Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

But for now, Clark is busy opining about the league as a player, and his opinions on the success of the Steelers draft are both optimistic and interesting. He said, ”The way I look at our draft, every pick was exactly where we needed to go. We got the best pass rusher in the nation the last two years. We got a good young running back. We got another receiver. And we got a highly-rated safety (Syracuse’s 5-foot 9-inch Shamarko Thomas, taken 111th overall in the fourth round) who I think would have gone a lot higher except for his size.”

The most interesting of those comments deals with Shamarko Thomas, who was a great selection for the Steelers in the middle of the fourth round. Thomas is a good free safety prospect out of Syracuse, and I agree with Clark’s comment that Thomas should have gone higher. I am guessing that the Steelers are grooming him to eventually take over for Troy Polamalu, but that’s far off in the future. That’s probably the best-case for the Steelers in that regard, because what is more important right now is that Thomas develops and immediately contributes as a quality backup safety for this team. I always enjoy hearing evaluations (even if they are brief) from current players on players who play that same position.

Clark is correct in his praise of the Pittsburgh Steelers draft, because they did, as they usually do, draft really well. Markus Wheaton is going to alleviate the loss of Mike Wallace as a deep threat, because Wheaton was the best vertical threat in this draft. Jarvis Jones has injury concerns, but there is no denying his talent and his solid value with the 17th pick. The Steelers filled out several needs, and Le’Veon Bell was a nice pick in the second. It seems like the Steelers really like him, and Bell can be the guy Rashard Mendenhall was supposed to be in Pittsburgh.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) walks off the field after the AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium. The Ravens won 28-13. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots have been rivals over the past decade. Both have vied for AFC supremacy and Super Bowl trips. They face off in week 9 of the NFL season and Steelers safety Ryan Clark is already circling that date on the schedule.

You could say he is looking forward to it.

“I think what’s really underestimated is Wes Welker’s importance to not only the New England Patriots, but Tom Brady,” Clark said on ESPN. “Losing him is huge. . . . I know they think Danny Amendola can come in and have the same type of numbers he had with the Rams, but we also have to remember, he’s fragile.”

Many have assumed that the Patriots think they can plug Danny Amendola into the system to replace Wes Welker and he’ll produce similar numbers. That Welker essentially was a product of the system, and Amendola can be as well. But Amendola has struggled staying healthy and on the field with the St. Louis Rams.

But that’s not the only weak link in the armor for the Patriots according to Ryan Clark.

“When Tom Brady gets pressure and when you’re man-to-man and bumping those guys and making it hard for him to throw, he sees ghosts,” Clark said. “Even when guys aren’t around him, even when he’s not about to be sacked, when his clock goes off in his head that the ball should be out, we’ll see him duck, we’ll see him flinch. When you get Tom Brady doing that, the whole New England Patriots mystique goes away.”

Clark has proof referencing a 2011 game where they executed this plan and won.

“Two years ago we played them and dominated them because we went man-to-man and had a big corner in Cortez Allen on [Rob] Gronkowski, and made it hard for Tom Brady to get the ball off, in timing, and made him to have to make plays. It was hard for him.”

We’ll see if he’s right next season.

May 3, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers second round draft pick running back Le

The Pittsburgh Steelers have benefited from a pretty solid starting quarterback for almost a decade since drafting Ben Roethlisberger in the first round in 2004. He’s brought them two Super Bowl trophies in the process. But entering his 10th NFL season, at a still relatively young 31 years of age it brings questions about their plans with quarterback Landry Jones.

Is he there to back up Ben Roethlisberger, or is he there to eventually replace Roethlisberger as former Steelers back up Charlie Batch suggests.

“I have no idea,” Jones said, via the Associated Press.  “You might want to talk to the coaches or Mr. Rooney on that one, what they want to do.  I’m just here to learn football.  They give me an opportunity to come play.”

You would have to think that at 31 years old, Ben could be playing will 37 or 38 years old. That gives the Steelers another 6-7 seasons, and no real need to draft a successor now. But there could be concerns about his health and longevity. He has been banged up in his career not to mention the infamous motorcycle accident. He might not have the longevity other quarterbacks have had.

His contract does expire after the 2015 season and he could want a big contract for his final seasons that the Steelers aren’t willing to give him.

