Why Pittsburgh Steelers had best draft in AFC North

By Brian Spaen | May 8, 2015

Now that the 2015 NFL Draft is over, the aftermath is always the debate of who won the draft. In the AFC North, all four teams arguably had the best draft in their division. If somebody has to be a winner, the Pittsburgh Steelers deserve the crown thanks to some fortune with their smart picks.

The consensus among ESPN’s AFC North writers is that the Steelers had a slightly better draft than the Baltimore Ravens. Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers beat writer, actually praised the Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, leading to believe that he liked the Ravens draft more. But Fowler still approved of Pittsburgh’s draft in the same way, and like most people, loved the Bud Dupree pick.

"Bud Dupree could have gone as high as No. 8; the Steelers got him at 22. Rebuilding the secondary with shorter, playmaking cornerbacks is a calculated risk, to be sure, but it should pay off."

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Coley Harvey, Cincinnati Bengals beat reporter for ESPN, also mentioned Sammie Coates along with both praise and concern for Dupree as an NFL player.

Not everybody liked Coates, the former Auburn wide receiver. Jim Meinecke from Beyond the Steel Curtain listed his positives such as being a deep threat, showing up in big games like his over 200-yard and two touchdown performance against Alabama, and impressing at the NFL Scouting Combine. However, there’s a lot of risk involved and Meinecke doesn’t understand why they would re-draft somebody similar to Martavis Bryant.

"Last year the Steelers drafted a Sammie Coates clone that turned out better than expected. In fact, Bryant started in the second wide receiver spot ahead of Markus Wheaton to end the season. So, they have a better version of Sammie Coates already on the roster. At best, Coates will be the third wide receiver on this team, but it is highly unlikely he will beat out Wheaton for that spot due to his issues holding onto the football consistently."

Dameyune Craig, former NFL player and current wide receivers coach for Auburn, defends Coates and believes the Steelers are well-equipped to make him thrive (via Montgomery Advertiser).

"Among some great players, there’s a Hall of Fame quarterback, some Pro Bowl receivers around him. I think it was a perfect situation for him and I think he’ll be a hard matchup for anybody in the NFL. … Think that would be perfect spot for him.”"

Picking Coates is a risk, but not a big one considering who the Steelers drafted around him. They still picked up key needs such as a linebacker in Dupree and two cornerbacks, Senquez Golson and Doran Grant, in the second and fourth rounds, respectively.

Golson is undersized at 5-foot-9, but still has the speed and ball-watching skills to overcome his height. He’ll fit well into a slot position immediately as he’s weak in man-to-man coverage right now. Grant is both very smart and confident based on his quotes in an article by Ralph N. Paulk of Trib Live. While he’ll have to work himself up to be a starting cornerback, he’s also willing to be versatile.

Rounding out the draft, Pittsburgh filled some other needs by picking up a late tight end Jesse James and defensive end L.T. Walton in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively.

It’s going to be hard for the Steelers to replace all the starters they have lost due to retirement or free agency, but they still filled their needs while using the same mentality they try to do every year — picking the best players available when their name is on the clock. Once again, Pittsburgh was the class of the AFC North.

Next: Samie Coates fits Pittsburgh Steelers profile

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