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The first round of the SB Nation Bloggers Mock Draft is in the books, and we're moving onto Round 2.
The Steelers selected potential-laden Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, a move we explained thusly:
The Steelers currently have one wide receiver signed after the 2013 season. Two of the four they have with playing time from 2012 are over the age of 31. While there are other positions the team would like to address at this spot, none fit the need as well as the talent to justify the No. 17 pick like Patterson does.
He can be considered a Dwayne Bowe 2.0 - they share very similar size, but Patterson has shown himself to be more athletic. He's a big-bodied, outside-the-numbers receiver, but his agility and quickness can be utilized very well with Todd Haley's shorter passing game. There aren't too many 215-pound receivers returning kicks, but Patterson showed he could do that in his time at Tennessee. He could make an impact from Week 1 - something Steelers first round picks haven't done since Maurkice Pouncey in 2010.
The move was generally deemed acceptable by SB Nation NFL Draft writer Dan Kadar:
The Steelers' need for wide receiver talent is often overlooked. Players on defense, namely the back seven, are often considered for Pittsburgh early. But Mike Wallace is gone and Emmanuel Sanders is a restricted free agent. Patterson may not be much like Bowe, though. He's more versatile, able to line up on the inside or the outside and take handoffs. Given time, Patterson could develop into a No. 1 wide receiver. With Antonio Brown in Pittsburgh, it would be a good fit. He may not be counted on to be a big factor as a wide receiver as a rookie.
For the record, we feel the reference to Dwayne Bowe 2.0 is not just a play-on-words, but the fact the two are basically the exact same size, but Patterson is more athletic, is the root of the comparison.
Here are the results of the first round:
Pick | Team | Player |
---|---|---|
1 | Kansas City Chiefs | Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M |
2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia |
3 | Oakland Raiders | Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida |
4 | Philadelphia Eagles | Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan |
5 | Detroit Lions | Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU |
6 | Cleveland Browns | Dion Jordan, OLB/DE, Oregon |
7 | Arizona Cardinals | Barkevious Mingo, OLB/DE, LSU |
8 | Buffalo Bills | Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia |
9 | New York Jets | Chance Warmack, G, Alabama |
10 | Tennessee Titans | Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama |
11 | San Diego Chargers | Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah |
12 | Miami Dolphins | Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington |
13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State |
14 | Carolina Panthers | Lane Johnson, LT, Oklahoma |
15 | New Orleans Saints | Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia |
16 | St. Louis Rams | Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia |
17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee |
18 | Dallas Cowboys | Johnathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina |
19 | New York Giants | Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri |
20 | Chicago Bears | Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State |
21 | Cincinnati Bengals | Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas |
22 | St. Louis Rams (from WAS) | Johnathan Cyprien, S, Florida Int'l |
23 | Minnesota Vikings | Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State |
24 | Indianapolis Colts | Datone Jones, DE, UCLA |
25 | Minnesota Vikings (from SEA) | Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State |
26 | Green Bay Packers | Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame |
27 | Houston Texans | DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson |
28 | Denver Broncos | D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama |
29 | New England Patriots | Keenan Allen, WR, California |
30 | Atlanta Falcons | Tank Carradine, DE, Florida State |
31 | San Francisco 49ers | Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama |
32 | Baltimore Ravens | Kevin Minter, LB, LSU |
Let the Triangle of Authority know who the Steelers should be looking at for Round 2, which is coming up April 12.