Steelers 4-round mock draft

Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple (Paul Vernon/Associated Press)

Beginning today and continuing periodically throughout draft season I’ll offer up a four-round mock draft for the Steelers. It will inevitably change over the course of the 2 1/2 months as teams gather more information on prospective draft choices. But with the NFL scouting combine set to commence in less than two weeks, here goes:

With the No. 25 overall pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers select…

1. Eli Apple, cornerback, Ohio State. He is the long (6-1, 200) athletic corner the Steelers like to have at their disposal. And he’s from Ohio State, where the Steelers love to scout first-round picks. They’ve chosen Cam Heyward (2011) and Ryan Shazier (2014) in recent years. There are some drawbacks. His is a redshirt sophomore who is coming out early and is not as polished as other corners projected to go in the first round. But in time he could be an ideal outside corner to pair opposite William Gay (if he is re-signed) or Senquez Golson, last year’s second-round pick. Apple won’t turn 21 until August, but that hasn’t been a concern for the Steelers, who have selected young players in the first and second rounds several times over the past few years. Stephon Tuitt was 20 when he was drafted out of Notre Dame in 2014 and Shazier was 21. Both saw the field as rookies.

2. Darian Thompson, free safety, Boise State. Another big player to revamp the secondary. Thompson is 6-2, 215 and was a ball hawk as a junior and senior with a combined 12 interceptions. Some mocks have him going to the Steelers in the first round, but he’s probably not a first-round talent unless he kills it at the combine. He has the size and versatility NFL coaches covet. Had a strong performance at the Senior Bowl. If the Steelers get Thompson they would move Mike Mitchell from free safety to strong safety.

3. Josh Garnett, guard, Stanford. Why not go back to Stanford to find a guard? The previous time the Steelers selected one from the Pac-12 school in 2012 it worked out pretty well. David DeCastro earned All-Pro honors last season and is in line for a contract extension. Garnett could be a plug-and-play starter from Day 1 assuming the team does not re-sign Ramon Foster. Garnett would have to learn quickly to earn a starting job, but offensive line coach Mike Munchak would be a perfect tutor for him.

4. Scooby Wright, inside linebacker, Arizona. Top reserve Sean Spence is an unrestricted free agent and Vince Williams, another reserve, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Plus, Lawrence Timmons isn’t going to play forever. Wright was one of the top run defenders in the Pac-12 when healthy and could be a nice value pick at this point in the draft. He could play special teams as a rookie, and depending upon his development, might be a replacement for Timmons in two or three years. At the very least he’s a depth player at a position the Steelers will need to address in the coming years. 

The next four-round mock draft will be after the combine. Post your comments below.