Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft: Best and Worst Cases for Every Round

The Boy Scouts of America's motto is "Be prepared." It's also a good piece of advice for teams and fans alike to take come NFL draft day.

One pick that doesn't go "as planned" (which could mean about six different things this time of year) could throw off the agendas of every team that picks afterwards, meaning a lot happens on the fly in war rooms once the action kicks off.

If a team doesn't respond to those changes well, it could prove disastrous for their draft class. That's why it's smart to be ready for everything, from the ideal to the not-so-ideal. With that in mind, here's my full, seven-round best-case/worst-case mock draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Round 1, Pick No. 24

Best Case: Dont'a Hightower, LB (Alabama)

Worst Case: Mike Adams, OT (Ohio State)

I've already mocked Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower to the Steelers, as have many draft experts and non-experts alike. Hightower has Pittsburgh written all over him and could immediately take over James Farrior's vacant position or at least get some serious time in the rotation with Larry Foote.

The thing about a "best-case" pick is that it's realistic, not a wish list. If the Steelers could get the player they wish for, then a lot of things would have to be different about that draft, and it's not worth entertaining the impossible.

So, I'm sticking with Hightower as the best possible player they could get at No. 24, and offensive tackle Mike Adams as the most realistic worst. Adams could be a first-round talent, but the jury's still out. He's already dealt with suspensions as a collegiate and may lack the kind of killer instinct necessary in a starting tackle.

The Steelers need help on offensive line, but they cannot afford to use their first-round pick on a player like Adams who may pan out to be little more than a backup.

Round 2, Pick No. 56

Best Case: OGs Kelechi Osemele (Iowa State), Kevin Zeitler (Wisconsin) or Amini Silatolu (Midwestern State)

Worst Case: Marvin Jones, WR (California)

The Steelers must address their offensive line deficiency at some point early on in the draft, and if either Kelechi Osemele, Kevin Zeitler or Amini Silatolu are on the board when they pick in the second round, they simply need to grab one of them.

If the Steelers pass on offensive line—or if for some reason Osemele, Zeitler and Silatolu are long gone—they'll have to look elsewhere. While it doesn't seem possible that it would go with a receiver in the second round, who truly knows what Pittsburgh's big board looks like? They really could "settle" with a receiver.

There's nothing worse than reaching for a receiver before his time. Taking Jones here assumes other better prospects, such as Mohamed Sanu and Alshon Jeffery, have already been spoken for. Even if they aren't and that's the direction the Steelers go, receiver is the wrong pick at the wrong time for Pittsburgh here.

Round 3, Pick No. 86

Best Case: NTs Alameda Ta'Amu (Washington) or Hebron Fangupo (BYU)

Worst Case: Tony Bergstrom, OT (Utah)

If the Steelers fail to pick up an offensive lineman in the second round, they'll need to reach for one in the third in hopes that they don't get left out in the cold later on.

That means they have to put off finding their nose tackle until Rounds 4 or 5 and, thus, pick up a player who isn't necessarily going to make all that much of an impact in his first year. This could prove especially troublesome for a Steelers defensive line that's going under quite the revamp this offseason.

So, if the Steelers cannot land Ta'Amu or Fangupo in this round (and the worst-case draft happens as I'm envisioning it), then this pick will have to be spent over-drafting a tackle such as Bergstrom.

Round 4, Pick No. 119

Best Case: Trenton Robinson, FS (Michigan State)

Worst Case: Vontaze Burfict, LB (Arizona State)

For the fourth-round best-case pick, I am poaching from my previous seven-round Steelers mock and have them selecting safety Trenton Robinson.

Safety isn't considered by many to be one of the team's most pressing needs, but I beg to differ. Troy Polamalu isn't getting any younger (neither is Ryan Clark, for that matter), and Ryan Mundy isn't the sole answer when either of these two cannot take the field.

Yes, Pittsburgh has depth on the roster at defensive back and may have a player in mind to take a starting spot someday, but competition from a mid-rounder like Robinson would certainly be useful.

For the worst-case pick, the Steelers have yet to address linebacker, therefore they stay the course of reaching for picks round after round, trying to play catchup with themselves. Hence, the addition of Vontaze Burfict in the way-too-early fourth round.

On the right team, Burfict may be able to blossom into a disciplined yet still intimidating starter, and the Steelers might just be that right team. But to bring him on this early and hope he'll be able to take over on a situational basis for Foote in his first year is a stretch.

This worst-case mock, at this point, could be described as, "desperate times call for desperate measures."

Round 5, Pick No. 159

Best Case: Isaiah Pead, RB (Cincinnati)

Worst Case: Coty Sensabaugh, CB (Clemson)

This isn't the worst of the worst cases the Steelers could get in Round 5, but I don't see the team hoping to pick up a corner this early on.

The real worst-case thing about the Steelers going with a corner in the fifth round is that it means they aren't entirely sold on Keenan Lewis, Cortez Allen or Curtis Brown being able to take up the starting spot vacated by William Gay, who went to the Arizona Cardinals in free agency.

Sensabaugh does have potential to become a starter someday, which makes him a good add, but it wouldn't bode well for how the Steelers view their current roster of corners if they do pick him up.

Isaiah Pead may not still be on the board in the fifth round,—it really all depends on how teams value running backs this year, which seems to change every season—and the Steelers do have good depth at the position.

However, the team is likely to have a renewed focus on the running game this year, and if they can get a player like Pead in the fifth round, they most certainly will.

Round 6, Pick No. 193

Best Case: Dominique Hamilton, DE/DT (Missouri)

Worst Case: Andrew Datko, OT (Florida State)

Once you get into the sixth round, it's hard to honestly say who is a best- or worst-case pickup, as all are fairly marginal players who don't generally project to start at any point in their first year.

I have DE/DT Dominique Hamilton as a best-case addition simply because he can play either 3-4 defensive end or nose tackle (with some added bulk) and would provide useful depth at both positions.

In my worst-case, I have the Steelers taking left tackle Andrew Datko. While late-round tackles can eventually amount to something, the kind of depth Pittsburgh needs on its offensive line should be the kind that could get thrown into a game the first year out, if injuries dictate that need. Datko wouldn't be that guy.

Round 7, Picks No. 231, No. 240 (Compensatory), No. 246 (Compensatory), No. 248 (Compensatory)

Best Case: Any non-QB (including K)

Worst Case: QB (any), CBs

At this point, the Steelers should be satisfied with the makeup of their secondary—both their starters and their depth as well as those defensive backs who can help out on special teams—that adding another corner in the seventh round would be more like gilding the lily than an attempt to find a hidden gem. 

And though there's yet no clear successor for Ben Roethlisberger under center, the Steelers don't need to address that issue just yet. So, bringing on another developmental quarterback who will just spend his career on the bench until he's unceremoniously let go in free agency (a la Dennis Dixon) seems to be a waste of a pick.

Other than that, the Steelers can do little wrong with whichever direction they choose to go with these final four picks, and that includes kicker. Pittsburgh is in the market for one and may decide to use a compensatory selection on one instead of waiting to pick up an undrafted free agent.

A tight end, another receiver or a running back would also be good uses of these picks.

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