Happy Friday Steeler Nation! Round one of the 2011 NFL Draft was a fast-paced, action packed, and entertaining affair on Thursday night. Rounds two and three promise to be even more interesting from the hardcore football fan's perspective. Time to see who the Pittsburgh Steelers add to the mix after selecting Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward with the No. 31 pick. Cornerback? Offensive line? Both? What order? Lots of questions to be answered from Radio City Music Hall this evening.

In the meantime, let's hear what a number of folks had to say about the opening round, as well as what they're expecting/hoping materializes in the second and third. I sent several questions off to several BTSC writers, community members who've gone above and beyond with their fanpost contributions this offseason, as well as to one of the lead writers at the outstanding site, Steelers Lounge. I'd be interested in hearing your take on them as well, so if you're so inclined, jump on in and share your responses as well.

Many thanks to those of you who responded. In fact, so many of you did that this post got quite long. Worth the read though.

- Michael B.-

1) When the first 18 picks had been announced and Prince Amukamara was still on the board, did you think and/or hope that the Steelers would try to pull off a trade to land the Nebraska corner?

Tim Gleason (maryrose): It was one of those happy-either-way things for me. On one hand it is insane to move up in the first round. Atlanta had to give up Peachtree Street to get Julio Jones. According to the Draft Chart, Pittsburgh would have given up its second-round pick in order to move up to get the Prince. That's a lot. When you think in the back of your mind that maybe we could get Dowling in the second round, would you rather have Heyward and Dowling or Prince? On the other hand, if the Steelers would have thought that highly of Prince to make that trade, then I would have been happy that we bolstered the weakest part of the team, so it was a happy-either-way thing for me.

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While we wait for the start of the second round beginning at 6 pm eastern time, here's a few quotes from the Pittsburgh Steelers first round draft choice, Cameron Heyward, as well as from Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin.

Cameron Heyward 

His thoughts on what type of player the Pittsburgh Steelers are getting:

"A team-first kind of player, very accountable and a guy that is constantly going to work hard and contribute as much as he can for his team."

His thoughts on what it means to be a first round draft pick and a Pittsburgh Steeler:

"One of my goals has always been to be a first rounder.  I have always worked hard to be a first rounder and to be picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers it is a an unbelievable opportunity and I am really going to cherish it and I am going to work hard to show people that I deserve that spot."

 Heyward recently had Tommy-John Surgery.  His response to how ready he is to play:

"Great. If minicamp started tomorrow I would be there."

What it means to him to come back to Pittsburgh after being born in Pittsburgh:

"Not having my father around through this process, it has been tough.  But I know he is watching and I am going to strive everyday to make him proud of me and to live his legacy on."

His thoughts on a defense first team:

"I love it. The defense, to be a part of this type of defense is one of a kind. You can’t emulate it in a lot of places. The town, they support their team. I’ve always had a Terrible Towel. I look forward to being a part of Steeler Nation."

His thoughts on his previous system at Ohio State:

"I think we try to adapt our defense to a Steeler brand type of ball because Coach LeBeau is a well renowned player at Ohio State.  We try to adapt well and playing their type of ball, getting after the quarterback, making a lot of plays in the back field, being an attacking defense.  That is the type of defense I am accustomed to."

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Kevin Colbert

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Earlier, we published an assessment of the first 16 picks selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Let's now turn our attention to the second half of the first round and the guys selected in the bottom half of Thursday evening's opening round. Many thanks to barnerburner for the help on this, and for the fine work he put in sizing up the league's selections in the first of seven rounds this weekend. - Michael B. -

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17. New England Patriots - Nate Solder OT, Colorado

Patriots need a bookend to go with Sebastian Vollmer, since Matt Light is ready to be gone. I suppose the question is whether Solder will be a LT or RT in New England?

Either way, it's worth noting that Belichick went for the project with who knows how much upside in Solder, over the hometown kid that's supposed to be ready to play now in Anthony Castonzo.

18. San Diego Chargers - Corey Liuget DT, Illinois

Mike Mayock has some questions about the scheme-fit because he saw Liuget as a prototype 3-technique much more than the ideal 5-technique. So did pretty much everyone else though. I'll choose to take this as evidence that we as armchair GMs at home really shouldn't be so rigid in how we see players and their projected position, not to mention how we should remind ourselves to try to be imaginative when looking at potential fits throughout the speculative pre-draft process.

19. New York Giants - Prince Amukamara CB, Nebraska

Whether it's the NFL Draft or your fantasy league, good managers trust their board. Let the board come to you, and good things will happen. In this case, the Giants got a guy that many thought was top-10 type talent almost ten picks after that range.

Yes, they could still use more youth on their OL. Yes, they are still hurting for LBs. Yes, they probably could use another RB. But you don't pass on a talent like Amukamara when he falls into your lap. With a deep rotation at DL that they replenished in last year's draft, and an even deeper rotation now in their secondary - Corey Webster (2nd round, 2005), Aaron Ross (1st round, 2007), Kenny Phillips (1st round, 2008), Terrell Thomas (2nd round, 2008), and last year's free agent signings Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant - they could go with bums off the street at LB and it may not matter.

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The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft is in the books - some picks went as expected, some picks didn't, and then some belong in a category of their own as surprises that caught both fans and pundits alike completely off guard. I just want to say upfront that I was watching the NFL Network feed (hence the numerous Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock references that'll be peppering this post and its second installment), and now without further ado, let's dive in.

