Much has already been written about who the Steelers will target in the first round of tonight’s draft. Most experts have zeroed in on Maurkice Pouncey, Kyle Wilson, and Mike Iupati as the three leading candidates. But what about the other six rounds? I’m admittedly no draft expert, but here are five guys who I’d like to see the Steelers call in the mid-to-late rounds of the 2010 draft.
Toby Gerhart – RB, Stanford
A lof of football people are mixed in their evaulations and predictions of Gerhart. On one hand, he nearly won a Heisman Trophy while carrying hisStanford Cardinal team on his back. It wasn’t uncommon for him to carry the people 50 times in a game. But Gerhart isn’t fast, has an injury history, and projects as a fullback in the NFL. Fortunately for the Steelers, they could use a big fullback who can grind out some tough yards in certain situations. Gerhart could not only provide some much needed blocking, but function as a great special teams player and depth back. He’s a workhorse. Most expect him to be drafted in the second or third round.
Navarro Bowman or Sean Lee – LB, Penn State
If you’ve followed myself or this blog for any length of time, you probably know that I’m a huge Penn State fan so seeing these names should be no surprise. Lee has an injury history as well, but is as sure of a tackler as Paul Posluszny was and is a tireless worker. Plus, being from Upper St. Clair doesn’t hurt. Bowman is a first round talent who has dropped to a mid-to-late round pick because of questionable character. I’m sure the Steelers will be extra careful to avoid guys like this, but there certainly comes a time when it’s late enough in the draft to take the risk. If Bowman was available late in the fourth or fifth rounds, teams would be foolish not to take the freakishly athletic linebacker. Brandom Spikes is another late round linebacker to watch who has fallen fast because of a 5.0 40-yard dash he ran.
Eric Decker – WR, Minnesota
While the Steelers don’t need to draft a receiver early, taking a flyer on Decker in the late rounds would be a good idea. At 6′ 3″, 217 pounds, Decker would be a great complement to Mike Wallace for years to come. The problem with Decker, again, is injury history. He missed most of his senior year after injuring a foot and hasn’t been able to work out prior to the draft so he is a true wildcard.
Akwasi Owusu-Ansah – CB/S, IUP
Here’s another locally based kid who has been flying up draft boards the past few months. It’s unlikely he’ll go in the first couple rounds, though, and might give the Steelers an opportunity to add some much needed secondary talent to the mix with a third or fourth round pick. Most scouts see him moving to safety and he’s big (6′, 207) and fast (4.47) enough to handle either position. The obvious issue with AO-A is that he hasn’t faced any elite level competition. I’m sure seem team will fall in love with his athleticism and potential though.
We’ll be doing a big time live blog event tonight with a ton of other Steelers bloggers. The fun starts around 7p.m. and we’ll be doing lots of puck talk before the Steelers are on the clock. Come hang out with us!
