Pittsburgh Steelers' Last-Minute 7-Round Mock Draft and Top-100 Big Board

The moment the 2015 season ended, the Pittsburgh Steelers had one goal for the offseason—improve the defense. Now that the 2016 NFL draft is here, general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin finally have the opportunity to do just that.

The draft is deep with defensive prospects, particularly at cornerback, safety and defensive tackle—three of the Steelers’ biggest needs. While they would benefit from drafting a player at any of those three positions with the No. 25 overall selection, it may be time to draft a cornerback in the first round for the first time since Chad Scott in 1997.

Colbert didn’t say that the Steelers were going to draft a defensive back in the first round, but he did acknowledge that the opportunity is there to upgrade their talent in the secondary, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“The holes are in the eye of the beholder,” Colbert said. “In the secondary, in my eyes we have some good players back there. We have some good players in the secondary. We want to enhance it. We want to add more good players. … This draft will give us the opportunity at some point.”

Whether that opportunity will come in the first round or in the fourth round remains to be seen, but we do know that the Steelers are prepared to invest heavily in improving their secondary.

With seven selections entering the draft, the Steelers will have plenty of opportunities to upgrade their talent on defense and add depth to their offense. The bottom line is that they want to have the best possible players at their disposal so they can build a roster capable of contending for a championship.

Now that the 2016 draft is finally here, let’s take a final look at Pittsburgh’s top-100 big board and full mock draft. 

Top-100 Big Board

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

William Jackson, CB, Houston

After months of preparation, the Steelers’ big board is in place. It will take into account team need as well as a prospect’s talent, production and potential. This board is ranked based on who the Steelers would take if available during their turn to select. For example, if given the choice between Jalen Ramsey and Joey Bosa, the Steelers would select Ramsey, thus he's ranked higher.

Here is a look at the top 100 prospects that the Steelers will target during the 2016 draft.

Pittsburgh Steelers Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Jalen Ramsey	CB	Florida State
2	Joey Bosa	EDGE	Ohio State
3	Laremy Tunsil	T	Ole Miss
4	DeForest Buckner	DL	Oregon
5	Vernon Hargreaves	CB	Florida
6	Shaq Lawson	EDGE	Clemson
7	William Jackson III	CB	Houston
8	Andrew Billings	DL	Baylor
9	Ronnie Stanley	T	Notre Dame
10	Karl Joseph	S	West Virginia
11	Eli Apple	CB	Ohio State
12	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
13	A'Shawn Robinson	DL	Alabama
14	Myles Jack	LB	UCLA
15	Noah Spence	EDGE	Eastern Kentucky
16	Laquon Treadwell	WR	Ole Miss
17	Vernon Butler	DL	Louisiana Tech
18	Jack Conklin	T	Michigan State
19	Sheldon Rankins	DL	Louisville
20	Keanu Neal	S	Florida
21	Taylor Decker	T	Ohio State
22	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
23	Corey Coleman	WR	Baylor
24	Leonard Floyd	EDGE	Georgia
25	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Ohio State
26	Jarran Reed	DL	Alabama
27	Jason Spriggs	T	Indiana
28	Shilique Calhoun	EDGE	Michigan State
29	Javon Hargrave	DL	South Carolina State
30	T.J. Green	S	Clemson
31	Vonn Bell	S	Ohio State
32	Kamalei Correa	EDGE	Boise State
33	Darian Thompson	S	Boise State
34	Chris Jones	DL	Mississippi State
35	Emmanuel Ogbah	EDGE	Oklahoma State
36	Kenny Clark	DL	UCLA
37	S'ua Cravens	LB/S	USC
38	Kevin Dodd	EDGE	Clemson
39	Darron Lee	LB	Ohio State
40	Josh Doctson	WR	TCU
41	Reggie Ragland	LB	Alabama
42	Joshua Garnett	G	Stanford
43	Will Fuller	WR	Notre Dame
44	Kendall Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
45	Robert Nkemdiche	DL	Ole Miss
46	Austin Johnson	DL	Penn State
47	Jihad Ward	DL	Illinois
48	Braxton Miller	WR	Ohio State
49	Jonathan Bullard	DL	Florida
50	Artie Burns	CB	Miami
51	Jeremy Cash	S	Duke
52	KeiVarae Russell	CB	Notre Dame
53	Carl Nassib	DL	Penn State
54	Sterling Shepard	WR	Oklahoma
55	Jerald Hawkins	T	LSU
56	Xavien Howard	CB	Baylor
57	Jalen Mills	S	LSU
58	Tyler Boyd	WR	Pitt
59	Germain Ifedi	T	Texas A&M
60	Justin Simmons	S	Boston College
61	Harlan Miller	CB	SE Louisiana
62	Will Redmond	CB	Mississippi
63	Yannick Ngakoue	EDGE	Maryland
64	Shon Coleman	T	Auburn
65	Zack Sanchez	CB	Oklahoma
66	Jaylon Smith	LB	Notre Dame
67	Derrick Henry	RB	Alabama
68	Willie Henry	DL	Michigan
69	Jordan Jenkins	EDGE	Georgia
70	Pharoh Cooper	WR	South Carolina
71	Cody Whitehair	G	Kansas State
72	Adolphus Washington	DL	Ohio State
73	Cyrus Jones	CB	Alabama
74	Bronson Kaufusi	DL	BYU
75	Devontae Booker	RB	Utah
76	Hunter Henry	TE	Arkansas
77	C.J. Prosise	RB	Notre Dame
78	Miles Killebrew	S	Southern Utah
79	Hassan Ridgeway	DL	Texas
80	D.J. White	CB	Georgia Tech
81	Sean Davis	CB	Maryland
82	Ryan Kelly	C	Alabama
83	Nick Martin	G	Notre Dame
84	Maurice Canady	CB	Virginia
85	Deiondre' Hall	CB	Northern Iowa
86	DeAndre Houston-Carson	S	William & Mary
87	Joshua Perry	LB	Ohio State
88	Sheldon Day	DL	Notre Dame
89	Jayron Kearse	S	Clemson
90	Le'Raven Clark	T	Texas Tech
91	Jonathan Jones	CB	Auburn
92	D.J. Reader	DL	Clemson
93	Nick Vannett	TE	Ohio State
94	Charles Tapper	EDGE	Oklahoma
95	Rees Odhiambo	G/T	Boise State
96	Kyle Murphy	T	Stanford
97	Christian Westerman	G	Arizona State
98	Paul Perkins	RB	UCLA
99	Dak Prescott	QB	Mississippi State
100	Kyler Fackrell	EDGE	Utah State