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The Cameron Heyward pick has me thinking. We have Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel - both excellent players, both drafted very low. Most teams running the 3-4 defense high don't value the defensive end position very highly - it doesn't produce a lot of sacks and generally serves the purpose of opening up lanes for the linebackers to make plays. As such, the prevailing opinion is that you can get by with lesser players at this position.

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Many thanks to maryrose for this fine writeup. As it turns out, datruth4life and some of the rest of you were correct in identifying Carpenter as a guy that was rocketing up draft boards and worthy of a good, hard look by the Steelers in either round one or two. Well, turns out Carpenter went off the board even earlier than we expected, taken at No. 25 by the Seattle Seahawks. Nevertheless, let's take a look at the writeup by 'rose and see what he has to say about the kid and the Steelers' potential thoughts in round two. Keep in mind this was penned prior to Thursday night's developments. - Michael B. -

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Some believe you should build a football team from the inside out.  After securing its core last year with Maurkice Pouncey, the next logical move for Pittsburgh is to get high quality dance partners lining up next to him.  Enter James Carpenter, who by the way was picked by Todd McShay to go number one in the second round.  He brings two elite qualities to the table. First, his blend of height, weight and speed is right up there with the top linemen in the draft.  Dude is 6-5, 324 pounds and brings a surprising amount of speed for a guy his size.  Second, Carpenter is tough as nails with a mean streak, an element not lost on the Kuglinator himself.  He plays through nagging injuries and started all 27 games during his Alabama career.

Carpenter also brings unique talent to both run block and pass block with relatively equal effectiveness, both above the line, though neither spectacular at this point in his development.  The better news is that Carpenter is a young guy on the rise.  His place on everyone's draft boards has gone up from the end of the season.  He now carries an impressive 85 NFL Scouts grade, and he won Alabama's Bart Starr Award as the Tide's most improved player. 

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What a night it was from Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It began with a chorus of boos showered upon NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. And the fun and excitement remained at a fevered pitch for the remainder of the evening while 32 young men saw their dreams realized. For the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, patience was required before it was their turn to select at No. 31. We'll probably never know if Kevin Colbert was unsuccessful at brokering a deal on Thursday night -- either up or down and out of the first round. But we do know that the Steelers did ultimately stand pat at with the 31st pick. With it, they drafted Cameron Heyward, five-technique defensive end out of Ohio State that projects to be a nice fit for the Steelers' 3-4 defensive scheme.

I'm still putting together my thoughts on the selection. Part of me has reservations about taking Heyward, but I'm not quite ready to spell those out just yet. And frankly, maybe those will dissipate as I gather more information, talk to more people, and continue thinking things over. For the time being, let's just look at some of the highlights of Heyward's four year career at Ohio State.

Cameron Heyward Career Highlights:

• Durability -- Heyward entered this year's draft process with some question marks surrounding his injured shoulder after undergoing Tommy John surgery following the '11 Sugar Bowl. The words 'Tommy John' are nightmarish in the sport of baseball, but in football where there's far less unnatural stress placed on the elbow , it's not nearly the same concern. Aside from that one question though, the kid has really been quite durable during his time at Ohio State. Heyward started 46 of 52 possible games, highlighted by a string of 45 starts over the course of the final 46 possible games he could have suited up. 
• Versatile Productivity -- Heyward was stout against both the pass and the run while with the Buckeyes. He finished with 15 sacks and 163 tackles. Neither of those totals jump out at you, but considering his position, they're plenty impressive. 
• No Stranger to the Backfield -- Heyward left tOSU with 37.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, the 10th most in school history. 
• Five-Technique Capable -- We can get into this at a later date, but you'll likely hear the term 'five-technique' thrown around when describing Heyward. All that refers to is where he lines up, in this instance between the offensive tackle and tight end. Five-technique defensive ends are tasked with occupying blockers at the line of scrimmage on running downs, and then making teams account for them off the edge in pass rushing situations. Heyward did just that at Ohio State, and given how the Steelers deploy their DEs, the theory is that Heyward's experience and skill set will translate nicely.
  
• No Stranger to Hardware -- Heyward garnered numerous awards during his four years in Columbus. As a senior in 2010, he was a team captain, named to the first team All Big Ten team, and was the recipient of the Bill Willis Award, given by the OSU coaches to the team’s Outstanding Defensive Player. As a junior in '08, Heyward was a Lombardi Award nominee and a second team All Big Ten team. As a freshman in '07, he was an Rivals.com freshman All American selection, and also named to the Freshman All-Big Ten Conference squad. 

All very impressive, but what I really find most intriguing about the young man is his personal story. I'll save that for later on Friday rather than lumping everything together here. But as a quick hint at what I find interesting, I'll mention that it's not often that you find a kid who grew up in the type of household that he did be so well-grounded, make such smart choices, and avoid making even a single mistake that could easily be rationalized by his unique set of circumstances. I may have my reservations about the Steelers' strategy to not move up given how the first 18 picks of the draft unfolded, but for the 31st pick in this year's draft, the Steelers sure got themselves a productive player who meshes into their schematic philosophy perfectly. And not only does Heyward bring absolutely zero baggage with him to Pittsburgh, he also is the product of a unique situation that could in a round about way help him have an even better career than might be projected when assessing only his physical skill set.

Once more, welcome Mr. Heyward! And as always, Go Steelers!