We poke fun at an oft-lamented philosophy by Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert. "Let the draft come to you."
National Football Post writer Greg Gabriel lets his most recent mock draft come to him. And in that, he sends Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley to Pittsburgh at 15.
The pick just makes sense. His explanation of it is even more simple and clear:
The Steelers are looking at some good players and could go in several different directions. Anthony Barr would give them another edge pass rusher, or they could look at a receiver like Odell Beckham. Mosley is the type of winning player Kevin Colbert likes.
It seems easy for teams to paint themselves in corners by forcing a mindset of position need having to be addressed immediately. Based on his production and his measurements, it can be argued Mosley fits the 15th pick better than the cornerbacks likely to be available at 15. Even though cornerback is a bigger need for the Steelers in this draft, and linebacker may not even need to be addressed, if an optimist's view of Vince Williams, Sean Spence and Terence Garvin is true, Mosley makes a lot of sense at this position.
A good athletic and an even better football player, the biggest concern with Mosley is his injury history. That's both hard to consider and hard to ignore. The idea of getting a strong leadership presence out of a three-down linebacker for a franchise that hasn't mixed both talent and leadership skills at the position in a few years is tempting. He's a player to keep an eye on with just under two weeks remaining until the draft.