Steelers

NFL Mock Draft 2013: Steelers to look for defense in 1st round?

Could the Pittsburgh Steelers go after a player like Damontre Moore in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft?

By James Brady@jamesbradyisme Mar 18, 2013, 2:54pm EDT

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been meeting what is the minimum required for them to be considered contenders over the past couple seasons, but last year, they faltered and missed the playoffs. They still made a decent run at things, they were just left behind by two division rivals and now will have to go back to the drawing board.

More: Stay up to date on all of SB Nation's NFL Draft coverage Behind the Steel Curtain

As far as the 2013 NFL Draft goes, the Steelers are picking right about the middle of the first round. They have the No. 17 overall pick, and that's probably a desirable position to be in. This draft isn't top heavy compared to recent years, but there are still some very solid players, especially on defense, throughout the first couple rounds.

Matthew Fairburn released the latest SB Nation mock draft on Monday, and he has the Steelers snagging one of those defensive players in defensive end/outside linebacker Damontre Moore out of Texas A&M:

Damontre Moore seems to have the motor and movement skills to play in space in a 3-4 defense. I wasn't a fan of him in the 4-3 this last season, and his lack of strength showed up at the combine. A 3-4 team like the Steelers could find a way to make use of him, though.

Moore has been all over the place in mock drafts this offseason. Fairburn himself had Moore as high as No. 3 to the Oakland Raiders in the first round. He hasn't done anything since then to lower his stock, there's just a generally clearer picture of how the defensive linemen are shaping out in the draft at this point. Either way, the Steelers would surely find a place for Moore in their defense.