Updating the Pittsburgh Steelers' 1st-Round Big Board Post-Combine

Prior to the start of the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine, we put together a first-round big board for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who possess the 22nd overall pick in Round 1 of this year's draft.

Though the combine did not do much to impact the draft statuses of the potential first-rounders, the exhibition can certainly result in a team shuffling their first-round targets. With that in mind, here's a new first-round draft board for the Steelers that takes into account how players performed in Indianapolis.

6. Danny Shelton, NT, Washington

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't particularly hard up for a nose tackle with both Steve McLendon and Daniel McCullers on the roster. But a mountain of a man like Washington's Danny Shelton cannot be ignored by a team that is best known for being physical and relentless on defense.

Shelton can stop the run and push the pocket, all while measuring in at 6'2" and 339 pounds. Even if the Steelers cannot bank on drafting Shelton at 22nd overall, that doesn't mean he should be off their draft board entirely.

Powerful like McCullers but athletic like a smaller nose tackle like McLendon, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah calls Shelton a "Day 1 starter" in the NFL. He can play every down, having notched 93 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2014. He's a force whether he's trying to track down a quarterback or stop a run play for no gain.

The Steelers would be more than happy to draft Shelton should he fall far enough for them to do so. That doesn't seem to be shaping up to be the case this year. But that doesn't mean the Steelers cannot want what they ultimately cannot have.

5. Dante Fowler, OLB, Florida

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Much like Danny Shelton, the Steelers are probably a long shot to be able to draft Florida edge-rusher Dante Fowler. However, given that the Steelers have a pressing need at outside linebacker and Fowler would certainly meet it as a Round 1 pick, he must remain on their draft board post-scouting combine.

Fowler ran an impressive 4.6-second 40-yard dash with a 10-yard split of 1.59 seconds. He certainly solidified his status as a speed-rusher, as if his 140 career tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks didn't already hint at his NFL potential.

NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock likened him to Oakland's Khalil Mack and Kansas City's Justin Houston as "hellacious pass rushers" who can not only "set a physical edge" in the run game but also play in coverage, something the Steelers regularly ask of their outside linebackers.

Though it's not likely that Fowler falls far enough for the Steelers to snag him in Round 1, stranger things have happened—the Steelers were able to get guard David DeCastro, considered a top-10 or 15 pick in the 2012 draft, because teams preferred other positions over interior linemen. There's no reason for the Steelers to take Fowler off of their draft board because he presently seems a long shot to play in Pittsburgh in his rookie year.

4. Jalen Collins, CB, LSU

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The Steelers are in the market to add at least one cornerback to their roster this year, given the impending departure of veteran Ike Taylor and thinness at the position when it comes to starting-caliber players. There are likely a number of cornerbacks the Steelers will be looking at in the 2015 draft class, and one that seems to have first-round potential for the team is LSU's Jalen Collins.

Collins ran a speedy 4.48 40-yard dash and also had a 6.77-second three-cone drill at the combine, solidifying that that the 6'1" cornerback has the "rare combination of height, weight and speed," that NFL.com's Lance Zierlein noted before the combine. 

Collins had 90 career tackles, three tackles for loss, three interceptions and 19 passes defensed at LSU despite getting just 10 starts. That lack of starting experience puts Collins on the bubble between the first and second rounds, but given that the Steelers make their first pick at 22nd overall, he's within the right window for the team to pick him up.

Though Zierlein notes that Collins is "still learning technique and how to sink his feet with his eyes," his  "instincts and athleticism to make plays on the ball both short and deep are what set him apart." Further, an NFC director of personnel Zierlein spoke with says that Collins "has the traits and ability to become a high-end starter and maybe the best cornerback from this draft."

There are unknowns about Collins, but from a physical standpoint he does project to be a first-rounder and a solid addition to a Steelers cornerback group that needs an injection of both youth and talent.

3. Bud Dupree, OLB, Kentucky

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Kentucky's Bud Dupree had some questions coming into the NFL Scouting Combine, namely the fact that NFL Network draft experts Mike Mayock and Charles Davis would like him to be more consistent and refined on the field. That's not something that can be addressed in the vacuum that is the combine, but Dupree did do enough in the drills to warrant the Steelers' consideration in the first round of the draft.

Dupree had 247 career tackles at Kentucky, including 37 tackles for loss. He also had 23.5 sacks, with 7.5 of those coming in 2014, when he also posted an interception returned for a touchdown. Still, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein says that Dupree "wins with athleticism over skill at this point," though he did note that "his tape doesn't always do his potential justice."

Dupree's athleticism was on display at the combine, where he had a 4.56-second 40-yard dash with a 10-yard split of 1.6 seconds, an 11'6" broad jump and a 42" vertical leap. It's all about whether he can take that athleticism and be coached up on his pass-rush technique. A coordinator like the Steelers' Keith Butler, who has spent the last 10 years coaching linebackers in Pittsburgh, could bring the best out of Dupree in quick fashion.

2. Landon Collins, S, Alabama

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The future of veteran Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is still up in the air, while fellow safety Will Allen is a free agent. Though the Steelers don't lack depth at safety, they do lack talent, which is why Alabama's Landon Collins has to be firmly on their first-round draft board, whether or not they are in position to land him at 22nd overall.

Collins had 190 combined tackles in college, including 8.5 tackles for loss. He had five interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and 13 passes defensed in his three-year career. "A true sheriff against the run," according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, Collins also "transitions to throws quickly in zone coverage and limits yards after catch," and is "aggressive in playing the ball and disrupts the catch with his physicality" when in coverage.

Still, his coverage skills are inconsistent. His speed, however, is not—Collins ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the combine. That speed means Collins could be a safety-linebacker hybrid, as NFL Network's Mike Mayock pointed out, saying, "I think he's a strong safety on first and second down, and then on third down he walks down and becomes your dime linebacker," though he did note that Collins "covers better than some people think."

Safeties in the 2015 draft class are not a dime a dozen—in fact, there's a major drop-off in talent between Collins and the rest of the position group this year. Given the Steelers' need at the position and the lack of depth in the draft, that makes Collins a target on Pittsburgh's Round 1 big board this year.

1. Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Without a doubt, Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes' combine performance had to solidify him at the top of the Steelers' draft board. The man-coverage corner has NFL shutdown ability, and his "acceleration and length to contest any throw on the field," as described by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, could see him become the top cornerback taken in the 2015 draft.

The scouting combine only served to raise Waynes' already high draft stock. He led all defensive backs in the 40-yard dash, running it in 4.31 seconds. He also had a 38" vertical leap, a 122" broad jump and had 19 bench press reps.

He also looked good in positional drills, with NFL.com's Bucky Brooks saying Waynes "exhibited the kind of athletic prowess that is routinely associated with blue-chip prospects. From his outstanding footwork, quickness and agility, to his strong hands and ball skills, Waynes has all of the tools to be an elite playmaker at the next level."

Because there are some questions about Waynes' technique, it's possible he could fall right into the Steelers' hands in the first round. But his strong combine showing could put some of those concerns to bed. Still, there cannot be a cornerback the Steelers covet more right now than Waynes. He can start immediately and give the defense an island of a defensive back that they haven't had in some time.

*All scouting combine data via NFL.com unless otherwise noted.