By Alan Robinson

Published: Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 11:50 p.m.
Updated 12 hours ago

Jarvis Jones? Kenny Vaccaro? Cordarrelle Patterson? Tavon Austin?

No, no, no and no.

For all of their multiple needs — and they might have more than in any recent draft — the Steelers simply must take one player if he is available with the No. 17 pick in the NFL Draft, according to ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

And that's Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert.

Eifert would almost be a luxury to a team that already has Heath Miller — who caught a team-high 71 passes last season — even though it is uncertain when Miller will return from a torn ACL. But to Kiper, he would be a must-take pick.

“If he's there for the Steelers, he helps that offense. He helps Big Ben (Roethlisberger) a lot,” Kiper said. “You need two tight ends in this league. Look at all the options that teams have with two tight ends, how viable and problematic for a defense having two very good tight ends is.”

For all the attention given Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o during and after the season, Eifert separated himself from the rest of the tight ends at the NFL Scouting Combine in February and likely is to be the first Fighting Irish player taken in the draft.

“I'm lucky to be coming in at a time when the type of tight end I am is being used quite a bit in the passing game,” Eifert said. “But (I'm) also a guy that can stay in the game on every down throughout the game and can block, create mismatches in the passing game. ... I strive to be a complete tight end.”

Zach Ertz (6-foot-6, 250) is the same size as Eifert and put up huge numbers at Stanford not only with Andrew Luck at quarterback but after him, too. Eifert and Ertz probably will go 1-2 among tight ends, though Ertz probably won't go until the second round.

“Both these kids are what today's tight ends are all about, an ability to move around and do different things,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “They're both big enough to line up on the line if you ask them to.”

He added, “I thought Eifert did a better job blocking this year than he did in past years and a little better job than Ertz.”

But, Ertz said in his defense, “At Stanford, we were a run-first offense. I took a lot of pride in my run blocking. As a receiver, that stuff kind of came more naturally.”

Another intriguing tight end is Gavin Escobar, who might have the best hands of the group. He is one of the few San Diego State players of recent vintage to pass up their senior season to turn pro. He made 51 catches as a sophomore and 42 more last season.

Tight ends who could go in the mid to late rounds yet offer value include Nick Casa, who was more of a blocker than a receiver at Colorado, and Kyle Jurszczyk, who was employed mostly as a receiver at Harvard only to unexpectedly show off his blocking skills at the Senior Bowl.

Alan Robinson is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at [email]arobinson@tribweb.com[/email] or via Twitter @arobinson_Trib.



Read more: [url]http://triblive.com/sports/nfl/3851529-74/tight-eifert-ends#ixzz2Qjt62i1n[/url]
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook