Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card: Complete Grades For Every Position

With the preseason now in the books, it's time to grade the Pittsburgh Steelers position by position as the team readies to make it's final cuts and begin the regular season September 11th in Baltimore against the rival Ravens.

These position grades are based on the total projected depth at the position, so some grades might seem lower if starters aren't backed by strong players.

Here's a look at how the Pittsburgh Steelers grade out on the eve of the 2011 regular season.

Quarterbacks

Overall Grade: B-

Ben Roethlisberger alone would grade as an A+ because of his elite ability and potential for a huge season.

The expectation is that Big Ben will have a potentially record-setting season in an offense that features explosive talent and possibly an improved, younger offensive line.

The grade, however, drops considerably when the backups are brought into the equation. Before the injury to Byron Leftwich, the Steelers would have graded as an A-. Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch, however, don't inspire a ton of confidence.

I get the feeling Dixon could be shopped. Batch did enough against the Panthers to solidify himself as the number two quarterback.

Dixon was up and down against the Panthers. The team could acquire a Leftwich-like player in Rhett Bomar and teach him the offense behind Batch, who likely is in his final season.

Running Backs

Overall Grade: A-

Rashard Mendenhall has had two solid seasons now and looks like he could have a big year if the offensive line can take a step forward.

He's a strong runner who can go inside or outside and can even catch some passes when necessary.

Behind Mendenhall is a solid group consisting of Isaac Redman, another tough runner who's flashed some great skills in the preseason.

Redman could take some carries from Mendenhall to keep him fresh for the entire season, Mewelde Moore, the team's third down back, and probably Jonathan Dwyer, who's had a decent preseason after showing up to camp out of shape.

John Clay is the only player still realistically in the mix, but I get the feeling Dwyer has the inside track. Either way, the grade stays an A-.

Wide Receivers

Overall Grade: A+

There's nothing to dislike about this unit. Starters Hines Ward and Mike Wallace are solid players even if Ward is finally starting a slow decline.

Wallace has set a personal goal of 2,000 receiving yards, which is not likely but still shows just how confident this bunch has been so far.

Behind the top two guys, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders return from breakout rookie seasons to prove they are indeed the future of the position.

Brown has had an unbelievable preseason that could lead to a huge regular season. Sanders has been on the injured list for awhile but looked sharp against Carolina.

Behind that, there's still a ton of talent. Jerricho Cotchery, a starter two years ago in New York, is likely the fifth receiver. Arnaz Battle, who's had a monster preseason as well, looks like either a number six here or a piece of someone else's team.

The young guys, Wes Lyons and Tyler Grisham, are even quite talented.

Tight Ends

Overall Grade: C+

Heath Miller is another starter who grades as an A.

He figures to be a favorite red zone target again and could finally put himself in the conversation as one of the best tight ends in the AFC if he and Ben Roethlisberger can put together a big season.

Behind Miller, however, there's a ton of question marks.

David Johnson does most of his work as a fullback and isn't bad as a tight end, but he isn't as versatile as Miller and certainly isn't going to make a ton of big plays in two tight end sets.

Behind Johnson, there's either John Gilmore or Weslye Saunders, with neither inspiring much confidence. Gilmore is little more than a so-so blocker. Saunders is young and full of potential, but he's been a disappointment for most of the preseason.

This is a position that could use a little better depth, especially with Johnson spending a lot of time at fullback (where he grades an A).

Offensive Line

Overall Grade: C+

The center position grades as an A. Maurkice Pouncey should, if healthy, make the Pro Bowl again and could be the next big center for a team with a long history of great ones.

Behind him, Trai Essex is listed as number two and performed well against the Panthers. Doug Legursky could also jump in from guard, where's he's won the starting job. Both players are excellent backup options.

The guards grade as a B-. Chris Kemoeatu is, as usual, a question mark. He's a good player when he's got his head straight, but too often makes mental mistakes and costly penalties.

