Draft Grade: Pittsburgh Steelers
Notable Picks
15th Overall: OLB Ryan Shazier (Ohio State)
The Steelers lost LaMar Woodley in free agency this year, so they added a more than capable replacement in Shazier. But, with young, talented outside linebackers Jason Worilds and Jarvis Jones already on the roster, Pittsburgh could have used a cornerback or a wide receiver to draw coverage away from Antonio Brown much more than Shazier.
It’s easy to see why the Steelers feel in love with Shazier. This guy can do everything: he has the instincts, speed (4.38 second forty yard dash), and strength (25 reps in the 225 lb. bench press) necessary to contribute both as a cover man and as a pass rusher. At the very least, he projects to be a tackling machine. He recorded over 115 tackles in each of his last two seasons at Ohio State.
46th Overall: DE Stephon Tuitt (Notre Dame)
Pittsburgh could use a quality defensive end opposite Cameron Hayward in their 3 – 4 scheme. Tuitt had a very up-and-down year in 2013, but his frame (6’ 6”, 305 lb.) and strength (31 reps in the 225 lb. bench press) give coaches a solid foundation to build into an effective NFL starter.
97th Overall: RB Dri Archer (Kent State)
Archer had the fastest 40-yard dash time of all players in this year’s combine with an official time of 4.26 seconds. Even more impressive, one official timer at the combine recorded him at 4.16 seconds, the fastest time ever recorded by a single official at the combine.
With his limited level of competition in college, it should take a year of two before he is a reliable rusher in the NFL, but Archer will make an immediate impact on special teams as a returner. In time, he could provide an effective complement to Le’veon Bell’s style of slower but more powerful running.
118th Overall: WR Martavis Bryant (Clemson)
Bryant would have been well advised to wait a year before declaring for the draft, so he could get a chance to showcase his skills without being overshadowed by 2014 fourth overall pick Sammy Watkins. He also could have used another year of college experience to work on his drop rate, but Bryant does have the speed (4.41 forty yard dash) and size (6’ 4”, 215 lbs.) to be a valuable deep threat playing opposite Brown.
215th Overall: NT Daniel McCullers (Tennessee)
McCullers was projected as a fourth round pick in this draft, but the number of times he seemed to be overpowered in 2013 dropped him to the sixth round. The question is, was McCullers overpowered because of his lack of technique, or because offensive linemen were constantly double or even triple teaming him?
While he could use some lessons on how to better leverage his size to his advantage, at 6’ 7” and 350 lb. with 36 5/8” arms, McCullers has all the tools to be a fearsome run-plugger in the 0-tech role on the Steeler’s d-line.
Final Grade: B
If the Steelers took one of the top cornerbacks available rather than a linebacker in the first round, this grade would have been an A. They managed to add some juice to their offense with Archer and Bryant, and developmental d-line players with a lot of potential like Tuitt and McCullers could continue their legacy of great defense.
However, the Steelers failed to add quality talent to their depleted cornerback corps, so expect the defense to be beat by the pass regularly in 2014.
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