I like what the Pittsburgh Steelers have done with the first three picks in this year's NFL draft. They have added great talent to the offensive line with their picks in rounds one and two. Could this be a sign new offensive coordinator Todd Haley want to return to a run oriented smash mouth style of football? As a Steelers fan, I can only hope that is the case.
David DeCastro, a guard from Stanford was the team's first round pick at 24th overall. DeCastro was expected to be a top-15 pick and is considered by many NFL analysts to be the best guard prospect since Steve Hutchinson in 2001. But luckily for Pittsburgh, DeCastro fell to them in what will turn out to be one of the steals of the first round. Standing 6'5" and weighing in at 315 pounds, it will be a shock if DeCastro is not the opening day starter at right guard. Coach Tomlin gave Maurkice Pouncey the starting job at center after the first preseason game in 2010 and that, of course, has worked out extremely well.
At the combine, DeCastro had the most bench press reps among guards with 34. He also had the fastest 3-cone drill time among guards. He fell into the middle of the pack with his 40-yard dash time of 5.43 (which for a guy who is 6'5" and 315 pounds, that's pretty damn good), fell .03 seconds shy of the top 20-yard shuttle time and was in the top half in vertical leap. It can't be explained why DeCastro fell to the Steelers at 24, but you can be sure Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, Todd Haley and the Rooneys haven't stopped smiling since Thursday night.
The selection of Mike Adams in the second round shows the organization believes in second chances. Adams tested positive for marijuana at the scouting combine and then proceeded to lie about it. The Steelers removed him from their draft board altogether. The 6'7", 325 pound Adams is a native of Farrell, Pennsylvania and a life-long Steelers fan. After the combine he requested a meeting with Colbert, Tomlin and Art Rooney II to talk about the incident. He agreed to certain conditions, including couseling, to get back into the Steelers good graces. His failed drug test and subsequent lies about the test kept him from being drafted in the first round. Instead, he was drafted 56th overall but possesses the talent to one day be a franchise tackle.
Sean Spence, a 5'11", 231 pound outside linebacker from the University of Miami was selected in the 3rd round at 86th overall. It wouldn't be out of the question for the Steelers to move him inside to add depth to an area where the have none. He will definitely need to add strength leading up to training camp and the preseason but has the raw talent to make some noise in the Steelers defense someday.
The Steelers first two picks of the 2012 NFL draft, in addition to Pouncey and Marcus Gilbert, are rebuilding an offensive line which, for the the past couple seasons, has been a ragtag compilation of mix and match backups being forced into starting roles. Now they have protection for Ben Roethlisberger. Now they have big bodies to create running room for Rashard Mendenhall when he returns from the ACL injury suffered in January. (Running back is another issue you may see me write about in the not-so-distant future.) Hopefully DeCastro ends the days of relying on Ramon Foster and Trai Essex. Hopefully watching Willie Colon end up on injured-reserve every year will be a moot point with the addition of Adams. But most of all, maybe the days of watching Roethlisberger get sacked 40+ times a season will finally come to an end.
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