Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Needs: Broken Down By Position

Pittsburgh Steelers Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert is in a great position heading into the 2010 NFL Draft. He holds the 18th overall pick, a pick in the second, third, and fourth rounds, four fifth round picks, a sixth round pick, and a pick in the seventh round.

Of course all of that could change, but that is how it stands as I write this. By most accounts, this draft class is the most solid in years. The team went 9-7 last year and barely missed the playoffs, but was missing key defensive starters Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith for much of the season. So what should the Steelers do? Here is a summary of position needs.

QB: No need at all. Ben Roethlisberger will be back, but might miss a part of the beginning of the season. Still, the team resigned Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon played well enough in a game at Baltimore last year to make it clear that no picks are necessary to be used on this position. Also, the Steelers acquired Byron Leftwich from Tampa Bay for extra insurance. This could turn out to be a very smart move since Charlie Batch is extremely vulnerable to injuries at this point in his career.

RB/FB: Rashard Mendenhall proved himself last year as starter. Willie Parker left in free agency. While Mewelde Moore, Frank Summers, Carey Davis, Isaac Redman, Stefan Logan, and Justin Vincent are on the roster now, don't expect them all to be after training camp. A player I think would fit in well at either RB or FB and should slide low enough in the draft for the Steelers to use a later pick on him would be Stanford RB Toby Gerhart. If he is still available in the fourth round, the team should definitely take him.

WR: The outlook at this position changed in a hurry with the surprise trade of Santonio Holmes to the Jets. Mike Wallace will now be the second receiver. Antwaan Randle-El and Arnaz Battle joined the team. Of course Limas Sweed remains. If only he gets past his "personal issues" and starts catching Big Ben's passes. As tempting as it is to select Notre Dame WR Golden Tate with the first round pick, the team has more pressing needs.

TE: No needs here, Heath Miller still gets the job done and Matt Spaeth is a capable backup who just needs to not pee in public anymore.

OL: This is a position that warrants a pick in rounds 1 or 2. The team's difficulty running the ball in short-yardage situations and Ben Roethlisberger being sacked 50 times last season are all the evidence you need. This draft has plenty of good offensive linemen in the first round alone. The hot rumor lately is that the team wants Idaho G Mike Iupati. If he isn't available though, Florida C Maurkice Pouncey and Rutgers T Anthony Davis deserve a look.

DL: For this group, skill isn't the issue, but age is. Brett Kiesel, Casey Hampton, and Aaron Smith are all over 30. The Steelers used their first round pick last year on DE Ziggy Hood, but this position should be considered in the top three rounds. Alabama NT Terrence Cody is 6-3 and weighs 354 lbs., making him a reasonable eventual replacement for Casey Hampton. As for DE, the Steelers have a magical ability of finding gems in the later rounds. Brett Keisel was a seventh round pick and Aaron Smith was a fourth round pick.

LB: For a team running a 3-4 system, a good linebacking corps is essential. In many games last season, this unit carried the defense. Most teams would dream of having James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley at OLB. Lawrence Timmons is a work in progress at ILB. James Farrior is 35 and nearing the end of his career fast. Larry Foote rejoined the team, and Keyaron Fox showed himself to be a capable backup last year. Linebacker is another position the Steelers have traditionally had luck at drafting. It shouldn't be a top priority at least for this year.

DB: This unit was by far the worst last season. Getting lit up by Bruce Gradkowski and Matt Cassell was not a good sign. Troy Polamalu's absence exposed many of the secondary's weaknesses. The cornerbacks did not get a single interception until Week 17. If you watched the Steelers at all last season I don't need to elaborate on how pitiful CB William Gay's performance. Florida CB Joe Haden will most likely not be available by the time the Steelers select, but there are still plenty of options including the Safety position. Boise St. CB Kyle Wilson should still be available. An interesting sleeper pick for later rounds could be IUP CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah. USC S Taylor Mays and Texas S Earl Thomas also deserve consideration in the first round. If the Steelers don't address the offensive line in the first round, they must address the secondary.

K/P: The Steelers have brought back Jeff Reed and Daniel Sepulveda, so these positions are set. Reed just needs to stay out of trouble off the field.