Pittsburgh Steelers Address Offensive Line Needs In Draft

In his third draft as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin addressed his offensive line more in 2009 than he did in his first two tries. In 2008, it was thought the team needed to go with an offensive lineman right off the bat, after losing 10-year starter Alan Faneca.

One year later, the Steelers front office again looks genius. They have been faced with so many decisions over the years when letting veterans go—veterans who not only were long-standing starters for the team, but upstanding citizens of the community.

And it always seems to be a position of need--a position that would crumple the franchise, if they lost them—Carnell Lake, Dermontti Dawson, Jason Gildon, Levon Kirkland just to name a few.

Faneca's departure had all Steeler fans quivering. What most people forget is that Lombardi Trophies tend to make people forget certain weaknesses. Though there's no questioning what the Steelers did in 2008 was remarkable, they must address this offensive line for 2009.

 Ben Roethlisberger was sacked a league-high 47 times in 2008. Imagine what Steeler practices were like, with a defense that led the league and set a new franchise record for sacks in a season.

Again, though, the Steelers captured its sixth Super Bowl win with an offensive line that consisted of  Max Starks, Chris Kemoeatu, Justin Hartwig, Darnell Stapleton and Willie Colon. Certainly not five guys you think of when asked to name five Steelers offensive linemen, but they paved the way to the team's sixth Super Bowl.

If anyone would have told you four years ago that Starks, Kemoeatu and Colon would be wearing two Super Bowl rings, while legends like Dawson would have none, and Faneca just one ring, everyone on earth would have laughed.

Throw into the equation the fact the Steelers did not bother to sign nine-year veteran Marvel Smith, and the fact they released Kendall Simmons.

Both players showed promise at one point during their careers, but as time goes on, probably won't be classified as successful draft picks. Smith did give the team a lift when he was drafted in the second round in 2000.

Simmons may have been the more consistent lineman during his tenure, even though it was for a shorter time, had some health problems, which led to his release. He was a first-round selection in 2002.

It seemed back then, with Faneca selected in the first-round in 1998, Smith a second-rounder in 2000, and Simmons as a first-rounder in 2002, the Steelers could build a Super Bowl Championship line around those three. It didn't quite work that way.

It all takes us back to what the Steelers did to address their offensive line situation for the coming season. Is Mike Tomlin going to assume that Roethlisberger is going to be able to withstand 47 sacks again? Probably not as Tomlin drafted two linemen as part of his nine draft picks in the 2009 draft.

Though Tomlin has faced some criticism for not drafting offensive linemen with a first round pick over the previous two years, he shouldn't this time--even though it's more of a need than ever before.

Of the starters right now, neither were selected before the third round. If you told any NFL coach that he could win a Super Bowl with linemen drafted on Day Two, he might take you up on that...at least after seeing how recent history has panned out for the Steelers.

Kraig Urbik, from all the post-draft talk, may have been the steal of the second round. It's as simple as the system he played in, in college, as well as the opposition he faced. Wisconsin is known for producing interior linemen on both sides of the ball.

They're also known as a program that requires physical play if you're going to start at guard there. Urbik is just the latest one. He'll either remind the die-hard fans of Faneca, or make them forget him. 

Of all rookies, he has the best chance to contend for a starting job. He will challenge Stapleton, who initially came to the Steelers as a center, but moved over to right guard.

A.Q. Shipley, the seventh-rounder from Penn State, is just a nice story all around. Shipley returns to his hometown, after one of the most decorated careers of any lineman in Penn State history, which is saying something, and has to account for him getting a shot to make this team as a seventh-rounder. 

Shipley played at defensive tackle, guard and center during his college career. Don't be surprised if he starts off backing up Hartwig at center, but all of a sudden becomes the Steelers third guard.

The Steelers addressed the offensive line, which should give some comfort to its blue-collar fans who love watching the battles in the trenches. It might give its franchise-quarterback Roethlisberger even more comfort, knowing he won't be knocked around as much.

Larry Zierlien might be the best offensive line coach in the league—getting this line of late-round draft picks, and wandering free agents, to get the Steelers its sixth title.

With two competent draft picks, this group not only has a battle on its hands for the first time in awhile, but should become an even better strength, as a direct result of more competition.