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Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger allegedly wanted a "tall receiver" out of this draft. It seemed to be a recurring theme of every draft since 2005.
The Steelers obliged their franchise passer, picking up uber-athletic and skyscraping wide receiver Martavis Bryant out of Clemson.
2014 NFL Draft
We mentioned him in November after filing a report on Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert having traveled to Clemson to watch a game. Maybe he saw what he liked there.
It's hard not to like his measurables. He measured at 6-foot-4, 211 pounds with 32 5/8 inch arms. He ran a 4.41 40-yard dash, giving him the make-up of an elite-level wide receiver. The real problem is he looks anything like it on the field.
He's raw and has the rep of being inconsistent, with some questioning his focus and dedication.
It doesn't take Mike Mayock to sense there are issues when a player from a big school boasting the size and speed Bryant does falling to the fourth round. But you know who doesn't care about what round he was taken in? Roethlisberger. Adding to the depth of the receiving corps on this team was a priority and Bryant, for as big of a project as he may be, has the height and speed that simply can't be taught.
Moderate risk, huge upside, these are the kinds of picks that, in a year or two, can be major contributors to a team busting out of a .500 slump over the last two years.
Steelers thought of drafting Bryant on the third round, in fact just passed out a bio of him saying they DID draft him on third round.
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) May 10, 2014