The guys over at Mocking the Draft have been putting together a collaborative mock draft with the bloggers of SB Nation and on Thursday they reached the No. 24 overall pick, belonging to the Steelers. The guys over at Behind The Steel Curtain took Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower, here is their explanation.
Hightower, however, would be a great fit. He called the plays for Nick Saban’s defense last season at Alabama. Though he may be somewhat inexperienced defending the pass in zone schemes, he takes fantastic angles to the ball, so I assume he’ll be a quick learn and be ready to take over the reigns as a starter as early as the second part of the 2012 season.
Hightower has been a very popular pick for the Steelers since the NFL Combine, near unanimous in fact. It is not surprising to see Hightower in this spot, but it is worth noting that to make this pick the "Steelers" had to pass on Memphis defensive lineman Dontari Poe, who is considered by many to be an early first round pick.
Poe reached the pinnacle of his draft stock within the past few weeks, but he has taken a significant tumble after his performance at the combine forced analysts to look at his game film a little closer. He would also be a good fit for the Steelers with this pick, so it will be interesting to see what the actual Steelers do if they are presented with this decision.
For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain. For more on the NFL Draft, there's Mocking The Draft. Here's SB Nation's latest mock draft.