Day Two of NFL Draft
1.THE STEELERS WON THE NFL DRAFT
That the selection of James Conner with their second third-round pick (105th overall) was received with such overwhelming support made the Steelers instant winners on Friday night.
Conner is the most inspiring athlete in Pittsburgh sports and the feel-good story of the NFL Draft, thanks to his heroic battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma to return to play for Pitt this past fall.
The Steelers watched all of it up close, as the Panthers are their next-door neighbors at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side and the teams share Heinz Field.
Fans of both teams immediately tweeted how they couldn't wait to buy a James Conner jersey, and his No. 24 is available on the Steelers roster. It marked the first time the Steelers have selected a Pitt product since Hank Poteat in 2000, and their most popular draft choice since Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.
2.THIS IS STILL ABOUT FOOTBALL
For all of the good feeling about the Steelers taking the hometown kid – Conner is from McDowell, near Erie – he also could be a good fit.
Despite being projected as a fourth- or fifth-round pick by some NFL analysts, Conner was highly productive in three seasons at Pitt: He rushed for 799 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman, including 229 in the Little Caesar's Bowl; was ACC Player of the Year and a second-team All-American as a sophomore, when he rushed for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns; and rushed for 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall.
The adjustment for Conner, who wrote a pre-draft letter to every NFL team telling them he planned to be a Hall of Famer, will be accepting a backup role behind Le'Veon Bell.
But Conner has three-down ability and gives the Steelers intriguing options, allowing them to split Bell out wide or put him in the slot while keeping a powerful running threat in the backfield. At worst, he is a short-yardage or red-zone specialist. And, given his ability to play defense, Conner could be a special-teams demon.
3.THE STEELERS ARE LOADING UP AT WIDE RECEIVER
Taking Southern Cal's Juju Smith-Schuster in the second round represented the Steelers selecting the best player available over need.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Smith-Schuster, who has been compared to Anquan Boldin, has a reputation as a sure-handed receiver who is willing to go across the middle and slip into openings. He scored 25 touchdowns in three seasons, with a career-best 89 catches for 1,454 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore.
Wide receiver wasn't considered a high priority, especially after Martavis Bryant was given conditional clearance this past week to return from his one-year suspension. The Steelers now have 12 receivers on their roster, including All-Pro Antonio Brown, Bryant, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Sammie Coates, Cobi Hamilton, Eli Rogers, Demarcus Ayers and free-agent signee Justin Hunter.
Then again, Ben Roethlisberger said after the AFC Championship game loss at New England that the moment might have been too big for some of his receivers after Coates and Hamilton dropped passes and Rogers fumbled. There should be some serious competition at the position, and it only intensified when Bryant tweeted that the selection of Smith-Schuster was to replace Coates, creating a back-and-forth between the wideouts.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin eventually chimed in: “Play nice boys.”
4.THE STEELERS ALSO ADDRESSED GLARING NEEDS
The selection of Tennessee cornerback Cameron Sutton with their first pick in the third round is significant for a number of reasons: One is that they need an upgrade at the position, as Ross Cockrell isn't perceived as a top-flight cover corner and Senquez Golson remains a question mark after missing two seasons with injuries.
At 5-foot-11, 188 pounds, Sutton is a man-cover corner who made headlines for becoming the first freshman since Eric Berry to return an interception for a touchdown. Sutton had 37 passes defended and seven interceptions in four years as a starter for the Vols.
Sutton might be able to make an immediate impact as a punt returner, where he averaged 14.9 yards and had three touchdowns. If Sutton can return punts for Steelers, it will alleviate Antonio Brown from having to handle those duties.
5.WHAT'S LEFT FOR STEELERS?
The Steelers should be focused on drafting for depth with their four picks on the final day, and here's the positions where they need help:
Inside linebacker: They had a chance to take the draft's best inside linebacker but passed on Alabama's Reuben Foster in favor of T.J. Watt. But the Steelers lost Lawrence Timmons to Miami in free agency, making Vince Williams the starter and a need for a backup.
Safety: The Steelers have returning starters in Mike Mitchell and Sean Davis but Robert Golden and Jordan Dangerfield haven't shown that they are capable of stepping in as starters in the case of injury.
Defensive end: This is a position of strength with starters Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt, but Heyward's season-ending injury showed the lack of depth. Ricardo Mathews has been replaced by free-agent signing Tyson Alualu, with L.T. Walton the only other option.
Interior offensive line: The starting lineup is set but the Steelers could try to find someone to compete with B.J. Finney to back-up at center or guard.
http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/12243829-74/gormans-take-5-day-two-of-nfl-draft
