On Saturday, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake received two new pupils during the 2013 NFL draft in the form of safety Shamarko Thomas and cornerback Terry Hawthorne. Hawthorne, who the Steelers selected in the fifth round, will now compete for a roster spot and presumably push cornerback Curtis Brown, the Steelers third round pick in 2011. Lake was asked during his press conference where Brown fits right now in his plans after the selection of Hawthorne on Saturday. "We’re hoping that Curtis can turn the corner right now," said Lake, who is entering his third year coaching Read more [...]

Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler is one of my favorite coaches to listen to talk, but unfortunately we only get to hear from him just a few times a year. While talking Saturday about Florida State linebacker Vince Williams, whom the Steelers drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft, the coach was not shy about telling how he was banging the table for another linebacker in the second round. "If they had done what I felt like doing we would have taken one in the second round," Butler said. "As I told them, last time we picked first and second with linebackers we won Read more [...]

The 2013 NFL draft has now come to an end and the Pittsburgh Steelers selected nine players in total. I will have my extended thoughts on the draft along with my grade on Sunday, but first, I wanted to give everyone a chance to cast their vote in a poll and yopur comments below. Tell us what players you liked specifically and what players you don't. In addition, tell us which players that were bypassed that you believe should have been drafted. We will have quite a bit to chew on now for the next several weeks and I will be breaking down the players more in depth in future post. Thanks Read more [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected Samford defensive end Nicholas Williams with their sevbenth and final pick in the 2013 NFL draft. John Mitchell audio: http://www.nfl.com/videos/auto/0ap2000000152003/2013-Combine-workout-Nick-Williams Combine Invite: Yes Height: 6044 Weight: 309 40 Yrd Dash: 4.84 20 Yrd Dash: 2.80 10 Yrd Dash: 1.70 225 Lb. Bench Reps: 28 Vertical Jump: 33 Broad Jump: 09'03" 20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.65 3-Cone Drill: 7.55 2011: Started all 11 games on the defensive line . . . tallied 23 tackles, including 17 solo stops . . . had three tackles for a loss . . . Read more [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 NFL draft is now complete and there are nine new players that have joined the Steeler Nation family. All eight players are indeed on Twitter and below are the usernames and links to their respective Twitter pages. Round 1, Pick 17 Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia @SacManJones_29 Round 2, Pick 16 Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State @L_Bell24 Round 3, Pick 17 Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State @twheat002 Round 4, Pick 14 Shamarko Thomas, SS, Syracuse @shamarko21ya Round 4, Pick 18 Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma @LandryJones12 Round 5, Pick 17 Terry Read more [...]

The 2013 NFL draft is now in the books and the Pittsburgh Steelers can add up to 16 undrafted free agents according to general manager Kevin Colbert. As we do ever year at this time, below is a running list of players that intend to sign. This list, however, is in no way official as players and teams have changed their minds before. We can only pass along what is reported. C Joe Madsen - West Virginia Combine Height: 6033 Weight: 310 40 Yrd Dash: 5.16 20 Yrd Dash: 2.92 10 Yrd Dash: 1.83 225 Lb. Bench Reps: 25 Vertical Jump: 25 Broad Jump: 08'02" 20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.83 3-Cone Drill: Read more [...]

During his talk with the media on Saturday, Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler was asked if 2013 was a make or break year for fourth-year linebacker Stevenson Sylvester. "No doubt for him," said Butler. "He knows that. That is something I talked to him about at the end of the season. I talked to all of them about this at the end of the season. It doesn’t matter the reason that you are not on the field. If you are hurt like LaMarr Woodley, he was hurt. It doesn’t matter the reason that he wasn’t on the field, he just wasn’t on the field. "We have to remedy where that Read more [...]

Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler delivered some real bad news on Saturday about linebacker Sean Spence, the teams third round draft pick from last year, when asked if he would be back this year. "I don’t think he is going to be. It will be miraculous if he does come back. It will be miraculous if he comes back next year. We are going to take a chance on him and see if he can come back. To me, he is worth every bit of that." Butler was asked if it would be gravy if Spence every does return and his response was not surprising. "I hope he’s gravy, said Butler. "I really Read more [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected Florida State linebacker Vince Williams with their second of two six round picks in the 2013 NFL draft. This is the compensatory selection. All-ACC (Honorable Mention) Phil Steele Postseason All-ACC (Second Team) Under Armour Senior Bowl Selection 2012: Senior who started all 14 games for FSU at the middle linebacker spot...helped Florida State's defense lead the nation in yards allowed per play (3.86), rank second nationally in total defense (254.14 ypg) and rank in the top six nationally in scoring defense (14.71 ppg), rushing defense (92.29 ypg), Read more [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected Oklahoma wide receiver Justin Brown with their first of two six round picks in the 2013 NFL draft. Height: 6'3.1" Weight: 207 pounds Hand: 9 1/2 inches Arm: 32 inches Wingspan: 79 inches Vertical Jump: 30 1/2 inches Broad Jump: 9'9" 40-Yard Dash: 4.59 seconds 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.37 seconds Three-Cone Drill: 6.95 seconds 60-Yard Shuttle: 11.41 seconds Season G-GS Rec. Yards Avg. TD Long PR Yards Avg. TD Long 2009* 10-0 5 78 15.6 0 27 7 41 5.9 0 20 2010* 13-13 33 452 13.7 1 45 15 77 5.1 0 15 2011* 13-13 35 517 14.8 2 69 27 220 8.1 0 33 2012 13-13 73 879 12.0 5 46 22 299 13.6 1 90 Career 49-39 146 1,926 13.2 8 69 71 637 9.0 1 90 2012 Started Read more [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected Illinois cornerback Terry Hawthorne with their fifth round pick of the 2013 NFL draft. Carnell Lake press conference audio: http://www.nfl.com/draft/2013/profiles/terry-hawthorne?id=2539238 OVERVIEW Illinois’ talented defense has received well-deserved praise over the past couple of seasons, with defensive end Whitney Mercilus landing in the first round of the 2012 draft (after leading the nation in sacks) and multiple 2013 draft prospects littering the team’s front seven. But the surprising selection of safety Tavon Wilson in the second round Read more [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones with their second fourth round pick of the 2013 NFL draft. Audio of Randy Fichtner on Landry Jones LANDRY JONES Quarterback University of Oklahoma Sooners #12 6:03.5-221 Artesia, New Mexico Artesia High School OVERVIEW When it comes to collecting “real estate,” the Sooners’ rifle-armed passer is “leaps and bounds” more effective than any quarterback in today’s collegiate game. That is evident by the fact that Jones leads all NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision players in pass attempts Read more [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected Syracuse safety Shamarko Thomas with their fourth round pick of the 2013 NFL draft. The Steelers traded their No. 3 pick in '14 for the 111st pick in this draft. Carnell Lake press conference audio: SHAMARKO LANELL THOMAS Strong Safety Syracuse University Orange #21 5:08.7-217 Virginia Beach, Virginia Ocean Lakes High School OVERVIEW With his squat frame and thick build, Thomas looks more like a London Fletcher-type of linebacker than your typical strong safety. That is, until you put a stopwatch on a player who is blessed Read more [...]

Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network is reporting Saturday morning on Twitter that the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to trade running back Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer, the Steelers sixth-round draft pick in 2010, is considered to be the more marketable running back on the roster currently, but is also only under contract for 2013 after signing a one-year restricted tender in the amount of $1.323 million. The Steelers drafted Michigan State running back Le'Veon Bell in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft on Friday and they also added free agent LaRod Stephens-Howling to the roster on Friday in Read more [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Michigan State running back Le'Veon Bell in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft on Friday and they also signed free agent running back LaRod Stephens-Howling to the roster earlier in the day. With both players being known for their pass catching abilities, Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley was asked on 970 ESPN Radio following the selection of Bell if he was planning to use his running backs more out of the backfield in 2013. "Yeah, I think that was the intent last year and we made progress, but not near the progress that we as a staff wanted to make," Read more [...]

By now, you all are pretty well aware how enamored I am with Ohio State linebacker John Simon and Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti, and I am hoping that at least one of them is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers by the time the day is done. As far as Mauti goes, I don't think that I need to explain his situation again. He might even go undrafted thanks to all of the knee injuries that he has suffered. If he can make it back and eventually play the BUCK position, that would be great. If he can't, that's how it goes. Simon, who has played on the Buckeyes defensive line as well as the LEO Read more [...]

The third and final day of the 2013 NFL draft is here, and being as you all have done so well with these open discussion post (you crashed the server twice on Friday), we will do it for the final four rounds of the draft, which should move pretty quickly. Which team has had the best draft so far? Which team has had the worst? Who is still on the board that you like the most for the Pittsburgh Steelers and who they need to make sure to stay clear of? You know the drill and welcome to day three. This post will be stuck to the top of the front page all day. Round 4 Jacksonville Kansas City Oakland Philadelphia Minnesota Read more [...]

On the second day of the 2013 NFL draft the Pittsburgh Steelers were in search of a running back and with their second round pick, the 48th overall, they chose to bypass Alabama running back Eddie Lacy, who many considered to be the best in this years' class, to select Michigan State running back Le'Veon Bell instead. Once the selection was made, a good portion of the Steelers fan base went into a tirade, as they couldn't fathom why such a decision was made to not only take Bell over Lacy, but also, in their opinion, reach for him a round earlier than they could have had him. Steelers offensive Read more [...]

Day two of the 2013 NFL draft is now in the books and it is now time to look ahead to the final day and speculate who the Pittsburgh Steelers might be targeting in the final four rounds. With the outside linebacker, running back and wide receiver positions already addressed in the first three rounds, the Steelers could likely add a safety, inside linebacker, defensive end, guard, cornerback, tight end or even quarterback on day three. Here are some players that I will have my eyes on and please feel free to add your favorites in the comments below that I may have missed. As far as safeties Read more [...]

Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert never likes to refer to drafted players as needs. Instead, he likes to call them wants. On Friday, it is quite obvious that needs is indeed the correct word to use as the Steelers drafted Michigan State running back Le'Veon Bell in round two of the 2013 NFL draft and Oregon State wide receiver Markus Wheaton in the third round. Due to the loss of wide receiver Mike Wallace and running back Rashard Mendenhall to free agency this offseason, many figured that those two positions would be addressed by the Steelers in the first few rounds of the draft, Read more [...]