Doug Legursky has been a great player in spots, but now he's going to have to be consistent as a starter. The backups are questionable. Tony Hills has been good for the most part, but he's shown nothing in his previous chances.

The tackles are the problem and grade as a D. Willie Colon is good so far, but he's coming off a big injury and has a history of dumb mistakes. On the other side, it doesn't really matter who starts, there's no confidence right now that they'll be solid.

Marcus Gilbert is my pick, but he's a rookie. That's a big burden. There's no real depth at tackle either.

Kicker/Punter

Overall Grade: B-

I'm not sold on Shaun Suisham. He's shown well since he's been in Pittsburgh, but he's got a bad history and he doesn't have the best leg I've seen.

The jury will be out until he puts together a full season of solid kicks. If not, the revolving door will start again.

I wish the team would have invested in the position with a young player. I feel like they'd do better to find a young guy who can kick for a long time instead of continuing to go with the easy answer every year.

Daniel Sepulveda looks like the punter, although Jeremy Kapinos has been excellent too. Either way, the team seems to be set there. Both guys can boom them. Sepulveda is just better at dropping them inside the 20 and placing them correctly, so he gets the edge.

Defensive Line

Overall Grade: A-

Both the ends and tackles grade as A-. At end, Aaron Smith's age and injury history are countered by the good performances of Ziggy Hood and rookie Cameron Heyward.

Brett Keisel is solid, so there's no issue there. I think Hood will get more time this year even if Smith remains healthy.

At tackle, Casey Hampton is back for another year and looks like a Pro Bowl player once again.

He's used his new contract as motivation to be in better condition and that's translated into a solid preseason and hopefully a solid regular season as well. He's backed up by either Chris Hoke, the veteran, or young Steve McLendon, who has a lot of potential.

This position, despite the age among the starters, is set.

Linebacker

Overall Grade: A+

This is just like the wide receivers. There's talent at every level of the depth chart.

For starters, James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley will team up again on the outside. I get the feeling that this is Woodley's year. I think he'll be in the Pro Bowl along with Harrison and that he will be the sack leader this time.

On the inside, James Farrior hasn't slowed down much and Lawrence Timmons has been a revelation. He could be one of the top inside linebackers in the NFL with another huge year in 2011.

If Timmons has a big year, the Steelers could start three of the linebackers in the Pro Bowl.

Behind the starters, there's virtually another corps of linebackers. Larry Foote has a ton of experience inside and could start for a lot of 3-4 teams.

Stevenson Sylvester looks like Farrior's replacement when the time comes and is coming on after a slow start to his year. Jason Worilds had a nice game against Carolina and looks like a guy who could eventually inherit James Harrison's job.

Rookie Chris Carter is in the mix as is West Virginia product Morty Ivy. Both players have flashed talent and look like NFL-caliber guys.

Defensive Backs

Overall Grade: B

The safeties grade out as an A. I think Troy Polamalu, who finally looks fully healed and healthy, and Ryan Clark make one of the best tandems in the NFL.

They have different skill sets and both play with a very high motor. Polamalu is the league's best safety and one of the best in its history.

Behind the two starters, Ryan Mundy and Will Allen form a good backup duo. Both have performed well when called upon.

Mundy has improved each season and seems like a guy who might be a bit underrated because he doesn't get a lot of looks.

The corners grade as a C. Ike Taylor is back and so is Bryant McFadden. Both of those players are solid. McFadden looks like a better player this season and might be poised for a breakout year after a disappointing return in 2010.

I'm not concerned about the injuries to either player as both were relatively minor.

The backups need work. William Gay is awful, possibly one of the worst corners in the NFL. Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen are rookies, so they are likely to be special teams guys this year while they learn the complex nuances of the defense.

The one bright spot is the play of Keenan Lewis and Crezdon Butler. Both guys have been pretty good and Lewis may have played his way ahead of Gay. Butler also could be ahead of him.

At this point, this grade would go up slightly if Gay was released and the team looked toward a guy like Donovan Warren to fill the roster spot.