Dec 16, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers helmet on the field before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys won 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

With the #17 pick in the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Jarvis Jones out of Georgia.

They released James Harrison so they needed someone to fill in that spot of the defense. A great pass rusher, will fit excellent in this defense. A fast linebacker, had 28 sacks against the SEC, will become a part of a defense who didn’t have a single player in double digit sacks last season.

The Dallas Cowboys are on the clock.

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Although Johnson doesn’t have the body type of a true tight end, I doubt the Steelers will be using him in that manner. They are going to use him in a variety of ways, with most of Johnson’s duties being staying in to block. That’s where he is going to be needed, and that’s definitely where he makes his game. The Steelers will still throw it to him a little bit at TE, and he did make 12 catches back in 2011. With Miller recovering from the ACL and MCL tears, it made sense for the Steelers to move Johnson to TE, and he should see a nice spike in pass targets in 2013 as a result.

The piece on David Johnson on the Steelers official site is an incredible one that depicts the journey Johnson has taken in his recovery from the ACL tear. As the title states (even if it was in reference to his climb of the renowned “Cardiac Hill”), Johnson’s hard work is paying off. Here’s one select quote from Johnson in the piece talking about his feelings during the rehab process, “I thought why me for a little bit, I was a little angry, but after a while I was over it and focused on getting better. I know injuries like this happen to people and I feel like I am going to have a long career playing football so I went ahead and got past it.”

The Steelers brought Johnson back on a one-year deal last month, and he will strive to make the deal pay off in 2013 whilst being back at the tight end position- I’m sure everybody is rooting for him to have a good year.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe.

December 30, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) looks at the scoreboard and reacts to a holding call on the Steelers against the Cleveland Browns during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a rough 2012 by their standards. They finished 8-8 and missed out on the playoffs. Which was a huge step backwards after having Tim Tebow and his Broncos eliminate them from the playoffs the season before. Their division has gotten tougher with the emergence of the Cincinnati Bengals and the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens.

But despite those back to back disappointing season, he isn’t feeling any outside pressure.

“No one is going to be more critical on me than me,” Roethlisberger said, via Sports Radio Interviews. “No matter how hard Cookie tries to get on me. But the pressure and being critical, I’m always going to put that on myself. That’s the thing that everyone is saying, but this is the earliest I’ve come to these voluntary workouts. I was here Day One. I have been working out for a long time. Seven days after the last game, I started working out. I’ve been working out. I’m in great shape. But I wanted to be there. I want those guys to see me. I want those guys to know that I want to be the guy this year that is ready to go and lead these guys. I put that pressure on myself. I want to get us back to the Super Bowl.”

But he hears people saying the Steelers are in for a tough few seasons.

“Good. Go ahead. I guess it depends on who you ask and that is fine. I’m with people saying that we’re going to be terrible and, ‘Let’s overlook them,’ because that means our opponents are doing the same thing. I like that. I like being the hunter. It’s kind of a fun place to be. I’m OK with that.”

Dec 16, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers helmet on the field before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys won 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to rebound after what was a down year for them. They finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. As the Bengals have gotten better, so has their division. And of course the Ravens, and current Super Bowl Champions, will make this a tough divisional schedule.

That could leave the Steelers looking to rack up wins outside their division. Unfortunately that schedule isn’t much easier. The Steelers face the NFC North, arguably the toughest division in football. They wil travel to London in late September to face the Vikings. They also have to travel to take on the New England Patriots.

• Sep. 8 Tennessee Titans 1:00p
• Sep. 16 at Cincinnati Bengals (Mon) 8:40p
• Sep. 22 Chicago Bears 8:30p
• Sep. 29 at Minnesota Vikings (London) 1:00p
• Oct. 6 BYE
• Oct. 13 at New York Jets 1:00p
• Oct. 20 Baltimore Ravens 4:25p
• Oct. 27 at Oakland Raiders 4:05p
• Nov. 3 at New England Patriots 4:25p
• Nov. 10 Buffalo Bills 1:00p
• Nov. 17 Detroit Lions 1:00p
• Nov. 24 at Cleveland Browns 1:00p
• Nov. 28 at Baltimore Ravens (Thurs) 8:30p
• Dec. 8 Miami Dolphins 1:00p
• Dec. 15 Cincinnati Bengals * 8:30p
• Dec. 22 at Green Bay Packers 4:25p
• Dec. 29 Cleveland Browns 1:00p

Oct 6, 2012; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Connecticut Huskies cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson (5) prior to game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Point Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Wreh-Wilson has been getting late first-round grades from ESPN, and they like to mock him to the New England Patriots and think he will stay in the region. The Patriots did take a look at Wreh-Wilson, as Bill Belichick scouted him out at UConn’s pro day. But I don’t think Wreh-Wilson’s tape backed up his length and athleticism, because he didn’t use his athletic ability to improve his ball skills and make plays on the ball. He’s not good enough in man coverage either, and that’s something I don’t think the Pats like.

