Winners and Losers from Pittsburgh Steelers' Draft

"Winners" and "losers" are loaded terms when it comes to the NFL draft given that we cannot really figure out which teams successfully added new players to their rosters who can provide significant help until they actually take the field. 

However, there are winners and losers—namely, players who may lose their position on the depth chart or their roster spot entirely or position groups that will benefit from the addition of new blood.

With that in mind, here are the Pittsburgh Steelers' winners and losers from the 2015 NFL draft. 

Winner: The Pass Rush

The Steelers managed to get not just the best player available to them in Round 1 when they picked Kentucky's Bud Dupree at 22nd overall; they also managed to meet a considerable need on the defensive side of the ball. It was well-documented that the Steelers would have their eyes on the pass rush, and they managed to address it early in the 2015 draft.

Dupree joins a group of outside linebackers that had been whittled down to just three players capable of playing meaningful snaps for the Steelers this year—James Harrison, Jarvis Jones and Arthur Moats. He brings youth, he brings experience as a stand-up outside linebacker and he was a player the Steelers coveted.

The Steelers totaled only 33 team sacks last year. Harrison is 37 years old on May 4. Jones' 2014 was marred by a wrist injury, and he's totaled just five sacks in two seasons. Moats will be given starting snaps for the first time in his career this year. Adding Dupree helps the Steelers' pass-rushing plans, not just in 2015 but in the longer-term future as well.

Loser: Jarvis Jones

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in the team's post-Round 1 press conference that he anticipates newly drafted outside linebacker Bud Dupree to play on the left side this year, a position initially earmarked for Arthur Moats. But it's 2013 first-round pick Jarvis Jones—who is competing this summer with James Harrison for snaps on the right—who actually has the most to lose.

Why? Because Jones hasn't lived up to his draft billing, with five sacks and 58 combined tackles over the course of two years. Granted, some of that has to do with the seven games he missed with a fractured wrist in 2014, but Jones still hasn't emerged as the pass-rushing force the Steelers envisioned two years ago.

If Dupree is a quick study and surpasses Jones in terms of preparation and performance, it will only further highlight how frankly disappointing Jones has been thus far. And, it's possible that Dupree's presence could cut into Jones' playing time, especially if Harrison and Moats both prove to be more useful for the Steelers this year.

Winner: The Secondary

The Steelers came into the 2015 NFL draft with a few clear needs, one being the cornerback position. They managed to address it with two players who have great opportunities to compete for playing time if not start as rookies—Mississippi's Senquez Golson and Ohio State's Doran Grant.

At first glance, the selection of Golson seems odd—after all, he's just 5'9" and 176 pounds and doesn't seem suited to defending the large receivers who have fallen into fashion in the NFL.

But Golson plays bigger than he is, with Steelers Depot's Chris Nicolaou noting that he is "very physical," a "ballhawk with excellent hands" and "doesn't allow much separation" from receivers, the latter due to his speed, which was also on display with a 4.44-second 40-yard dash.

Golson totaled 136 combined tackles in four years at Mississippi along with 19 passes defensed and 16 interceptions, with 10 of those picks coming in 2014. He was Pro Football Focus' fifth-ranked cornerback in coverage in the draft class. 

The Steelers went back to the cornerback well in Round 4, selecting Grant. CBS Sports' Dane Brugler says that Grant has "[n]atural ball-skills and competes well in contested situations" and is an "[i]mproved run defender and will sting ball-carriers in run support, [who] enjoys contact."

While not particularly fast, Grant's physical nature should mesh well with the Steelers' plans for their secondary going forward. Grant had 146 combined tackles for Ohio State, 21 passes defensed and nine interceptions, with five in 2014.

Most importantly, though, is that the Steelers were able to boost one of their weakest positional groups twice in rounds that matter in this year's draft. 

Loser: Cortez Allen

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Prior to the start of the 2014 season, Steelers cornerback Cortez Allen signed a four-year, $24.6 million contract extension, a sign that the Steelers were confident that he could be a positive fixture in their secondary for seasons to come.

Instead, Allen found himself demoted from boundary corner to slot duty before being benched completely, with Antwon Blake and Brice McCain taking over his two former jobs. Allen seemed to be poised for redemption in 2015, especially considering how thin the Steelers' cornerback ranks were prior to the draft.

Now that they have taken two cornerbacks in the 2015 draft, though, Allen's spot on the depth chart is under duress. It's possible both rookies, Senquez Golson and Doran Grant, leapfrog him for playing time. And even if only one does, Allen still has Blake to contend with. 

Allen has now gone from one of the darlings of the Steelers coaching staff to a player who may spend his 2015 in a reserve role. Had Pittsburgh taken just one cornerback in the earlier rounds, Allen's chances to play significant snaps this year would have been better. But with two drafted, Allen may be shuttled to the sidelines.

Winner: Round 5

You have to go back to 2001 and offensive lineman Chukky Okobi to find a Pittsburgh Steelers fifth-round draft pick who both lasted on the roster longer than a year and actually played starting snaps. For myriad reasons—a lack of talent, injuries and last year a poaching of lineman Wesley Johnson before he could land on Pittsburgh's practice squad—Round 5 has been somewhat cursed for the Steelers.

But this year, with the selection of Penn State tight end Jesse James, the Steelers might finally have bucked their long-standing trend. James, an adept receiver and talented blocker, looks poised to be the heir apparent to Heath Miller's throne in 2016 or in 2017, when Miller is set to be a free agent (and likely hang up his cleats). 

James should see playing time this year, unlike other tight ends the Steelers have drafted recently, such as Rob Blanchflower and David Paulson. He can contribute on two-tight end sets, help out the run game and, of course, be an additional passing target for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. 

Round 5 can be a hit-or-miss round for every team. But the Steelers have struggled to find any players in the round who can stick around and make a positive impact. It looks like James could be the start of a new and better trend.

Loser: Markus Wheaton

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The Steelers chose Auburn wideout Sammie Coates in Round 3 of the 2015 draft. Coates is a project—though he has above-average size (6'1", 212 lbs) and speed (4.43 40-yard dash) for the position, he needs to work on his hands and his routes. "Raw" would be an adept description.

But, given a year to acclimate to the NFL and to work on his weaknesses, Coates could prove to be an on-field force for the Steelers. Wide receivers coach Richard Mann said on Friday, per Steelers Depot, that Coates can play the Z receiver role—a possession-style player with some deep-threat ability—and that he has the kind of athleticism you "can't coach."

If the Steelers can indeed refine Coates over the course of his rookie year, that is bad news for veteran Markus Wheaton. Wheaton will be an unrestricted free agent in 2017, but Coates' emergence could result in the Steelers moving on from him a year earlier. Wheaton only counts $842,844 against the Steelers' cap next year, making it affordable to release him.

And if they don't or if Coates needs a second year to hone his talents, then Wheaton is an unlikely candidate for a second contract from the Steelers when his current deal expires in two years. Wheaton has caught just 59 of the 100 passes thrown his way over the past two years for 708 yards and two scores.

Wheaton may be the better-prepared player of the two right now, but Coates' collegiate production (82 catches, 1,757 yards, 13 touchdowns) hints that he could prove to be the more talented player once he fixes his technical issues. Wheaton will certainly spend the rest of his career in Pittsburgh looking over his shoulder at Coates. He needs to step up in 2015 in order to convince the Steelers he's worth both playing time and a second contract.