SPORTS BEAT

SPORTS BEAT

By Rich Briggs
The Weekly Recorder
April 25, 2008

This weekend is the 2008 NFL Draft starting at 3:00 p.m. Saturday with the first two rounds and concluding on Sunday with the final five rounds. This year, each team will receive 10 minutes to use their first round picks, seven minutes for their second round picks, and five minutes for each pick thereafter.

This is going to be one of the most intriguing drafts in a long time due to the fact that there are only a very few marquee players available, based on prognosticators, yet it is very deep at a number of positions, including wide receiver, both lines, and at cornerback. The top players being discussed this year, in no particular order, are Matt Ryan, Jake Long, Chris Long, Glenn Dorsey, and Darren McFadden. Those five could go in any order at the beginning of the draft, and there are a few who could fall out of the top five. Jake Long signed with the Miami Dolphins at press time.

This brings us to your 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers. With the departure of Alan Faneca, everyone seems to think they are going to go offensive line with their first round pick. To paraphrase Lee Corse from College Football’s Gameday on ESPN on Saturday mornings in the fall, “Not so fast, my friend.”

Let’s begin with the fact the draft is an inexact science. Beginning with the offensive line, the Steelers drafted Leon Searcy during Bill Cowher’s first draft, then they went on to draft Jamain Stephens, Alan Faneca, and Kendall Simmons, all offensive linemen. Of those picks, only Faneca was a Pro Bowl player who went on to have a stellar career with the Steelers. Searcy left via free agency for Jacksonville; Stephens got himself cut after not being able to complete wind sprints on the first day of training camp during his third season, and the jury is still out on Simmons, despite his bout with diabetes.

Drafting an offensive lineman is not a sure thing, nor will it pay off immediately. While the Steelers do have a need at this spot on the team, it is not as drastic as it is being played out to be. The Steelers have signed both Justin Hartwig and Max Starks, giving the offensive line some consistency and plugging a few holes. It is by far not a finished product, but it allows the Steelers to target a position other than offensive line in the first round.

It appears as if Coach Mike Tomlin is salivating at the prospect of getting a pass rusher on the defensive line, or even at outside linebacker. It is no secret that both spots on the defense are starting to get long in the tooth and Tomlin is looking to replenish both areas with some new and fresh blood. The Steelers targeting a defensive lineman, or linebacker, in round one is not out of the question.

Another legitimate possibility is the drafting of a wide receiver. With the release of Cedrick Wilson, this leaves the Steelers with Santonio Holmes, who is now the only legitimate deep threat; Hines Ward, who is now 32 and not getting any younger, and Nate Washington, who remains unproven as a dependable player. While Ben Roethlisberger stated he would like to have a tall receiver, this position still needs to be addressed so that there is a threat opposite Holmes. It is looking more like Ward will move to the slot position so that there are two deep threats on either side for Big Ben.

There is even the possibility of the Steelers taking a cornerback, should one fall to them in the 23rd spot, which is where the Steelers are sitting at the present time for this draft. It does not hurt to have an athlete to match up with opposing teams’ wideouts who can give them fits and also someone who can be physical. As young as the Steelers’ secondary is, there is plenty of room for improvement outside of Troy Polamalu. It is not out of the question that the Steelers could address this need with their first round pick.

Here is the reality of the situation regarding the Steelers and this draft. The draft has been seven rounds since 1994. Unfortunately, the Steelers only have six picks this year, which now means each choice is more of a premium. For a team in need of building some depth as well as adding some youth, those picks are much more valuable than a veteran team with few needs.

Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert stated on Monday what I have been thinking for some time. There is no chance of the Steelers trading up to get a player because they do not have the leverage to do it with so few draft picks. The even money is on the Steelers staying where they are and seeing who is available when they choose 23rd. However, there is a solid possibility, though not a probability, that the Steelers could trade out of the first round for additional picks in, say, rounds two, three, and four. That is how deep this draft is.

I don’t ever recall a time when the Steelers did not have a first round draft pick and did not use it. This is a very conservative organization, building through the draft for their primary players and only using free agency to fill certain holes. It has worked well and paid off handsomely for this organization, which values consistency and stability. It is a philosophy that has been in place since Chuck Noll was hired in 1969.

However, since there are so few picks available, and the need is so great to build depth, I can very easily see Pittsburgh trading their first round draft choice to another team to acquire more picks in later rounds of the draft. It is likely that most, if not all, of those six picks, provided they are wise choices, could end up making this team out of training camp. There are some veterans who may be looking over their shoulders at the young blood coming into this year’s camp.

The Steelers are known for bringing in not only athletes and physical football players, but also players of character, the latest incidents involving domestic disputes and violence notwithstanding. For the most part, the Steelers have a pretty good idea of whom they are targeting each year in the draft and go after those players if they are available. There is a certain way the Steelers do their business and it is called The Steeler Way.

That’s why this weekend could be one of the most interesting drafts, for the both the NFL and the Steelers, in quite some time. There could be players falling in this draft that weren’t expected to fall; there could be trades made into and out of the first round, and there could be players going to teams that one might not expect.

While there is no major glamour player in this draft, like in past drafts, there is a lot of intrigue and speculation as to who is going where and why. Despite the fact the Steelers draft 23rd, there are any number of players who could fall into their lap when that time comes who they did not expect to fall that far. On the contrary, there could also be players they are targeting who may not make it that far, either.

I am no betting man; however, I am becoming more inclined to believe that the Steelers are going to value more draft picks than they are any one player in the first round, to build depth and to bring in more competition for those already on the roster. The only two positions they are not going to target with their first pick are quarterback and tight end. But I can see the Steelers entertaining offers from other teams for that pick and the Steelers acquiring additional choices in the second, third, and fourth rounds, if possible. Get ready, Steeler fans! Football season is about ready to come back! Enjoy the draft!