The Steelers used their two 3rd round draft picks from the Denver trade to help bolster their offensive line with Wisconsin guard Kraig Urbik. They then drafted Ole Miss WR Mike Wallace to help fill the shoes of departed free agent Nate Washington.
Urbik is rated as the 4th best guard in this years class. He is a big mauler (6'5 330lbs) who will hopefully help the run game. Urbik started 50 games in college for the Badgers and allowed only three sacks over his final two seasons, including only one his senior year. Urbik was a two time Second Team Big 10 selection.
Mike Wallace is a pick that definitely excites me. Wallace is an absolute burner, running a 4.33 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. That was the 2nd fastest time behind only Maryland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (7th overall pick to Oakland). Wallace is 6'1 180lbs and should immediately contribute on special teams. He has had a kick return touchdown in each of his final two season at Ole Miss and holds the single game, season, and career records for kick return yards. I believe Wallace will be able to step into that slot role as Washington previously was in. Wallace probably has better speed than Washington and I believe better hands. If he can get on the same page with Big Ben early I think he will be very productive early if he gets the chance to be.
The Steelers final 3rd round pick is used to add depth to the defensive backfield with Cornerback Keenan Lewis. Lewis is 6'1 210lbs out of Oregon State, he was honorable mention All-Pac 10. Seven career interceptions with one returned for a touchdown. At his best in press, bump-and-run coverage. I like that the Steelers went Cornerback but with DJ Moore from Vanderbilt and Victor Harris from Virginia Tech still available I wish we would have went with one of them.
Pittsburgh's 4th round pick was traded to Denver earlier so no pick there. Two picks in the 5th round back to back though had the Steelers select cornerback Joe Burnett from Central Florida and running back Frank Summers out of UNLV. Burnett (5'9 190lbs) is the 32nd ranked cornerback. Burnett was named as a First Team All-American this past season. He had 4.5 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions and blocked a kick. He is also a special teams gem with two kick returns for touchdowns this season. In addition to being First Team All-American he was also only the second player to ever be named First Team All-Conference at three different positions (CB, KR, PR).
As for UNLV product Frank Summer, he'll bring a lot of girth to the Steeler backfield being 5'9 245lbs. As a Junior, Summers was the first player in UNLV history to lead the team in rushing touchdowns (6) and receiving touchdowns (4) in the same season. He finished his junior campaign with 930 yards rushing as well as 23 receptions for 250 yards receiving. A bit less productive in his senior season, Summers still managed to rush for 740 yards and 8 touchdowns while catching 13 passes for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns. I'm not sure how the Steelers will use him as it seems he could project as either a full back or a short-yardage back.
After 5 rounds I have to say I am pretty pleased with the selections and think nearly all of them will be able to produce for us.
Steelers 6th round pick is used on Oregon defensive tackle Ra'Shon Harris. Harris made all 13 of his career starts this past season. The 6'4 300 pounder posted 47 tackles, 9 for a loss, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. It'll be interesting to see how the Steelers use Harris as he seems to have similar quickness to 1st round pick Ziggy Hood. With Hampton, Hoke, Hood, and Harris all at the DT position the Steelers will undoubtedly have to make some moves because I doubt they'll keep four DT on their roster. Watch for Harris to be a possible practice squad player initially unless the Steelers make a roster move or he has a big camp.
The Steelers used their first of two 7th round picks on Penn State Center AQ Shipley, a local product from Moon High School. Shipley was a three year starter on the Penn State offensive line and widely considered one of the best Centers in America. With the rush of Centers going in earlier rounds I think it's extremely fortunate the Steelers were able to get a Center of this quality (rated as the 6th best Center in the draft) in the middle of the 7th round, especially since Center was one of the major team needs. Shipley may sit for a year but he will be inserted as the starting Center in the very near future.
Pittsburgh used its final pick in the 2009 NFL Draft on Tight End David Johnson from Arkansas State. I'm not too sure about this guy or this pick as the Steelers seem to have the position filled with young TE's Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth. Perhaps since Spaeth is more of a blocker than pass catcher if something were to happen to Heath then Johnson could play some in pass catching situations.
All in all I felt this was a solid draft for Pittsburgh. Not outstanding or spectacular but we made some very nice picks and filled some of the major holes we had to fill. I look forward to seeing how these rookies progress as well as next season.
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I really liked the ziggy hood pick, he will fit very nicely in the defensive line mix and provides a young talented backup for all 3 defensive line positions. I thought Urbik was a great pick for the third round and will be solid guard prospect for the Steelers. I am quickly falling in love with Wallace the wr also from the 3rd round. His quickness and catching ability should be a nice asset for the Steelers especially if Sweed struggles fitting into the top 3 rotation. Keenan Lewis seems like he could be a nice cornerback prospect, but personally I agree with the big cat and would have rather had moore from Vandy. Bennet in the 5th round seems like a very solid pick especially for what he can bring to special teams. Summers could also be a nice pick if he fits in as a strong short yardage back or even as a backup fullback. Harris in the 6th round could also be a nice prospect on the d-line. He may not see much time this year, but I think even if he doesnt make the roster the Steelers will keep him on the practice squad because our dline is getting very old and we need to stock up on young talent there. Love the AQ Shipley pick, I was really hoping we would get him once the top 3 centers were off the board. He is an extremely hard worker and a local kid who will play his heart out for the Steelers. Although a little undersized, a lot of analysts, including mel kiper, say he reminds them of Mike Webster. This could be a huge steal in round 7. Im not really sure about the tight end Johnson. It seems to me that we are set at TE but I guess we could always use a solid blocking te.
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