Would you like to know what ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. thinks about the Pittsburgh Steelers 2015 draft? No? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway.
Not that it means anything, but Kiper gave the Steelers weekend haul of eight players an “A-” grade.
Kiper writes:
The Steelers had a really good draft. I think they needed help at every level of their defense, and they not only added a pass-rusher, but they also went hard after secondary talent, which was needed because of how depleted they were in that area. Bud Dupree felt like a steal at No. 22 overall. Given the off-field issues that affected the pass-rushing group, to have him available at that point was a surprise to me. I thought he could have gone as high as No. 8 overall. Senquez Golson is one of my favorite players in the draft, an INT machine at Ole Miss who plays bigger than his size and has the hands I wish more wide receivers had. Elsewhere in the secondary, the Steelers added a steady college performer in Doran Grant out of Ohio State, and then the nation’s leader in INTs last year, Gerod Holliman. You think they wanted to find answers in the secondary? Yep, those guys will be green, but at least the depth chart looks better. The fun one to watch will be Sammie Coates, not only because every wide receiver the Steelers take in this range seems to turn into Superman, but also because he truly is one of the physical freaks in this draft. If he can catch it better and add some refinement, you never know what can happen. They looked for some D-line help late (like I said, needs at every level) with L.T. Walton and Anthony Chickillo. Good week for the Steelers.
It will likely be a few years until we really know what the Steelers drafted this year and in addition to that, it’s very unlikely that all eight players make the final 53 man roster during their rookie season. Four of the Steelers top five picks addressed needs, so it’s hard to find fault in that.
The Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins and New York Jets were the other four teams that received an “A-” from Kiper.
