Steelreign : Steelers Need To Think Defense In The Draft

With the combine about to get underway in Indianapolis this week, it officially signals the start of what I refer to as Draft season, and unlike last year, where they had needs just about everywhere, the Steelers are in much better shape heading into the 2014 version. While it never hurts to add quality to the skill positions, like the big wide receivers that Ben desires, the biggest positions of need that I see are at nose tackle, cornerback and safety. I like the effort that Steve McLendon puts forth week in and week out, but frankly it's not enough when compared to what the defense requires of the position and what Casey Hampton consistently did. Big Snack routinely was able to handle being double teamed and still stuff the run. He made Keisel and Smith better because of it and he helped keep the linebackers clean to do their thing. The Steelers need to find a nose tackle who can help make Hood and Heyward the players they were drafted to be and allow Jones and Worilds to get after the quarterback. Regular pressure on the quarterback makes a cornerback's job a lot easier, unless you are an old and declining Ike Taylor.
Last season, the Steelers had an opportunity to resign one of their talented young corners who could actually catch a football, Keenan Lewis, but they decided to let him walk, which hurt the defense for most of the season. This year, the Steelers need to get themselves and impact corner with ball skills that they can pair up with Cortez Allen to give them solid play for the foreseeable future. If Taylor agrees to a pay cut to stay, he could then be moved to safety to address another area of need, especially if they decide to not bring Will Allen back as well. Obviously, with the loss of Allen and Clark, the Steelers are going to have a need at safety, as Taylor would be nothing more than a stop - gap measure. If there has ever been a draft to fix these areas of need, the 2014 draft is the one to do it. It's the deepest talentwise in a very long time due to the large number of underclassmen who are declared eligible. The biggest question with a large number of these players will be, are they mentally ready for the rigors of an NFL career ? The Steelers need to find the ones that are the closest and that can play in the shortest amount of time possible. They just don't have the luxury of letting project guys sit and develop if they want to contend for a Super Bowl. They need to quickly get younger and better on defense the way teams like Seattle did, who proved that defense still win championships.