Our friends over at Draft Wire put out a new four-round mock draft and you know this means we have to talk about it. Without a first-round pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers need to maximize their picks in these rounds in order to return to prominence after a two-year absence from the playoffs.
Here are how the picks broke down for the Steelers:
Second round-Pittsburgh Steelers | Terrell Lewis | EDGE | Alabama
Third round-Pittsburgh Steelers | Harrison Bryant | TE | FAU
Fourth round-Pittsburgh Steelers (from TEN) | Calvin Throckmorton | OL | Oregon
These picks all make sense in terms of potential salary cap cuts and losses in free agency. There’s a real chance linebacker Bud Dupree is going to sign somewhere else so replacing him with Terrell Lewis makes sense. Same for Harrison Bryant who could replace Vance McDonald and tight end and Calvin Throckmorton who could fill a spot on the roster if Ramon Foster is released.
The Steelers defense really stepped up last season so Pittsburgh just needs to fill in some gaps on offense to make things work. The addition of Bryant would give the Steelers a much-needed weapon in the passing game. And Throckmorton is a natural right tackle who could allow Matt Feiler to slide inside to left tackle if Foster is released.
