Walter Football's Consensus Big Board, which averages the results of 2011 NFL Mock Drafts by Mel Kiper, Mike Mayock and others, is a neat little tool that might give us a sense of who could be available when the Steelers pick 31st overall. Of course, it isn't a mock draft itself and doesn't purport to be - just because a player goes at, say, No. 15 doesn't mean that the team who drafts at No. 15 will have a need for that player.
Anyway, the list has LSU corner Patrick Peterson, Georgia wideout A.J. Green and Texas A&M OLB Von Miller as the top three. Let's move further down to where the Steelers will be picking, though. The Steelers' greatest needs are at cornerback, offensive line and defensive line, so here are some players who Walter Football has listed a few picks before or a few picks after.
Cornerbacks: Brandon Harris (Miami - 27), Jimmy Smith (Colorado - 29), Aaron Williams (Texas - 36). This makes sense - these guys are the next tier of cornerback talent after Peterson and Nebraska's Prince Amukamara.
Offensive line: Nate Solder (Colorado - 22), Mike Pouncey (Florida - 25), Derek Sherrod (Mississippi State - 31), Danny Watkins (Baylor - 32). Pouncey would be an obvious candidate to be taken by the Steelers if he fell to them, but not many mock drafts I've seen have him falling that far. A couple have predicted the Steelers would take Sherrod. Watkins is 26 years old, and I'd prefer the Steelers avoid him purely for that reason.
Defensive line: Muhammad Wilkerson (Temple - 21), Corey Liuget (Illinois - 23), Cameron Heyward (Ohio State - 24), Stephen Paea (Oregon State - 35). Wilkerson has gone to the Steelers in some recent mocks. Paea is a combine monster who broke the bench press record.