NFL Mock Draft 2012: For Steelers, Dont'a Hightower, Vontaze Burfict Are Possibilities

Jan 23 9:00a by Charlie Wilmoth

Charlie Campbell's latest 2012 NFL mock draft at Walter Football has the Steelers taking Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower with the No. 24 pick in the first round.

Hightower, Vontaze Burfict or Ronnell Lewis would be good fits for Pittsburgh. All are intimidating, violent football players who could replace James Harrison in the long term.

At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Hightower is a physical, in-the-box defender. He takes on and beats offensive linemen regularly without difficulty. The intelligent junior is the signal caller for the Crimson Tide defense, a complex collegiate scheme.

Hightower and Burfict have been names that have come up fairly regularly in connection with the Steelers, and they both make a fair amount of sense -- either would represent good value at No. 24, and the Steelers definitely do need help at linebacker. Their problems at guard might be more pressing, but they might choose to wait until a later round to address that problem. Nose tackle is another possibility, with Dontari Poe being the most likely if the Steelers choose to pick one in the first round.

Campbell has Penn State's Devon Still going to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 12.

For more on the 2012 NFL Draft, head over to Mocking The Draft. For more on Steelers football, there's Behind The Steel Curtain.