Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft and Big Board: Updated Day 2 Predictions

The opening round of the draft is over and the Pittsburgh Steelers got their cornerback. As a result, the cornerbacks slid down the draft board while safeties, defensive linemen and outside linebackers moved up. Expect the Steelers to focus on these positions as general manager Kevin Colbert looks to continue to secure talent on the defense while still keeping an eye out for depth for the offense.

Here is a look at the top 100 prospects the Steelers will target throughout the rest of the 2015 draft.

Top-100 Big Board

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Noah Spence, EDGE, Eastern Kentucky

Pittsburgh Steelers Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Noah Spence	EDGE	Eastern Kentucky
2	Andrew Billings	DL	Baylor
3	Vonn Bell	S	Ohio State
4	A'Shawn Robinson	DL	Alabama
5	T.J. Green	S	Clemson
6	Mackensie Alexander	CB	Clemson
7	Shilique Calhoun	EDGE	Michigan State
8	Jarran Reed	DL	Alabama
9	Michael Thomas	WR	Ohio State
10	Jason Spriggs	T	Indiana
11	Javon Hargrave	DL	South Carolina State
12	Kamalei Correa	EDGE	Boise State
13	Darian Thompson	S	Boise State
14	Myles Jack	LB	UCLA
15	Chris Jones	DL	Mississippi State
16	Emmanuel Ogbah	EDGE	Oklahoma State
17	S'ua Cravens	S	USC
18	Kevin Dodd	EDGE	Clemson
19	Reggie Ragland	LB	Alabama
20	Kendall Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
21	Austin Johnson	DL	Penn State
22	Jihad Ward	DL	Illinois
23	Jonathan Bullard	DL	Florida
24	Braxton Miller	WR	Ohio State
25	Jeremy Cash	S	Duke
26	Sterling Shepard	WR	Oklahoma
27	KeiVarae Russell	CB	Notre Dame
28	Carl Nassib	DL	Penn State
29	Jerald Hawkins	OT	LSU
30	Jalen Mills	S	LSU
31	Tyler Boyd	WR	Pitt
32	Xavien Howard	CB	Baylor
33	Yannick Ngakoue	EDGE	Maryland
34	Justin Simmons	S	Boston College
35	Germain Ifedi	OT	Texas A&M
36	Harlan Miller	CB	SE Louisiana
37	Will Redmond	CB	Mississippi
38	Shon Coleman	OT	Auburn
39	Jaylon Smith	LB	Notre Dame
40	Zach Sanchez	CB	Oklahoma
41	Pharoh Cooper	WR	South Carolina
42	Jordan Jenkins	EDGE	Georgia
43	Derrick Henry	RB	Alabama
44	Willie Henry	DL	Michigan
45	Bronson Kaufusi	DL	BYU
46	Adolphus Washington	DL	Ohio State
47	Cody Whitehair	G	Kansas State
48	Cyrus Jones	CB	Alabama
49	Devontae Booker	RB	Utah
50	Hunter Henry	TE	Arkansas
51	Sean Davis	S	Maryland
52	Miles Killebrew	S	Utah
53	C.J. Prosise	RB	Notre Dame
54	Hassan Ridgeway	DL	Texas
55	Maurice Canady	CB	Virginia
56	D.J. White	CB	Georgia Tech
57	Nick Martin	C	Notre Dame
58	Deiondre' Hall	CB	Northern Iowa
59	Deandre Houston-Carson	S	William & Mary
60	Joshua Perry	EDGE	Ohio State
61	Kyler Fackrell	EDGE	Utah State
62	Jayron Kearse	S	Clemson
63	Sheldon Day	DL	Notre Dame
64	Le'Raven Clark	T	Texas Tech
65	Jonathan Jones	CB	Auburn
66	D.J. Reader	DL	Clemson
67	Nick Vannett	TE	Ohio State
68	Charles Tapper	EDGE	Oklahoma
69	Rees Odhiambo	OL	Boise State
70	Kyle Murphy	T	Stanford
71	Paul Perkins	RB	UCLA
72	Christian Westerman	G	Arizona State
73	Dak Prescott	QB	Mississippi State
74	Charone Peak	WR	Clemson
75	Kenneth Dixon	RB	Louisiana Tech
76	Rashard Higgins	WR	Colorado
77	Kenny Lawler	WR	California
78	Rashard Robinson	CB	LSU
79	Caleb Benenoch	OL	UCLA
80	Eric Murray	CB	Minnesota
81	Alex Collins	RB	Arkansas
82	Christian Hackenberg	QB	Penn State
83	Joe Haeg	T	North Dakota State
84	Jatavis Brown	LB/S	Akron
85	Willie Beavers	T	Western Michigan
86	James Cower	EDGE	Southern Utah
87	Maliek Collins	DL	Nebraska
88	Joe Dahl	G	Washington State
89	Dominique Alexander	LB	Oklahoma
90	Brandon Allen	QB	Arkansas
91	Kenyan Drake	RB	Alabama
92	Demarcus Robinson	WR	Florida
93	James Bradberry	CB	Samford
94	Tyvis Powell	S	Ohio State
95	Austin Hooper	TE	Stanford
96	Landon Turner	G	North Carolina
97	Cayleb Jones	WR	Arizona
98	Jake McGee	TE	Florida
99	Aaron Burbridge	WR	Michigan State
100	Kevin Byard	S	Middle Tennessee State

Round 2

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

Vonn Bell, S, Ohio State

Round 2, Pick 58: Vonn Bell, S, Ohio State

It wouldn’t be a draft without the Steelers selecting a player from Ohio State.

