Today we’re going to take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of a new four-round mock draft by NFL.com’s Chad Reuter. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a laundry list of NFL design needs, and ultimately it comes down to how the front office ranks those needs in a very deep design.
In the first round, Reuter lets the Steelers take former USC assault tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker. Vera-Tucker’s experience at both guard and tackle would be enticing to Pittsburgh. There might be even more technically better tackles on the board, but as an all-round guy with a high ceiling, Vera-Tucker makes sense here.
The Steelers move into round two and go a little off-script with Asante Samuel Jr., a Florida State corner kick If round two goes this way, it’s safe to assume things went wrong for the Steelers in free agency with Cam Suttin and Mike Hilton. Pittsburgh hasn’t had much luck drafting cornerbacks, but this one could be a necessity.
Stanford center Drew Dalman is Steelers’ pick in the third round. This is where things take a turn for me. I don’t see Dalman as an NFL starter with his lack of strength and technique. There are much better options for the Steelers in this round.
Finally, in the fourth round, the Oregon Steelers select Jermar Jefferson back down. Like Dalman in the third round, this choice doesn’t feel like a good use of the choice in such depth. There’s no denying the Steelers want to draft a running back, but Jefferson is almost completely unobtrusive in every aspect of his game.