WCG Mock Draft- Pittsburgh (#15)

15. Pittsburgh- Leon Hall, CB, Michigan

Every mock draft i looked at had the Steelers going with a defensive pick. Although that side of the ball was slightly stronger than the offense last season, the defense is aging and they just brought in a defensive-minded head coach (Mike Tomlin) who has a background in a vastly different scheme. They also have a history of winning games with their defense, not their offense, and are in a better position to dominate and win games with a few defensive upgrades than they are with offensive ones.

Many think the Steelers will pick a 'tweener' DE/OLB such Lawrence Timmons or Jarvis Moss that can play outside in either the 3-4 or the 4-3, because of the uncertainty of how/when/if Tomlin changes the team's scheme. I disagree here: if there's uncertainty or instability in your scheme, you should just draft a player that is relatively unaffected by it. A shut-down corner is important no matter how many linebackers/linemen are on the field. The team was very unhappy with the play of its cornerbacks last season, and the numbers back up their disgruntled feelings. According to Football Outsiders, the Steelers were one of the best run defenses last season, but were below average against the pass. If you look at the stats in more detail, you'll see that they were torn apart by no. 1 and no. 2 receivers, but did well against 3-5 receivers, TE's, and RB's. That indicates decent depth but a lack of strong starters. They need a shut down CB, and Leon Hall can be that guy. He'll be the pick.

A pick to consider in later rounds would be Tim Shaw. While i don't think the Steelers should draft a transition player with their top pick, they could do so deeper in the draft. Shaw, an OLB who played with one hand down in a pseudo-3-4 his senior year at Penn State, had an excellent combine and would give the Steelers the flexibility others are saying they need on the outside of their defense.

Drafter- shawngoldman

On the clock- Green Bay Packers (chad)