The last week was devoted to the Steelers receiving their just desserts in the post-draft analysis that was covered by the media, following their dominance in the NFL Draft. The Steelers needed help badly at linebacker, wide receiver, and offensive line. Pittsburgh addressed each of those with well-considered decisions and even succeeded in strengthening the defensive line. Still, a team’s needs are rarely fully met by a single draft class. Both the media and fans predicted that Pittsburgh would try to strengthen its secondary heading into this draft. Additionally, the team extended defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, whose background in teaching defensive backs appeared to suggest Pittsburgh would be giving the position more importance. The fact that Pittsburgh waited to select a cornerback until pick
195 when they chose Texas’ Ryan Watts as their selection. Whether the Steelers view him more as a safety or a corner is still unclear. In his short time as general manager, Omar Khan has proven himself worthy of the benefit of the doubt. The Steelers were obviously more at ease with the cornerbacks on the roster than was previously thought, but it’s likely that they are still adding players. We’ll examine more closely at the cornerback room as it is in this piece. We’ll examine the Steelers’ remaining alternatives to strengthen their roster in a later post.