Todd's Pre Super Bowl Steeler Mock Draft

[toddjammin]

Round 1 OT William Beatty from Connecticut 6 Foot 6 291 LB's
Round 2 OG Kraig Urbik from Wisconsin 6 Foot 6 323 LB's
Round 3A DE Jarron Gilbert from San Jose State 6 Foot 5 287 LB's
Round 3B C Antoine Caldwell from Alabama 6 Foot 4 307 LB's
Round 4 DT Dorell Scott from Clemson 6 Foot 4 310 LB's
Round 5 CB Morgan Trent from Michigan 6 Foot 1 190 LB's
Round 6 FB Travis McCall from Alabama 6 Foot 2 276 LB's
Round 7A WR/KR Tiquan Underwood from Rutgers 6 Foot 2 185 LB's
Round 7B OT Ryan Stancheck from West Virginia 6 Foot 3 305 LB's

[Chavezz]

can't argue the positions that's for sure. Urbik and Caldwell are doing well at the Senior bowl but Beatty seems to be a reach for the 1st rd. Right now though the OT position rankings are still in flux so who knows. With McFadden most likely leaving, CB will probably have to be bumped up earlier in the draft.

My hope is that we can sign a free agent or two that are starting material (don't have to be top FA's) that will open the draft up for us a little to take the BPA.

[papillon]

I would love for the Steelers to sign either an offensive lineman or defensive lineman free agent and then work the rest through the draft.

Pappy

[Lebsteel]

Would Beatty be ready to start at LT as a rookie? I'd love to see us sign Jordan Gross, but that would probably be too many $$$. If we don't sign Starks or a FA....man, that makes me nervous.

[stlrz d]

This is an excellent mock draft.

[Chavezz]

With Peppers leaving Carolina they'll have monet to sign Gross. I crossed him off my list when Peppers decided that he wanted out.

[Lebsteel]

With Peppers leaving Carolina they'll have monet to sign Gross. I crossed him off my list when Peppers decided that he wanted out.

Yea, Gross is by far the highest rated FA OT, so if Carolina signs him, do we sign Starks for whatever he wants so we have an experienced LT or do we go with a rookie like Beatty? I think the most realistic scenario is to sign Starks for a decent price, don't sign Kemoeatu, draft Alex Mack (plays LG for one year) or Duke Robinson in Rd. 1, then the best 3-4 DE or CB in Rd. 2. I also hope Hills will be ready to take over at RT. So here is my thoughts on resigning and drafting:

Starks--sign to long term contract only at a reasonable salary if we can't get Gross
Kemoeatu--don't sign
McFadden--sign ONLY if reasonable (option is to draft CB early or go with Gay)
Washington--sign ONLY if reasonable (option is to hope Sweed is ready and Nance/Baker or day 2 pick can be 4th receiver)
Colon--only a RFA, but let him walk if someone wants to sign him

Our O-line next year, not ideal for sure, but I think realistic:
Starks--LT
Mack--LG
Hartwig--C
Stapleton--RG
Hills--RT

I favor Mack over Duke Robinson, because of Mack's outstanding academic achievements. He won the "Draddy Award" as the outstanding scholar-athlete in college football.
[url]http://california.scout.com/2/819897.html[/url]
I think this would bode well for his future role as the Steelers' center and leader of the O-line for many years to come!

[buckeyehoppy]

Would Beatty be ready to start at LT as a rookie? I'd love to see us sign Jordan Gross, but that would probably be too many $$$. If we don't sign Starks or a FA....man, that makes me nervous.

It'll be interesting to see what Carolina does with Gross. I don't know if they'll be able to tag him because they may do that with Gamble, so that would work to our advantage. If the Steelers unload some $$$ off the cap, I think they'll be able to do something with Gross.

I feel like Max Sucks is going to want much bigger $$$ than he is worth. In his defense, he has stepped in and done a serviceable job filling in for Marvel. But do the Steelers dare to throw a huge contract at a guy who has been largely mediocre for the majority of his career?

I'd rather the Steelers went after Gross full throttle. If they can't get him and Sucks is still around, then get him at club-friendly terms. If they can do all of this prior to the draft, then they'll know how to conduct the draft with whatever veteran pieces already in place.

[SteelBucks]

Round 5 CB Morgan Trent from Michigan 6 Foot 1 190 LB's

I'm upset that Trent (aka Toast) graduated this year. Ohio State had yearly field days on this guy. Here's hoping another team like Cleveland drafts Trent so I can continue to enjoy my weekends.

[NJ-STEELER]

gamble re-uped during the season