NFL Draft 2011: Pittsburgh Steelers Team Draft Retrospective

This article is part of a series that looks at each NFL team’s recent draft history, with the hope of extracting information about the way they think and the players they value. The analysis is limited to the past five drafts in the interest of relevance and the first three rounds, because that’s where most impact players are taken.

This entry will focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

DRAFT HISTORY

In the past five years, the Steelers have taken the following players in the early rounds. Their positions and the rounds in which they were drafted are listed next to their names.

2006:   Santonio Holmes, WR (1)

            Anthony Smith, S (3)

            Willie Reid, WR (3)

2007:   Lawrence Timmons, LB (1)

            LaMarr Woodley, DE (2)

            Matt Spaeth, TE (3)

2008:   Rashard Mendenhall, RB (1)

            Limas Sweed, WR (2)

            Bruce Davis, DE (3)

2009:   Ziggy Hood, DT (1)

            Kraig Urbik, G (3)

            Mike Wallace, WR (3)

            Keenan Lewis, CB (3)

2010:   Maurkice Pouncey, C (1)

            Jason Worilds, DE (2)

            Emmanuel Sanders, WR (3)

BREAKDOWN BY POSITION

Here is the number of players the Steelers have drafted for each position:

Wide receiver: 5

Defensive end: 3

Center: 1

Cornerback: 1

Defensive tackle: 1

Guard: 1

Linebacker: 1

Running back: 1

Safety: 1

Tight end: 1

IMPACT

Santonio Holmes has been a terrific receiver for the Steelers, often coming up big at key moments; however, he was dealt to the Jets last year after some issues off the field. Lawrence Timmons is one of the best inside linebackers in the league, and LaMarr Woodley is a great pass-rushing force on the outside. Rashard Mendenhall has been a very productive back for Pittsburgh. Ziggy Hood is a solid defensive lineman. Mike Wallace is a tremendous deep threat. In only one year, Maurkice Pouncey has already established himself as one of the top centers in the game.

Most importantly, the Steelers have been one of the top teams in the league during this time, winning their NFL-leading sixth Super Bowl. They also made it back to the Super Bowl this past season, but fell short against the Green Bay Packers.

TRENDS

The Steelers’ most obvious tendency is to take wide receivers, which they’ve done a whopping five times. For a franchise known for playing smash-mouth football and controlling the trenches, they’ve been very active trying to bolster the passing attack. While their picks have been hit or miss, Santonio Holmes and Mike Wallace make up for the missteps. Holmes in particular was instrumental in the Super Bowl win.

The only other position where they’ve taken multiple players is defensive end, and all three were converted to outside linebacker. The pass rush is the bread and butter of Pittsburgh’s aggressive 3-4 scheme. They’ve made sure to stockpile talent at the outside linebacker spot despite already having former Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison.

Curiously, the team has avoided expending early picks on offensive tackles, even though its pass protection has always been questionable. Either the team is confident in its ability to find value in the middle rounds, or it thinks quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s mobility makes the position less important.

2011 OUTLOOK

Pittsburgh once again assembled a very strong team in 2010, making it all the way to the Super Bowl. However, the loss to the Packers did expose some weaknesses.

The secondary did not look good against Aaron Rodgers, and it was also picked apart earlier in the season by New England and New Orleans, among others. Despite a sub-par performance in the Super Bowl, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Troy Polamalu is a dominant safety, and Ryan Clark is a very good complement.

However, cornerbacks Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden don’t appear to have much left in the tank. Pittsburgh hasn’t really prioritized this position in the past, but now would be an excellent time to start. Aaron Williams (Texas) would be a very good option in the first round. If they prefer to wait a little, they could also obtain someone like Williams’ teammate Curtis Brown or Brandon Burton (Utah).

Pittsburgh also has to start thinking about the defensive line, given Casey Hampton’s age and Aaron Williams’ injury history. Cameron Heyward (Ohio State), Marvin Austin (North Carolina) or Muhammad Wilkerson (Temple) might be available in Round 1. However, the Steelers could just as easily take advantage of the depth of this class and grab a quality lineman in the second or third rounds.

The offensive line needs some help as well, though as noted above, the team does not like to expend early picks on tackles. However, guard Mike Pouncey (Florida), twin brother of Maurkice, would be a tantalizing possibility if he falls to them 

One last consideration is wide receiver. Though this seems far from the Steelers’ biggest need, they have historically shown an affinity for the position, ignoring other positions that were in seemingly more dire circumstances. Besides, Hines Ward just turned 35. Now wouldn’t be a bad time to start grooming a successor.