Round 1

Bob Levey/Getty Images

William Jackson, CB, Houston

Round 1, Pick 25: William Jackson III, CB, Houston

After years of avoiding cornerbacks in the first round, the Steelers will finally address their biggest need and take the top available option on the board—William Jackson III from Houston.

With a front seven already loaded with high draft choices, this is the perfect year to start rebuilding the secondary. There is a lack of talent at the cornerback position, and Jackson would be a perfect selection for the Steelers. He was selected by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com in the NFL Nation mock draft:

"

Hallelujah for wide receiver runs. The Steelers can't hide their affection for Jackson, who has combination of size, speed and natural cover skills to provide a much-needed upgrade at this neglected position. This fall to 25 is like manna from heaven. The staff spent a lot of time with him in Houston during the draft process. Some scouts consider Jackson a raw player who might be a third-down corner early on, eventually growing into an every-down role. The Steelers can work with that. 

"

At 6’0” and 189 pounds, Jackson will give defensive coordinator Keith Butler another tall cornerback to pair with Ross Cockrell to match up against the big, physical receivers the Steelers will face next year. As Fowler mentioned, even if he doesn’t win a starting job, Jackson will at least get on the field as an extra defensive back.

Jackson’s raw physical skills combined with his production at the college level—five interceptions and 23 pass breakups—make him a perfect candidate to be Pittsburgh’s first shutdown corner since Ike Taylor retired after the 2014 season.

Along with the return of Senquez Golson from injury, the addition of Jackson will give the Steelers secondary a dramatically improved look in 2016.

Round 2

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Javon Hargrave, NT, South Carolina State

Round 2, Pick 58: Javon Hargrave, NT, South Carolina State

The Steelers don’t often look to small-school prospects during the draft, but they should make an exception for Javon Hargrave.

The 6’1” and 309-pound nose tackle dominated his level of competition with 16 sacks and 23.5 tackles for a loss. His college production was apparently enough for the Steelers to attend his pro day, per Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated.   

The Steelers also brought Hargrave to Pittsburgh for a predraft visit, per Jacob Klinger of PennLive.com. Clearly, there is plenty of interest.

Although the Steelers don’t rely on the nose tackle position like they did 10 years ago, it's still a key position for the defense. They need an option capable of stopping the run when in the base defense and a player capable of taking snaps during the sub-packages.

Hargrave has shown that he is more than a run-stuffer. He combines quickness with power to rush the quarterback and could eventually develop into an asset on passing downs.

The Steelers would have to be patient with Hargrave as he adjusts to NFL-level competition, but once he does, they could have one of the biggest steals of the draft.

Round 3

Michael Conroy/Associated Press/Associated Press

Justin Simmons, S, Boston College

Round 3, Pick 89: Justin Simmons, S, Boston College

The Steelers have drafted some outstanding athletes in recent years, including Ryan Shazier and Bud Dupree. They will once again look for some of the top athletes in college football, and safety Justin Simmons from Boston College is one of the top options.

The Steelers could use an athletic presence at safety after relying on Will Allen last year, and that is exactly what they would get from Simmons.

Zach Whitman of Three Sigma Athlete uses a formula called pSPARQ to measure a prospect’s athleticism. According to his data, Simmons has the highest pSPARQ score among all safeties in this year’s draft. Along with Mike Mitchell, the addition of Simmons would provide defensive coordinator Keith Butler with an athletic pair of safeties.

