The 2013 Draft and What the Steelers Need To Do

The offseason in Pittsburgh, never quiet but never overly active with bringing in super stars from other teams either. It hasn’t been any different so far in 2013 as the black and gold has seen several key players, both young and old, leave the team for either greener pastures or the Steelers telling them they are essentially past their prime and it’s time to move on.

Of the key guys to have departed thus far, the biggest losses have been wide receiver Mike Wallace, who was offered a mega contract with the Dolphins, cornerback Keenan Lewis, who went “home” to play for the Saints, nose tackle Casey Hampton who hasn’t been offered a contract as of yet and probably won’t be; and linebacker James Harrison, who refused a pay cut, was released and told he was not an option to re-sign.  The departure of these 4 guys, coupled with some aging vets and underperforming youth on the current roster leave some big holes for the Steelers to fill.

The Steelers have never been one to go after other teams’ free agents with this year being no different. They’ve kept a few of their own guys, Plaxico Burress for one, brought a few of their former players back, Matt Spaeth and William Gay and signed one journeymen player in quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.  Other than that, the team has been more involved in getting under the 2013 salary cap and evaluating the players for the upcoming draft.

The draft is by far and away the Steelers main way of building their roster and always has been. They believe in developing their own guys, having them play out their first contract and occasionally keeping the guys that perform up to expectations for a 2^nd contract.

This year is an important draft year as this is truly a transition year for the team, despite what Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert may tell you. They still have some All Pro level players, but they are missing impact players in key positions and will need to fill some of those positions in Aprils rookie draft.

As I go down the roster, nearly every spot has a guy capable of starting in 2013 but nearly every position could use a little youth, a guy who can be a quality back up immediately or even a starter on day one. Let’s examine this position by position by position and see what the team may be looking to do. 

Quarterback:

Obviously Big Ben is the man and there’s no disputing it but the team is in dire need of a young back up. They signed Bruce Gradkowski to be the number 2 and will not bring back Byron Leftwhich or Charlie Batch; so look for them to draft a 3^rd string guy they can slowly bring along at their own pace, somewhere in rounds 4-6.

Offensive Line:

The team appears to be relatively set as far as their starters are concerned heading into 2013 but I would expect them to look to add a little more depth. If they choose not to bring back Max Starks, which it appears to be the case, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them pick up an offensive linemen in the later rounds 6 or 7.

Tight End:

With the injury to Heath Miller the Steelers already brought Matt Spaeth back via free agency for insurance. I think the injury shows us all one thing, the team is aging everywhere, including the great Heath Miller and it may be time to consider the possibility that Heath may not be here much longer. I hope that’s not the case but it’s staring us all in the face.  I actually don’t anticipate a tight end being drafted this year but if they choose to take one, I’d expect it to be in the mid rounds 4-6.

Wide Receiver:

With the departure of Mike Wallace and the lack of production from Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders in 2012, the Steelers already brought Plaxico Burress back.  I think it was a good move but they are still in dire need of a true #1 wideout. I think Brown is a great #2 but doesn’t quite have what it takes to be a top level guy.  The Steelers absolutely will draft a guy at this position, possibly two, and you can look for the first one to be picked up somewhere from rounds 1-3.

Running Back:

Rashard Mendenhall is gone and currently the team is looking to rely on Janathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman next season. I think they can carry the load collectively but they both lack the explosiveness needed in today’s NFL.  The team is reportedly interested in Ahmad Bradshaw, formerly of the NY Giants and by the time this article is out, they could have signed him. Even if they do sign Bradshaw, he’d be a temporary fix to a problem area. The team must draft a running back in this draft and while I’d like to say they’d consider one in round one, the draft class for running backs is weak so I don’t’ see it happening. They’ll likely take one in rounds 2-4.

Defensive Line:

They have a few first round draft picks at defensive end with Ziggy Hood and Cam Heyward and they have Brett Keisel as well, who I think will be playing his last year with the Steelers in 2013. Casey Hampton probably won’t be back at nose tackle meaning that job is probably McClendon’s . I think it’s imperative they grab another defensive lineman in this draft, end or tackle, they must grab one. Unlike prior years where they did this in the early rounds, I think they can wait and pick up a talented guy in the middle rounds and look for them to attempt to do so in rounds 4-6.

Linebacker:

James Harrison is gone and won’t be back. Lamar Woodley has underperformed, Larry Foote is back but aging and Jason Woirlds hasn’t developed fast enough. Linebacker, generally the heart of the Steelers, needs an upgrade. The team will address this early; I think round 1 is likely but without question in the first two rounds. I believe the Steelers will draft a guy they project as an opening day starter and there are a few of these prospects in this draft that they can grab in round 1 or 2. Tomlin and Colbert will certainly do their due diligence when scouting the talent available this year at the linebacker position.

Cornerback:

With Keenan Lewis gone and Ike Taylor aging, the position may need to be addressed. The team brought back William Gay and they have Cortez Allen ready to start but I’m not overly impressed with any of this. I certainly think they need to grab a guy and grab one early but I don’t think they are looking to address this position this year and don’t anticipate they’ll take one at all. If they do, I suspect it will be late, rounds 5-7.

Safety:

Both Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu are aging. Clark is in the final year of his contract and probably won’t be back after 2013. Polamalu is very close to retirement and has been injured quite a bit in recent years. The team also lost backups Ryan Mundy and Will Allen in free agency so they must address this position early. They need to find a guy that can play a significant amount of snaps in 2013 and be ready to start in 2014 and I think they’ll do just that. They will attempt to address this position in rounds 1-3.

The Steelers are coming off a disappointing 8-8 season and changes are necessary. Management has proven they are not afraid to get rid of popular veterans via cuts or not re-signing them. They have also proven they will not overpay for young talent. Kevin Colbert trusts his scouting team and their collective ability to pick the right guys to fill the voids this team has. The team has always built through the draft and has had a lot of success because of it. You don’t’ win six Lombardi trophies without drafting properly.  For some teams the draft is a way to supplement a position or two, or a way to trade for superstars. For teams like the Steelers, it’s a way to build for the future while competing now. They will address all the needs they can in this upcoming draft and they will fill in the gaps with guys they feel can play Steeler football today as well as 5 years from now. There is no rebuilding in Pittsburgh, it’s called re loading.