He is, however, perfect in zone coverage and fair value in the second round of the draft. He’s not going to fall into the third round the way teams like the Bucs and Steelers need a corner, so the evaluations he turns in from the Bucs can help dictate where he goes. The Jacksonville Jaguars are also slated to work out Wreh-Wilson in the future, and they can either reach for him with their very early second-round pick or hope that he turns into a steal for them in the third round.

I will be especially interested to see how things develop for Blidi Wreh-Wilson with the Buccaneers, because he could be a really good fit for the Bucs. Scouts are really divisive on Wreh-Wilson’s draft stock, but what will certainly help him are intangibles. Wreh-Wilson is a smart player, and he has drawn leadership and character comparisons to Patriots young captain and budding star free safety Devin McCourty.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe.

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The news of these workouts taking place today comes to us from Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola via Twitter.

Boyce is one of my favorite players in this draft class, because he is somebody who fights for every yard and shows the kind of toughness that scouts love. A vertical threat who could feasibly replace some of what Wallace provided for the Steelers running downfield routes, Boyce participated in the 2013 NFL Combine despite a broken toe and even ran a sub-4.4 forty. Yeah, with a broken toe.

He seems to be somebody who suffers from little college production or hype, and analysts point to TCU’s inconsistent quarterback play as a main reason why Boyce deserves to get more press. A likely third or fourth round draft choice, Boyce had an excellent 2012 season when you look at what he did relative to the throws coming at him, and I think he would be a great pick for the Steelers in that draft range. If the Patriots sign Sanders, then the Steelers will get a third-rounder. I think they would end up using it on Boyce.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers – Johnathan Hankins, NT, Ohio State – The Steelers’ whole defense is getting old, they need to start going position by position. Not only is Hankins one of the best prospects on the board here, but he’s also a true nose tackle which is very rare and hard to find. If he pans out the way everyone thinks, he can be the perfect first block in the rebuilding of the Steelers.

18. Dallas Cowboys – Kenny Vaccarro, S, Texas – The Cowboys love making sexy picks. This year they can fill their biggest need doing it.  They take Kenny Vaccaro, one of the hottest, most talked about players in this year’s draft.  Kenny doesn’t travel far and keeps his in state Longhorn fanbase by being picked 18th overall by the Dallas Cowboys

19. New York Giants – Alec Ogletree, ILB, Georgia The Giants get the pick of the inside linebacker litter here at #19.  It’s a tough choice, between Alec Ogletree, the long time #1 ILB prospect in this year’s draft and Kansas State’s Arthur Brown.  Both had great seasons leading top 10 ranked defenses to be conference championship contenders.  Alec Ogletree carries a little more liability with minor injuries and off field issues but is clearly the most exciting ILB in the draft this year, putting up numbers that still outshine other players at his position despite playing 10 games.  Without his off field drama, I’d think Alec would be top 15 maybe even a top 10 pick.  The Giants have trust in their coaching staff to keep this kid on track and pick him up with the 19th overall pick.

20. Chicago Bears – Arthur Brown, ILB, Kansas State
Guess who else needs an inside linebacker and has a great prospect on the board?  That’s right.  The Bears.  Arthur Brown seems to be a great replacement for Urlacher.  Both were said to be undersized for their position (Arthur Brown’s biggest knock).  Chicago understands that size isn’t everything and that it’s possible to play bigger than you actually are.  What better place  for Arthur Brown to step in immediately in the shoes of a great player with similar criticisms and prove the critics wrong?

Dec 1, 2012; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats defensive linebacker Arthur Brown (4) and offensive linesman BJ Finney (66) hold the Big 12 Championship trophy during the presentation after the game against the Texas Longhorns at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Kansas State won 42-24. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports