It’s business as usual for Steelers
PITTSBURGH – The Steelers kept adding depth to their roster during Sunday’s second day of the NFL Draft. They picked Larry Foote to back up Kendrell Bell at inside linebacker, then picked Bell’s college buddy, Georgia fullback Verron Haynes, to serve as Dan Krieder’s backup. They picked UTEP wide receiver Lee Mays, who will come to camp far down a deep depth chart.
Pittsburgh plucked Cincinnati cornerback LaVar Glover at the top of the seventh round, even though they have their top three cornerbacks locked up for the next several seasons. Their last pick was Brigham Young defensive end Brett Keisel, who will be greeted by veteran Kimo von Oelhoffen and Aaron Smith, who combined with rookie nose tackle Casey Hampton to give the Steelers their best defensive line in years.
A day earlier, the Steelers picked Auburn guard Kendall Simmons in the first round, Indiana receiver Antwann Randle El in the second and Florida State safety Chris Hope in the third.
At this point, they are just names. We won’t know anything more about them at least until training camp and possibly not for a season or two, if they last that long.
“The theme,” director of football operations Kevin Colbert said in summation, “is that every one of these picks had a purpose.”
Bottom line, the Steelers handled this draft just like they said they were going to handle it. They sat back, knowing they didn’t need a player from any round to come in and make an impact. They had the luxury of simply selecting the best player on their board in each round.
Aside from Bell’s strong recommendation of Haynes, there isn’t anything special about any of the second-day picks. At best, they will help turn around Pittsburgh’s dismal special teams units, which were troublesome all season and directly led to the team’s playoff demise.
“All of them, except Simmons, will help on special teams,” Colbert promised.
Coach Bill Cowher is anxious to see his special teams improve and perhaps more anxious to see these new guys provide the help.
“They should be good in the kicking game because they will do anything you ask them to do,” Cowher said.
That trait, with all due respect to Colbert, is what binds together these new kids in town. They all seem to have something to prove.
Randle El is switching positions very dramatically and Hope admitted he will come to the pros with a very large chip on his shoulder. Even the last pick, Keisel, will be out to prove he can play as well as his teammate, Ryan Denney, who was selected just ahead of Pittsburgh’s second-round selection of Randel El.
“What you see with these guys is what you are going to get,” Cowher said. “They will bring a lot of energy. They will come in here very confident.”
It’s quite obvious Randel El will attract much of the attention through minicamps and training camp. He is switching from college quarterback to pro receiver and return specialist, which offers plenty of intrigue. And he offered his new coach a chance to use his favorite draft day cliche. “He’s a football player,” Cowher said. “He loves playing the game of football.”
The same could be said for all of these newest Steelers. It’s up to Cowher and his staff to find out just how great that love can be.
Sports editor Mike Ciarochi may be reached at mciarochi@heraldstandard.com