Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 NFL Draft: Character Could Influence Selections

Last season at this time the Steelers were still basking in the glow of winning their NFL-record sixth Lombardi Trophy.

Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes were Super Bowl heroes with their all-time highlight reel pass and catch with only seconds to go.

Flash forward one year. 

Holmes is in the news for an incident at a night club and Roethlisberger is in the news for his second sexual assault case.

While both players may be innocent, they have brought a dark cloud above the Steelers organization. The ownership is not happy, Commissioner Roger Goodell is not happy, and the eyes of the sporting world will be watching to see how these situations are handled.

In less than two weeks, the Steelers will be adding a new influx of talent through the NFL draft.  Will they take a risk on a college player who has character flaws or will they look past that and draft the most talented players?

Looking into the past, the Steelers are willing to look past character flaws in favor of talent.

Marvel Smith, former tackle, tested positive for marijuana while in college in 1998 and then was charged for possession of marijuana in 2002.  Despite this, Smith had a long and productive career with the Steelers.

While in college, guard Chris Kemoeatu was suspended by Utah after kicking an opponent in the face.  There were concerns that he would not be able to control his temper while on the field.  Since joining the Steelers, Kemoeatu has not found himself in trouble.

Santonio Holmes admitted to selling drugs as a teenager.  After joining the Steelers, he has been arrested for disorderly conduct, domestic violence, and possession of marijuana but had charges dropped both times, in addition to his most recent legal trouble.  Holmes is also developing into a big play receiver and has a Super Bowl MVP award.

But after the recent news stories, maybe the Steelers will not be so willing to take a chance on a prospect with questionable character.  In addition, they may be looking for replacements for players on their current roster who may find themselves on the way out. 

One such player is Holmes.

The hot topic right now is the future of Holmes in Pittsburgh.  Rumors are flying all over the place that the management is not happy with Holmes’ Twitter posts and that Holmes wants out of Pittsburgh.  Compound this with his repeated run-ins with the law, Holmes may be out of Pittsburgh sooner rather than later.

This offseason they brought in Antwaan Randle El and Arnaz Battle to deepen the wide receiver position.  But they may also have positioned themselves to move on from Holmes either this year or next year.  Mike Wallace’s emergence as an outside threat gives the Steelers a potential starter.  With Hines Ward still playing at a high level and Randle El’s ability to play the slot, the Steelers have a good trio.

The bigger signal that the Steelers may be looking to move on is the number of receivers that they have brought into Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit.  Six receivers have visited with the Steelers, including three first or second round prospects: Dez Bryant (Oklahoma State), Golden Tate (Notre Dame), and Arrelious 'Regis' Benn (Illinois).

There is no secret that the Steelers have great interest in Golden Tate.  In addition to bringing him to Pittsburgh, they interviewed him at the combine. Tate is a dynamic talent at receiver and returner and would be a good fit for the Steelers.  More importantly, Tate emerged as a leader on the Fighting Irish.

Benn did not have nearly the production that Tate had at the college level, but does have the prototypical size for an NFL receiver, just as Bryant does.

Bryant is the top receiver prospect in the draft and it is unlikely that he falls to the Steelers draft spot.  It is interesting, however, that the Steelers have shown any interest in Bryant, who was suspended for most of the 2009 season after lying to NCAA investigators about meetings he had with Deion Sanders.

After their experiences with drafting Plaxico Burress and Holmes in the first round, both of whom had concerns entering the league, I find it hard to believe that the Steelers have any serious interest in drafting Bryant.  The last thing that the Steelers need is another wide receiver with character and work ethic concerns.

Another player of special interest is LeGarrette Blount.  He is a big, physical back who would be an ideal fit for the Steelers.  He would have the ability to develop into a solid backup running back behind Rashard Mendenhall. 

Instead, the Steelers may want to cross Blount off their draft board.  After punching an opposing player in the face, Blount was suspended more most of the 2009 season.  While the Steelers took a chance on Kemoeatu for a similar incident, they also were not all over the news for legal incidents with their players.

On the other end of the spectrum, Tim Tebow and Myron Rolle are two of the highest character players that have come around in a long time.

Tebow is an unquestionable leader and hard worker.  He has spent much of the time leading up to the draft developing a new throwing motion in an effort to improve his potential as a pro quarterback.  Tebow’s will to win is second to none and these attributes alone make him a draft-worthy prospect.  Interestingly enough, the Steelers have not visited with Tebow but did have a chance to see him at the Florida Gators Pro Day.

Rolle may be the smartest player in this draft.  A Rhode’s Scholar, Rolle spent the past season studying at Oxford University, but has trained hard in preparation to enter the NFL draft since returning from England.  A three year starter for Florida State, Rolle has the experience and willingness to work to be a good NFL player.  He is also at a position where the Steelers could use a young, developmental player.  Like Tebow, the Steelers have not visited with Rolle.

By no means is it necessary that the Steelers go out of their way to draft a player, such as Tebow or Rolle, if they do not see a fit or feel that they have the potential to succeed at the professional level just to satisfy a public relations need for high character players.  Instead, they should follow their typical model where they bring in players who are hard workers and willing to put forth the effort necessary to succeed at the NFL level, but more importantly, players who fit the team needs.

Typically the Steelers will avoid players with major concerns, eliminating them from their draft boards.  Given the circumstances leading up to this year’s draft, they may also want to do the same to those even with minor character flaws.  The last thing this team needs right now as it tries to make it back to the playoffs is a player with off the field trouble.  It is time to return to the higher standard that is expected from the Pittsburgh Steelers.