You can say a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers and their draft strategy in recent years, but one thing you can't say is that they've been neglecting the position of linebacker.
For the third straight year, the Steelers selected a linebacker in the first round, when they picked Bud Dupree, an outside linebacker out of Kentucky, with the 22nd selection of the 2015 NFL Draft. Whether you considered corner the most important need, invigorating a passive pass-rush was certainly right on its heels in terms of what Pittsburgh needed to address, and, thanks to how the draft unfolded, it's hard to fault the selection of Dupree.
Will he be the answer at outside linebacker and soon make people forget about LaMarr Woodley and lead to future articles about the Steelers great tradition at the position? It's obviously way too early to know, but you can't say Dupree isn't a talented prospect with tremendous possibilities.
Kevin Colbert, the Steelers long-time general manager, always preaches about not locking in to a specific position. In-fact, if you go back and listen to any of his pre-draft press conferences from recent years, one would sound like all the others.
However, the man does have a point, and his past actions have backed up his all too familiar quotes.
Much like in 2011, when defensive end Cameron Heyward was the selection instead of maybe addressing a troubling secondary; or 2012, when guard David DeCastro fell into Pittsburgh's lap at a time when perhaps inside linebacker could have been infused with talent, there are instances when value and need intersect quite nicely in the first round. The value might not address the top need, but they call it value for a reason.
Defensive line may not have been the top need in 2011, but it was sure up there on the list. Same held true for the offensive line the following year.
It may have been ideal for a player like Kevin Johnson or even Marcus Peters to still be around at 22, but both were gone, and it can get quite dangerous to go with the fourth, fifth or sixth best cornerback prospect, when maybe the second or third rated outside linebacker (and one with a solid first round grade) is still sitting there on the board.
Maybe next Spring, when the draft talk gains momentum, people will begin to ask if the position of corner will be passed on in the first round for a 20th consecutive season. (If the defense finishes anywhere near 27th against the pass for a second straight year, the concerns for the position will be, again, quite valid--just as they were this year and last.)
However, it's hard to fault what the Steelers did with their first draft pick of 2015, as value and need met at just the right position on the depth chart.