NFL Draft 2011 Has AFC Champions Looking at O-Line, Cornerback, D-Line, Receiver
The Pittsburgh Steelers got to the Super Bowl last season the same way they always have: hit people in the mouth on defense, hit them in the mouth with the running game then put the nail in the coffin with a few throws from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
But as predictably effective as Roethlisberger was last season, the truth is their offensive line is aging and now injury-prone, and it that showed last year. Sure, there was a little bad luck involved, but the injuries also marked something that was bound to happen with the battered line.
So the offensive line figures to be the No. 1 need for the Steelers in the 2011 NFL Draft.
It's just a matter of if they'll get a legitimate starter right away.
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They'd love to see Florida guard/center Mike Pouncey fall to them, the brother of Steelers Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey, but that's looking more and more like it won't happen.
If a top offensive lineman doesn't land to them, they could look at cornerback next, with Miami's Brandon Harris, Texas' Aaron Williams and maybe even Colorado's Jimmy Smith being available. Steelers corner Ike Taylor was decent, but he hasn't proven to be the lockdown defender the Steelers expected him to be.
The defensive line is also getting very old, and Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor might drop to them at No. 31, a previously-underrated lineman who has recently started to get a lot of buzz.
And there's also the potential to grab someone like receiver Leonard Hankerson of Miami, who freak athlete who has risen up draft boards lately. Sure, they still have Hines Ward, but there's no doubt he's getting older and is not the explosive player he used to be. It's only a matter of time before they need to replace him.
Chyler Leigh Julie Berry Lori Heuring Nicole Scherzinger Jill Arrington
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