Chad Reuter's seven-round 2012 NFL mock draft has the Steelers making a not-so-surprising pick at No. 24: Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower.
The age of Pittsburgh's defense might push them toward a versatile player like Hightower, who can play outside or inside. The Steelers aren't afraid to build depth at a position instead of filling what people perceive as their more immediate need.
Let's skip right past that, though, and check out the Steelers' second-round pick. It's Midwestern State guard Amini Silatolu, who would make sense both positionally (the Steelers don't draft purely for need, but they need guards badly) and in terms of talent.
In the third round, the Steelers take Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead, which again makes a lot of sense (and although there aren't a ton of multi-round mock drafts out there, this isn't the first one I've seen that has had the Steelers picking Pead. With Rashard Mendenhall on the shelf, the Steelers will try to find an extra running back in the draft to help Isaac Redman.
In the fourth round, the Steelers snag Alabama defensive tackle Josh Chapman, which would be a fantastic pick that late. I'd be mildly surprised if he were still on the board, and I think the Steelers would be awfully tempted if he were still there. Chapman had surgery to fix his ACL in January, and if that hadn't happened, he probably would be taken a lot earlier than this.
Pittsburgh then grabs WVU cornerback Keith Tandy in the fifth round.
This would be a terrific draft for the Steelers, who'd get a lot of talent that also addresses areas of need.
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