Re-Visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2014 Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected nine players in the 2014 NFL draft. Though it will take at least three seasons to determine whether the draft class was a success, we can look back at each player's rookie year and try to predict the future.

Who may start in 2015? Who still needs more development? And who is already off the roster? Let's revisit the players the Steelers drafted in 2014 to see what their sophomore seasons may hold.

Round 1: LB Ryan Shazier

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The Pittsburgh Steelers hoped that first-round 2014 draft pick Ryan Shazier would add speed to their interior pass rush. The Ohio State inside linebacker came to the team familiar with then-defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's system, ideally making him a quick study and at best, a starter.

Indeed, Shazier was a starting inside linebacker for his first three games, until he was sidelined by an MCL sprain that kept him off the field until Week 8. He started again in Weeks 8 and 9, but a high-ankle sprain suffered in the latter game, against the Baltimore Ravens, pushed him back off the field until Week 15.

By the time Shazier returned, he was a rotational player, splitting time with Sean Spence and Vince Williams. Ultimately, Shazier played 283 defensive snaps in his rookie season, or 47.8 percent of the Steelers' total defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He ended the year with 36 combined tackles, two tackles for a loss and one pass defensed. He logged no sacks and just four quarterback hurries.

2015 Prognosis

Injuries marred Shazier's rookie season, but when he was on the field the Steelers were not hesitant to start him until their rotational system served them well at the end of the season. Shazier's speed was evident in 2014, but it's clear with diminished playing and practice time, his technique still needed more development, as evidenced by his zero sacks and limited work in coverage.

The 2015 season will be an important one. Shazier needs to take complete control of starting inside linebacker duties alongside Lawrence Timmons, with Spence and Williams relegated to situational work. It will all depend on Shazier's ability to stay healthy, which, given his history and the nature of the sport, is never a guarantee. 

Round 2: DE Stephon Tuitt

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Defensive end has been a shaky position for the Steelers in the draft, but it was one they could not ignore in 2014. Thin at the position, as well as aging, that need drew them to Stephon Tuitt in Round 2 of last year's draft.

Given the complex nature of the Steelers' defense, it's not surprising that Tuitt did not crack the starting lineup until the end of the season, owing partially to fellow rotational end Brett Keisel's placement on injured reserve with a triceps tear. Still, he sat behind clear disappointment—and free-agent acquisition—Cam Thomas for arguably far too long.

Despite not starting until Week 14, Tuitt played in all 16 regular-season games and the Steelers' one playoff appearance. He played 456 snaps—146 in run defense, 259 in pass rush, according to Pro Football Focus—just a handful fewer than either Keisel or Thomas. He totaled 17 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and five quarterback hits and 11 hurries in his rookie season.

2015 Prognosis

Thomas was a disappointment in 2014, coming in as Pro Football Focus' last-ranked 3-4 defensive end on the year. Keisel has one year left on his contract, worth an affordable $1.5 million and has "been preparing" for his eventual retirement, though it may not come this year. But even if Thomas and Keisel are both playing for the Steelers in 2015, expect Tuitt's playing time—and starts—to rise.

Tuitt and Cam Heyward are the Steelers' long-term futures at starting defensive end. Though other players may get on-field work, it will only be on a rotational, situational basis. Tuitt, in his limited playing time in 2014, looked like he was getting a good grasp on the transition from college to the NFL. Tuitt will be a true starter for the Steelers in 2015. Thomas will serve as bench depth, and Keisel, should he remain, will rotate in and out and provide veteran leadership on the sidelines and in the locker room.

Round 3: RB Dri Archer

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Dri Archer is the quintessential Todd Haley vanity draft pick. Haley loves to incorporate smaller, faster players as situational components to his offenses, and the 5'8", 173-pound Archer, who ran a 4.2-second 40-yard dash at the 2014 scouting combine, certainly fits that mold.

Unfortunately, there just wasn't room for Archer on the football field for the Steelers in the 2014 season. The Steelers boasted first two running backs—Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount—pushing Archer down that position's depth chart. Though Blount ultimately walked out on, and was cut from, the team, it was at a point when Bell had established his dominance as both a runner and receiver for the Steelers offense.

