STEELERS 101

With the major disappointment of watching the Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl now in the rear view, it is time to buckle down on draft coverage. Sure, it is still difficult as some player rankings a fluid, but the big board is stating to fall into place.

Whom will the Pittsburgh Steelers target with the 17th selection of the first round of the NFL Draft? That is a great question and one that will be a roller coaster until the end. To this point, we at Steelers 101 have looked at a couple of prospect on both sides of the ball. Until free agency begins, it is all speculation, as the shape of the offseason roster will help shape their draft.

A logical selection for the Steelers in the first round of the NFL Draft will be at the wide receiver position. While a tall target like All-American wider receiver Terrance Williams from Baylor would make sense, he seemed to struggle at the Senior Bowl and he might see his stock drop. Another wide receiver we like is West Virginia standout Tavon Austin, whose stock is all over the place due to his diminutive size. If the Steelers would trade down, he may be the target in the 20-25 range.

One wide receiver that could come into play is California wide out Keenan Allen. There will be some questions with the 6-3, 195-pound juniors’ status as the draft approaches as he will be rehabbing a PCL injury in his left knee and may not be able to participate in the combine. While he may not have the blazing speed of Mike Wallace, when healthy, he has the athleticism to be a mismatch for defenses. He is a dynamic playmaker with good hands, solid route running, and deceptive top speed. In addition, he is versatile, with experience in the return game, outside and in the slot.

If as expected Wallace departs and Miller is still battling injury, Allen could be a player that could pay big dividends for the Steelers offense and he will likely be available at 17 or even a few picks later, which could allow the team to potentially trade back a couple spots and grab an extra pick or two. That variable must come into play from general manager Kevin Colbert as they rebuild the roster that will have even more departures that the 2012 offseason.

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Tags: Football, Keenan Allen, Mike Wallace, NFL, NFL Draft, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tavon Austin, Terrance Williams

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