The Pittsburgh Steelers have picked 22-year old cornerback Curtis Brown out of Texas with the 95th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  The Steelers took Brown because he was likely the top CB left on their board and it’s an area where they need help.  Brown is on the small side at 5’11″, 180 pounds and he’s not especially fast as he runs a 4.5 40.  He is a pretty good cover corner but his hands look like a couple of bricks when the ball comes his way.  Brown played in 12 games (10 starts) for Texas last season and he had 26 tackles, broke up 7 passes and 1 interception.  He played in 52 games (28 starts) in his four years with the Longhorns and he had 120 tackles, broke up 32 passes, had 2 interceptions (151 return yards) and 1 forced fumble.  Brown also returned 13 punts for 194 yards (14.9 avg) last year and he might be able to help the Steelers there.  He is a good special teams player so look for him to play a lot on the coverage teams.  Overall, this is a solid pick for the Steelers as Brown fills a couple of big needs.

The Steelers took 23-year old OT Marcus Gilbert out of Florida with the 63rd overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Gilbert is a massive man at 6’6″, 329 pounds and he plays with power.  He is a very solid run blocker who also is a pretty good pass blocker.  Gilbert played in 13 games (all starts) for Florida last season and he played in 53 games (30 starts) in his four years there.  This is a perfect fit for the Steelers as I see him starting at one of the tackle spots whenever the 2011 season begins.  This was an outstanding pick for the Steelers as Gibson should fit right in.

The Steelers took DE Cameron Heyward in the first round (#31 overall) out of Ohio State last night.  The 22-year old Heyward is 6’5″, 280 pounds but he’s not the type of playmaker the Steelers usually like to have.  Heyward played in 13 games (all starts) for Ohio State last season and he had 48 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, he batted down 1 pass and he recovered 1 fumble.  Heyward played in 52 games (43 starts) in his four years with the Buckeyes and he had 163 tackles, 37.5 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, 5 batted down balls, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.  The Steelers hope that Heyward develops into a good pass rusher but it’s going to take a lot of hard work for him as he wasn’t too good at getting after the QB in college.

The Pittsburgh Steelers generally like to draft the best player available regardless of position but they likely won’t have that luxury this year.  With Ben Roethlisberger getting older, he can’t keep getting hit like a pinata or his career will be cut short.  Look for the Steelers to draft offensive linemen very high in this draft.  The Steelers also have needs at corner, running back and inside linebacker and they will be looking to add players there.  This is how I see the Steelers’ draft going as here are the players I had them getting in my mock draft:

1st round (#31 overall) – Danny Watkins, G, Baylor

2nd round (#63 overall) – Orlando Franklin, T, Miami (FL)

3rd round (#95 overall) – Shareece Wright, CB, USC

4th round (#128 overall) – Shane Vereen, RB, California

5th round (#162 overall) – Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse

6th round (#196 overall) – Orie Lemon, ILB, Oklahoma State

7th round (#232 overall) – Devin Torrence, CB, Ohio State

If the Steelers’ draft goes like I project it to, the team is going to be even better than they were last year when they lost the Super Bowl.