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Pittsburgh Steelers 2008 NFL Draft Needs
The Pittsburgh Steelers first season without former head coach Bill Cowher was a pretty good start to the Mike Tomlin era. They ended up finishing the season at 10-6 tied with the Cleveland Browns for the best record out of the AFC North. The Steelers edged out Cleveland by a tiebreaker and went on to the playoffs, where they lost a close one to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Steelers haven’t been that busy this offseason as they have only added 3 new faces from last years team. They added LB Keyaron Fox, C Justin Hartwig, and RB Mewelde Moore. They also lost some big names from last season, such as OG Alan Flaneca to the Jets in free agency. The Steelers will likely look to the draft to help out in filling out whatever holes they might have left to address. Here is a look at the top 5 positions we think the Steelers will be looking at when they are up to pick.
1. Offensive Guard
The loss of Flaneca leaves this team with some big shoes to fill in the middle of the line. It looks as though the team didn’t see any suitable replacements in free agency and will likely spend their early picks to help fix this problem. The Steelers are set to pick at #23 in round 1, and could be looking at Virginia’s Branden Albert if he is still on the board.
2. Offensive Tackle
The team was able to avoid additional departures on the line when they were able to resign Trai Essex. Even with that the team is still pretty weak at this position, and could really use a big time left tackle to hold down the spot for years to come. If they think they can find a guard later in the draft they might be looking at Kansas State’s Anthony Collins or Boston College’s Gosder Cherilus.
3. Defensive End/Tackle
The team could use a solid backup here whether it comes on the inside or outside. Though this isn’t a huge concern we believe that the team will be much improved on the line if they land a solid guy here. They might look at a guy like Georgia Tech’s Darrell Robertson in round 3.
4. Wide Receiver
The team is pretty set with Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward, but both of these guys aren’t the big tall receiver that can pull in that big catch to keep the drive going. The team will take its chances in the draft on a guy like LSU’s Early Doucet or Minnesota’s Ernie Wheelwright.
5. Cornerback
The team seems to be pretty set here with Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, and Deshea Townsend holding down the top 3 spots as of right now. Even with three guys already locked up we wouldn’t be surprised if the team tried to add even more depth here, and a guy who can return kicks would be a big plus as well. A pretty good fit would be Connecticut’s CB/KR Tyvon Branch.
Be sure to continue to check back as we will continue to be bringing you team-by-team draft articles. Also, be sure to check out our first round Mock Draft. Feel free to leave any comments you might have on the draft and each team’s draft needs in our comment box.
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