defense to make plays.  Steve doesnt do that.  Jones is a 1 tech (like Hampton was) and took off 20 pounds last yr to gain speed.  He showed in the Senior Bowl that even at 323 hes requires 2 OL to block him.  Coach Mitchell will probably put him on a routine to bring some of that weight back, but as muscle, before the season starts.  Jones at 6'3 335 would be dominant.

93 (COMP) Ross Cockrell,CB, Duke- A senior CB that led the ACC in picks and tackles that lit up the EW Shrine game and caught Colberts attention.  Primarily playing off man, and the speed to cover man to man is tremendous.  Throw in a few splash plays like INTs and were set.
Check this out:  http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/ross-cockrell-1.html

94 (COMP) Jaylen Watkins, CB, Florida- Another senior CB that has and can play anywhere in the secondary.  Tomlin is also a bloodlines guy, so how about the older brother of this years best WR, Sammy Watkins?  Jaylen's dedication to the team is so deep he graciously accepted the challenge of moving to safety this year as both of the Gators safeties moved on to the NFL last year.  In doing so it shows he has a working head on his shoulders as well as the tall lean build we like.

111 Donte Moncrief, WR, Ole Miss- Its not often to find a WR that is tall, fast with solid hands but the catch with Donte is his devotion to the full route tree and running the routes correctly.  Other taller WRs generally either lose speed or weight with their height.  Donte is a solid 6'2 225, with a natural glide that allows him to take the top off the defense but more importantly grab the YAC.  Being one of the better WRs in the SEC certainly doesnt hurt either.
Check this out:  http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/donte-moncrief-1.html

134 (COMP) Crockett Gillmore, TE, Colorado St- the mistake we made with Paulson was hoping he could learn how to block.  As he played more of a WR/weapon in the Duck offense, blocking was never on his to do list.  Enter Crockett.  He certainly has the size to be a valued weapon in the red zone, but even better he is a mauler at the LOS.  No, he wont leave anyone in the dust when in a route, but he certainly knows how to use his 6'6 frame to box out smaller defenders.  He was a late arrival to the Senior Bowl and showed quickly he was meant to be there.

149 Demarcus Lawrence, DE/OLB, Boise State- MT loves to find 34OLB depth in the 5th round.  Here is another.  Lawrence is a tweener that did play standing as well as a hand in the dirt, but he will need a year or 2 to nail it down.  Due to him being a junior and a tweener, he is the only pick I have falling.  With the Worilds/Woodley debacle thats coming in the off season, we need additional depth at OLB.

181 Justin Britt, OL, Mizzou- Im gonna have to guess Coach Munchak will be allowed to make an addition to his new Oline in this draft, even as depth.  Britt is very familiar with the Outside and Inside ZBS and has experience playing OT and OG.  Hes athletically big at 6'6 315.

206 Ben Gardner, DE, Stanford- Were most likely losing up to 3 DEs in the off season.  While I hope we find a way to keep Woods, I do think we could use another DE for depth, preferably one with experience as a 5 tech.  Ben is just that.  He did have an injury to finish off last year so our doctors will need to clear him, but when healthy he was a beast vs the run.

213 Roderick McDowell, RB, Clemson- We are also lacking with depth behind Da Bell.  "Hot Rod" has the speed and hands to be a solid 3rd down/change of pace back, but also take over the return duties allowing AB to focus on being the #1 WR.

230 Caleb Lacey, ILB, Oklahoma State- In my opinion Vince will be fine lining up with Timmons inside, but there isnt much depth as Foote is almost 100, and Garvin is a converted safety.  Lacey however is a little known all around LB.  Solid in run support AND pass coverage.  93 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and 4 picks in the Big 12.  Sounds good to me.
Check this out: http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/caleb-lavey-1.html