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Steelers and the 2010 Draft

The draft is rapidly approaching us and I believe we are all wondering where our beloved Steelers lie. I know, as fans, we all have our ideas on what we want to see our team get. To see that spectacular, unexpected pick to put us over the hump. I already believe that according to odds and statistics, we should be favored for another Superbowl appearance and/or win this coming season. I know, I know, another one? I would love to see us accomplish the Stairway to Seven, but I believe it will depend on the draft because you know we aren't diving into the free agent market.

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If you look at our record last year (9-7) and the combined points in losses (28), it is amazing how close we are. That is an average of 4 points per loss. When we won, it was by a combined 72 points which is an average of 8 points per win. However, we all can recall that at least half of those losses we had would have been wins if we wouldn't have blew our fourth quarter lead. What does that tell us going into this season?

It tells us alot. We need some help in the secondary. We played great against the run, but had a rough time against those passers. Now, I know Troy Polomalu will be back, but is Ryan Clark the right answer? I say if Polomalu is playing, Clark is perfect. They work well together. So, that leaves our questionable corners. I think Ike Taylor is just like Clark, he is only great when there is a good corner opposite him. It was William Gay that was opposite him this past season. I won't say anything else about Gay after this, the reason Taylor looked exposed so much was because the quarterbacks were throwing at Gay so much and Taylor was sorta out of practice for the game, at the end, they would all of a sudden throw it Taylor's way and he wasn't ready. That is no excuse for a supposed "shutdown" corner, but it is what it is.

So that leaves us with our offensive line. When we won the title, everyone was questioning our line. Last season, once again, we all questioned the line. I don't think the line is the reason for the sacks. I think the running game, in collaboration with the fact that Ben Roethlisberger goes stir crazy in the first 2 seconds inside the pocket that causes the sacks. The opposing team doesn't have to respect the run as much, therefore can blitz, causing Ben to run and the play to break up more. Do we need a running back then? No, we just need to run the ball more, like our wonderful owner wants. Getting back to Steeler football will heal the line. We do need at least one new lineman, but not an overhaul.
So, for the final score, we need a CB, an OT, a DL (for the aging line), a FB (if Frank Summers doesn't turn his ship around), a S, and a surprise. That is also the order we should draft them in if we don't pick up fillers from free agency (Ha Ha).

I know it is very unlikely, but here are a few free agents definitely worth looking at. I know we can wish all we want and we all know how the Steelers operate, but it would be cool if we just grabbed up someone special from the market. I also know, don't try to fix anything that isn't broken, but it sure would be exciting.
I believe that the OL deal will have to be fixed in the draft alone. The reason an OL gets released or is not being grabbed up is for a few reason. First, it could be because they are older. Second, they are asking too much in terms of a contract for their worth. Lastly, they underperformed. Neither of these are a good option for any team. Also, when you do draft them you shouldn't pick them in the first round unless he is the best player at your position. You can get great quality in the second round, especially in this particular draft.
I want an experienced CB from free agency. I know if you draft a CB, it takes them a season or two to really pick up our defense. We already have a couple working their way up. I think we need to release Gay and sign a corner to start opposite Taylor. There is

Benny Sapp from Minnesota. He will be heading into his 7th season. Before Minnesota, he played for Kansas City. His stats don't look terrible and he is relatively young, as far as veterans go, and played in a good defense so the transition would be as hard. There is also Fabian Washington of the hated Baltimore Ravens. He is going into his 6th season. He went from Oakland to Baltimore and seems to have decent stats. I would love to be able to steal any talent from a divisional team.

Speaking of talent from divisional teams, I am also aware that we did sign David Pittman. I don't think he has enough experience to make a huge impact. He will be another player to push the younger guys to perform better in the preseason while trying to earn a spot on the roster. If anything, I think he can push Gay out. There are a few more, but I like these two as of right now. If you know any others, let me know.

We will have 9 picks in the 7 round draft. We have one in the 1st (18th overall, one in the 2nd (52nd overall), one in the 3rd (83rd overall), one in the 4th (117th overall), two in the 5th (153rd and 169th overall), two in the 6th (191st and 210th overall), and finally one in the 7th (229th overall).
I was looking at so many mock drafts and here are a few of the picks for our 1st round:

From The Draft Site
1st pick, 18th overall: Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho
2nd pick, 52nd overall: Nate Allen, FS, South Florida
3rd pick, 83rd overall: Anthony Dixon, RB, Mississippi State
4th pick, 117th overall: C.J. Wilson, DE, East Carolina
5th pick, 153rd overall: Rodger Saffold, OT, Indiana
6th pick, 169th overall: Myron Lewis, CB, Vanderbilt
7th pick, 191st overall: Cam Thomas, DT, North Carolina
8th pick, 210th overall: Carlton Mitchell, WR, South Florida
9th pick, 229th overall: Dexter Davis, OLB, Arizona State

From Walter Football
1st pick, 18th overall: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
2nd pick, 52nd overall: Perrish Cox, CB, Oklahoma State
3rd pick, 83rd overall: Jamar Chaney, ILB, Mississippi State
4th pick, 117th overall: Jermaine Cunningham, DE, Florida

From Draft Season
1st pick, 18th overall: Bryan Bulaga, OL, Iowa
2nd pick, 52nd overall: Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama

From Draft Zoo
1st pick, 18th overall: Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
2nd pick, 52nd overall: Morgan Burnett, S, Georgia Tech
3rd pick, 83rd overall: Kyle Calloway, OT, Iowa
4th pick, 117th overall: Jamar Chaney, ILB, Mississippi State
5th pick, 153rd overall: Jay Ross, NT, East Carolina

From Behind the Steel Curtain
1st pick, 18th overall: Mike Iupati OG, Idaho
2nd pick, 52nd overall: Daryl Washington ILB, TCU
3rd pick, 83rd overall: Reshad Jones SS, Georgia
4th pick, 117th overall: Anthony McCoy TE, USC

Overall, we never know, but there is alot of talent in this draft, so anything goes.

The Steelers need to have a strong draft this year. I think it is funny that everyone is picking us to get a lineman, whether it is on defense or offense. I have a feeling that we will pick a running back. I don't see us resigning Willie Parker and we need to plug that hole. Should we pick up LaDanian Tomlinson?

I am not so sure he would mesh, but with his skills as a receiver, Ben would love to have that threat back. This, along with a qualified running game would make us an even bigger threat than last year. Our offense would be complete. We could then concentrate on defense for the draft. I don't see it happening, unless he asked for a huge discount. Other than that, he would be a great mentor for Rashard Mendenhall. If we could only get Frank Summers back on track, we could be an offensive powerhouse.

In my opinion, I think we have a great chance in getting that 7th ring, but we will see!

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Here We Go Steelers!
Here We Go!

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Posted Under Steelers, toad on 02.28.2010

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