Today we are going to take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of a new four-round mock draft by Chad Reuter of NFL.com. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a laundry list of NFL draft needs and ultimately it is going to come down to how the front office ranks those needs in a very deep draft.
In the first round, Reuter has the Steelers taking former USC offensive tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker. Vera-Tucker’s experience at both guard and tackle would be enticing to Pittsburgh. There might be technically better tackles still on the board but as an all-around guy with a high ceiling, Vera-Tucker makes sense here.
Moving to the second round, the Steelers go a bit off-script with Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. If the second round plays out this way, it’s safe to assume things have gone wrong for the Steelers in free agency with Cam Suttin and Mike Hilton. Pittsburgh hasn’t had great luck drafting cornerbacks but this one could be a need pick.
Stanford center Drew Dalman is the Steelers pick in the third round. This is where things take a turn for me. I don’t see Dalman as an NFL starter with his lack of strength and technique. There are much better options for the Steelers in this round.
Finally, in the fourth round, the Steelers select Oregon running back Jermar Jefferson. Much like Dalman in the third round, this pick doesn’t feel like a good use of the choice in a draft this deep. There’s no denying the Steelers want to draft a running back but Jefferson is almost completely unremarkable in any facet of his game.