Rashard Mendenhall joined the Pittsburgh Steeler Retirement Home out in Arizona this spring, and it left a gaping hole at an already underwhelming position. The Steelers were left with Isaac Redman, Jonathan Dwyer, and Baron Batch as ball-carriers with Will and David Johnson handling fullback duties. Each of those is a nice complementary runner. Redman and Dwyer may as well be the same person, the bruising power back that Steeler fans have longed for but haven't really seen since Jerome Bettis. Those two have come closest to seizing that role as guys like Najeh Davenport and Frank "The Decommissioned Tank" Summers fell by the wayside.
Baron Batch was supposed to be the third-down receiving back once Mewelde Moore moved on. He saw rave reviews in training camp his rookie year, but tore his ACL and was sidelined until he was a sophomore. The years since then haven't been impressive, and Kevin Colbert addressed the situation with his underachieving receiving back by signing LaRod Stephens-Howling on draft weekend.
All of these complementary backs still lacked a true #1 starter, capable of taking on the bulk of the carries. Redman and Dwyer can split time, sure, but the running game then becomes a one-dimensional, between-the-tackles-only system. So again on draft weekend, Kevin Colbert addressed his running back's deficiencies by taking Le'Veon Bell from Michigan State in the second round. No running back went in the first round and Bell was the second one taken on day two (stunningly, Eddie Lacy was not the first). In that context, his draft pedigree alone tells you he has talent.
Actually, listed at 6'1", 244 lbs. (on the Steelers' roster; his combine weight was 230), Bell is bigger than both Dwyer and Redman. Physicality is certainly a part of his running style, but he offers more versaility than The Bruiser Bros. (It's gonna be disappointing when one of them gets cut now that I thought of something to call them). Highlights of Bell show him hurdling defenders, a surprising feat for a man his size. He ran the wildcat offense from time to time in college, and he was advertised as having soft enough hands to get involved in the passing game. With his skillset apparently all over the board, that points to a talented athlete who likely needs to sharpen his technique on all of the things he does.
Bell may not be afforded much time to figure out what he does well, unfortunately, as he could be thrust into a starting role sooner than later. Training camp will mean a lot for Bell especially, as it will determine whether he seizes the starting job as a rookie or if he comes along more slowly and loses a lot of carries to Dwyer or Redman. So far, Jonathan Dwyer appears to be the frontrunner for the starting job in training camp, but a lot of things can change in the coming months. One or two running backs will probably be cut, and even if Dwyer wins the starting job for the regular season, you don't take a running back in the second round to let him ride the bench all year.
Bell is going to get his carries. He'll likely be the focal point of the Steelers' running game sooner than later, so it's imperative that this pick not miss. I'm still a believer that a feasible running back can be the product of his offensive line, so it'll also come down the line playing cohesive, effective football to make it easier on the young back.