At the same time, wideout Antonio Brown was putting together the NFL's best season at the position, while fellow rookie Martavis Bryant was becoming a deep-passing home run threat. Add in pass-catching tight end Heath Miller and there simply weren't many chances for Archer to touch the ball.

Haley also noted this in January, saying, "I think he is developing no different than any other young guy that has come into the mix this year. His has been a lack of opportunity as much as anything else." As such, Archer rushed only 10 times for 40 yards and had seven receptions for 23 yards. He had zero touchdowns.

2015 Prognosis

It wasn't just the prodigious offensive depth chart that kept Archer's touches low in his rookie season—it's also an issue of how to use him. With small stature and blazing speed, defenses know what to expect when Archer is on the field. There isn't much of an element of surprise—Archer won't be out there blocking pass-rushing linebackers, for instance.

That struggle for Archer to fit in will continue into 2015, especially with the core of the Steelers prodigious offense still intact. Archer could have a window of opportunity—the expected two-game suspension of Bell—to get touches and interweave himself into Pittsburgh's offense. But for now it appears to be an uphill battle for Archer to be a major factor for the Steelers in his sophomore year.

Round 4: WR Martavis Bryant

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The Steelers' 2014 fourth-round pick, wide receiver Martavis Bryant, finally fulfilled quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's longstanding wish for a tall target. At 6'4" and 211 pounds, Bryant certainly fits that bill. But it took him some time to hit the field. 

Bryant suffered a preseason sprain to his AC joint and didn't have the strongest training camp. Head coach Mike Tomlin told Bryant that until he could be a dominant player on the scout team, he wouldn't be active on game day. "Once he gave me the opportunity," Bryant said, "I told him that I wasn't going back there."

It took until Week 7 for Bryant to be a part of the 53-man roster, but true to his word, he never relinquished the opportunity to hold on to the job. In 10 games (including one playoff appearance), he caught nine touchdowns. In the regular season, he caught 26 of 49 targets, for 549 yards and eight scores. He averaged a team-leading 21.1 yards per reception and had the longest score of the year, which went 94 yards.

2015 Prognosis

Much like in 2014, Bryant will have to battle with fellow receiver Markus Wheaton for the starting job on the outside alongside Antonio Brown. But given how huge of an impact he had, especially as a touchdown threat, in his rookie year, it will be hard for Wheaton to win out.

Wide receiver is a hard position to master as an NFL rookie; the second year is when the truly talented break out. Bryant seems poised to have a dominant 2015 season in the Steelers' rejuvenated offense. Double-digit touchdowns should be a given.

Round 5: DB Shaquille Richardson

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Fifth-round cornerback Shaquille Richardson did not have a long career with the Steelers. He suffered a knee injury in the preseason and was eventually placed on the practice squad/injured reserve list in mid-October. Five days later, Richardson was released with an injury settlement.

2015 Prognosis

The fifth round of the draft isn't the Steelers' luckiest. Richardson was the second fifth-round cornerback in as many years released with injuries as a rookie.

In fact, only one fifth-round pick in recent years is on the Steelers' roster—cornerback William Gay, drafted in 2008. And Gay is back with the Steelers after having been released after his rookie contract expired, spending one season with the Arizona Cardinals before returning to Pittsburgh in 2013.

The Steelers need to do better in the fifth round of the draft, though of course injuries are unpredictable. 

Round 5: OL Wesley Johnson

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Offensive lineman Wesley Johnson was taken in the fifth round of the 2014 draft to add depth to the Steelers' line. However, he never dressed for a game and was released by the team in October.

Behind the Steel Curtain's Neal Coolong surmised that the Steelers released Johnson to free up room to sign Ross Ventrone to assist on special teams, with safety Shamarko Thomas sidelined for Week 6. Their hope was, guessed Coolong, that Johnson would pass through waivers and could safely land on the Steelers' practice squad.

That was not to be, however, with the New York Jets picking up Johnson from the waiver wire ahead of the Steelers. Yet another fifth-round draft pick was lost to history.

2015 Prognosis

The Jets' acquisition of Johnson is just a reminder that football is a business. While the Steelers may have been confident that no other team would come calling for Johnson, allowing him to join their practice squad, their strategy backfired. The Jets laid in wait and snagged Johnson as soon as they could.

The lesson here is to make sure all risks taken with the roster are well-calculated. The Steelers essentially traded a free-agent special teamer for their second of two 2014 fifth-round draft picks. Still, a contributor on special teams provides far more value than a reserve offensive lineman who didn't dress for a single game.

Round 6: LB Jordan Zumwalt

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Sixth-round inside linebacker Jordan Zumwalt only appeared in one preseason game for the Steelers in his rookie season before landing on injured reserve with a lingering groin injury in August. He played 25 snaps in the team's second preseason game, earning a positive grade in run defense from Pro Football Focus.

Steelers Depot's Matthew Marczi believes it's possible that Zumwalt heading to injured reserve was a strategic maneuver. They didn't have a roster spot for another inside linebacker, but putting him on the practice squad would open him up to being poached by other teams. If that is the case, the Steelers do see long-term potential in Zumwalt. He is, however, one year behind in his development. 

2015 Prognosis

The Steelers' stable of inside linebackers is no less crowded this year than the last, with Ryan Shazier, Lawrence Timmons, Sean Spence and Vince Williams all getting defensive playing time and Terence Garvin both useful depth and a special teams standout.

As such, while the Steelers clearly put in the work to keep hold of Zumwalt, Zumwalt will have a training camp battle up ahead to earn himself a 53-man roster spot. It will likely come down to beating out Garvin in special teams. If he can't, the practice squad—and the threat of being snagged by another needy team—would be in his future.

Round 6: DT Daniel McCullers

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Daniel McCullers was drafted by the Steelers in Round 6 of the 2014 draft for one reason: to provide size to the defensive line. Though the Steelers had a starting nose tackle in mind for at least the 2014 season—Steve McLendon—McCullers' 6'7", 352-pound frame could not be ignored. With a bit of development, it seemed possible he'd be the next Casey Hampton.

McCullers was inactive until Week 7 and played just 82 defensive snaps in 2014, with one start that totaled just 13 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. It was a matter of experience winning out over size, with McLendon (and also Cam Thomas, when McLendon was felled by a shoulder injury) playing the majority of the nose tackle snaps in 2014.

McCullers totaled two tackles and three quarterback hurries in his rookie year.

2015 Prognosis

Expect the competition for McLendon's starting nose tackle spot to heat up this year. McLendon's shoulder injury seems to be a chronic condition and his durability is questionable, with McLendon missing six full games and parts of others since being named starter in 2013. 

There is also the question of McCullers' nastiness: Cam Heyward said in October that the Steelers coaches and players are trying to "pull out" a nasty streak, which is something McCullers finds less important, responding, "If I use my hands and stay low I'm not worried about a nasty streak. That's not me. They see it in me that I can be a great player."

There's also the fact that the Steelers play more and more of their defensive snaps out of the nickel, reducing the need for a traditional nose tackle like McCullers. As such, McCullers should see more playing time in 2014, but even if he beats out McLendon for the starting job, he won't be getting 800 or more snaps.

Round 7: TE Rob Blanchflower

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The seventh round is where teams find developmental flyers and players who may or may not be long for the NFL. In 2014, the Steelers' seventh-round pick was tight end Rob Blanchflower, from Massachusetts.

Blanchflower appeared in all four of the Steelers' preseason games, playing a total of 61 snaps according to Pro Football Focus. However, he was only targeted as a receiver twice, with one five-yard catch and one drop. An ankle sprain limited his preseason usage. Blanchflower spent all of the 2014 season on the Steelers' practice squad.

2015 Prognosis

The 2014 depth chart at tight end, including practice squad, wasn't kind to Blanchflower, but he still managed to stay with the developmental unit for the entire season. Clearly, the Steelers see something worth nurturing in Blanchflower, who was known in college as a blocking tight end with receiving upside.

That upside will need to make itself known in 2015. However, the Steelers are rapidly approaching the end of the Heath Miller era, which means the team's other, younger tight ends will get a longer look—and longer leash—than they would have four or five years ago. As such, Blanchflower does have a true shot at making the Steelers' 53-man roster this year.