The 6’2”, 202-pound Simmons has experience at both cornerback and free safety and proved to be a playmaker at Boston College. After he transitioned to a full-time safety in 2015, he finished the season with five interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

With such a tall frame, Simmons has room to bulk up and add the strength necessary to defend against the run and larger tight ends in the league. That will limit his playing time early in his career, but he has starting potential.

Round 4

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Willie Beavers, OT, Western Michigan

Round 4, Pick 123: Willie Beavers, OT, Western Michigan

Teams can never have enough depth along the offensive line, and the Steelers found this out last year. They lost two starters to season-ending injuries and relied on former undrafted free agents to take on starting roles.

When Maurkice Pouncey and Kelvin Beachum were placed on injured reserve, offensive line coach Mike Munchak plugged Cody Wallace and Alejandro Villanueva into the lineup. Though they were far from perfect, they performed well enough for the offense to play at a high level.

There is always room to upgrade depth along the offensive line, and Beavers is a talented option. He is an athletic player who started 40 straight games at left tackle. He displayed his skills at his pro day and spent time speaking with the Steelers, per Justin Dacey of MLive.com.

Beavers will need to spend the early part of his career improving his strength, but he has starting potential on either side of the offensive line and would be a highly skilled project for Munchak to develop.

Round 6

John Raoux/Associated Press

Jay Lee, WR, Baylor

Round 6, Pick 220: Jay Lee, WR, Baylor

The depth at wide receiver took a hit when Martavis Bryant was suspended for the 2016 season. It is also unknown if the Steelers will retain Markus Wheaton after his contract runs out following the season.

With so much uncertainty at wide receiver, the Steelers will look to add depth to keep this a position of strength. Although the front office has typically found gems in the third and fourth rounds, Jay Lee would provide the Steelers with a solid option in the sixth.

Lee has two years of starting experience in the explosive Baylor offense, where he finished with 101 receptions for 1,700 yards. As a senior, he averaged nearly 20 yards per reception and scored eight touchdowns.

At 6’1” and with nearly 33-inch arms, Lee has a huge catch radius, which could make him a deep threat early in his career. However, he ran limited routes in college and will need time to develop in this area, especially with Ben Roethlisberger putting a significant amount of trust in his receivers.

Lee has the potential to develop into an NFL receiver, but he will need to refine his route running before he can make a significant contribution.  

Round 7

Matt Marton/Associated Press

Dean Lowry, DL, Northwestern

Round 7, Pick 229: Dadi Nicolas, LB, Virginia Tech

The Steelers are always in the market for pass-rushers, and Dadi Nicolas is a talented late-round option.

At 6’3” and 235 pounds, he is undersized to play the outside and will need to spend a year in the weight room to be an effective option on the edge. However, the Steelers could develop him as a hybrid option capable of playing both inside and outside linebacker.

Nicolas had a strong year in 2014, with nine sacks and 18.5 tackles for a loss. Despite a successful season, the coaches moved him to defensive end, and his production dropped to just seven tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com believes that Nicolas can succeed if he is used properly:

"

Wiry edge player forced to play too often with a hand in the ground despite his clear lack of power to handle the position. Nicolas combines hustle and exciting athletic traits that will have evaluators trying to find a place for him, but without better technique and overall strength, life as an edge player might be difficult. If a team is willing to be patient, it might be worth taking a look at Nicolas as a 3-­4 inside linebacker.

"

Nicolas is a developmental project, but he has the skills to contribute on special teams as a rookie. As he grows into his role with the defense, the coaching staff can find ways to integrate him into the base defense as well as sub-packages.

Round 7, Pick 246: Dean Lowry, DL, Northwestern

Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt developed into two of Pittsburgh’s most important defenders in Keith Butler’s system. Given the focus on the position, finding quality backups capable of stepping into the defensive end rotation will be key to keeping the starters fresh throughout the season.

Dean Lowry is a classic, hard-nosed player who gets by on effort rather than natural ability. At 6’6” and 296 pounds, he has the perfect frame to play defensive end in Pittsburgh’s system, but he has short arms (31 inches), which could limit his effectiveness.

Despite his limitations, Lowry could eventually develop into a quality backup, according to Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com:

"

He doesn't play with anything less than full effort and that hustle, along with his instincts, allows him to be effective containing the edge. Lowry lacks athletic twitch and move-to-move transition to be a consistent pass rush threat in the NFL, but his initial power and unrelenting play style wears down blockers.

"

He lacks the ideal traits to start at the next level but shows the recognition skills and versatility to play various scheme techniques as a reserve.

Lowry had a surprisingly productive college career and finished on a strong note with 46 tackles, 13.5 for a loss and three sacks as a senior. He may never have the opportunity to produce at that level in the NFL but should eventually develop into a quality backup.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of Sports-Reference.com, all combine results are courtesy of the 2016 NFL Draft Tracker and all roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com.