Since 2007, the Steelers have selected more players from Ohio State than any other school, per Simon A. Chester of Steelers Wire. During this time, they’ve selected six former Buckeyes, and Vonn Bell should be the next.

Of course, the Steelers would love to see Andrew Billings or Noah Spence fall to their selection in the second round, but that is unlikely. However, they will be more than satisfied to land Bell. Although he isn’t outstanding in any single area, he is a solid all-around safety.

He is a tough player who is capable in coverage and against the run, but he will need to take a more aggressive approach to become an impact defender. Bell already has the mental aspect of the game down, which will allow him to compete for playing time early in his career and should eventually form a good duo with Mike Mitchell.

Round 3

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Javon Hargrave, NT, South Carolina State

Round 3, Pick 89: Javon Hargrave, NT, South Carolina State

Day 2 of the draft finishes with the Steelers adding the final piece to the defensive line. Steve McLendon left as a free agent during the offseason, leave the Daniel McCullers as the only option at nose tackle.

McCullers may develop into a solid defender against the run, but he hasn’t demonstrated the ability to rush the passer. Javon Hargrave can fill the void after he finished last season with 16 sacks and 23.5 tackles for a loss.

The Steelers are interested and brought him to Pittsburgh for a predraft visit, per Jacob Klinger of Pennlive.com. Hargraves is a player who needs time to develop, but he has a chance to make an immediate impact as a rotational player along the defensive line.

He can play on early downs as a strong run defender but can also play the inside in the sub packages given his ability to rush the passer. Hargraves is very strong, and at 6’1” and 309 pounds, he has room to add mass to his frame. At this point of the draft, he would be a steal for the Steelers.

Round 4

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Jatavis Brown, LB/S, Akron

Round 4, Pick 123: Jatavis Brown, LB/S, Akron

Jatavis Brown is a linebacker, but at 5’11” and 227 pounds, he is built like a heavy safety. Given the amount of time the Steelers spend in their sub package, they could use him in a hybrid role as they did with Troy Polamalu near the end of his career.

Brown was incredibly productive at Akron, averaging nearly 106 tackles over the final three seasons of his career. He had a breakout year as a senior with 11.5 sacks, one interception and four forced fumbles. Besides his ability to get to the quarterback, he is one of the best coverage linebackers in the draft.

Mike Tomlin loves to draft athletic defenders, and there are few as athletic as Brown. He may not have a natural position in the NFL, but that could make him more valuable for a team like the Steelers, especially as they continue to scheme ways to stop the pass.

Round 6

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Elandon Roberts, LB, Houston

Round 6, Pick 220: Elandon Roberts, LB, Houston

When it comes to strengths, the first words that Lance Zierlein of NFL.com used to describe Houston linebacker Elandon Roberts were “a coach’s dream.”

Roberts earned the praise for his hard work and ability as a leader. Despite his lack of size (6’0” and 235 pounds), he was highly productive and led college football with 88 solo tackles in addition to 19 tackles for a loss, six sacks and one interception.

Pittsburgh’s depth at inside linebacker took a hit with the loss of Sean Spence and Terence Garvin to free agency. With Lawrence Timmons and Vince Williams both set to become unrestricted free agents after this season, adding a developmental prospect would be a smart move.

Round 7

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Tyler Ervin, RB, San Jose State

Round 7, Pick 229: Ryan Smith, CB, North Carolina Central

The secondary needs a lot of work, and while the late-round cornerbacks have not worked out for the Steelers in recent years, they should not stop trying.

Rather than go for a big-school prospect, they should take a chance on Ryan Smith from North Carolina Central. He has solid size (5’11” and 189 pounds) and speed (4.47 40-yard dash) to compete at the NFL level. Although he wasn’t much of a playmaker, with just two interceptions over his last two years in college, he has the tools to develop into a contributor.

Smith must prove that he can make the jump from FCS to the NFL, but given enough time, the Steelers could have a quality backup in the near future. As he develops, the coaching staff can take advantage of his ability as a kick returner to compete for a role on special teams.

Round 7, Pick 246: Tyler Ervin, RB, San Jose State

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley is a fan of small, fast running backs. While in Kansas City, he had Dexter McCluster. In Pittsburgh, he has tried Baron Batch, Chris Rainey and Dri Archer. Next in line is San Jose State running back Tyler Ervin.

Ervin is only 5’10” and 192 pounds, but he fits the role of a change-of-pace back with his impressive speed (4.41 40-yard dash at the combine). Despite his lack of size, he was incredibly productive last season with 1,469 yards and 13 touchdowns.

As the Steelers hoped to do with Archer, he can try to employ Ervin as a multidimensional threat on offense as well as a contributor in the return game. He is a capable runner between the tackles and has good hands. However, his lack of bulk will hurt him when in pass protection and thus limit his role.

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