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Playing general manager is fun, which is likely the main contributor to the enormous popularity of mock drafting.
In today's featured draft, NFL Mocks came up with...an interesting...take on the first round, namely how the St. Louis Rams manage to trade down twice, eventually landing at No. 11, where they managed to secure a top three talent - Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews.
Gotta hand it to St. Louis. That's a shrewd move. Not only do they end up with a player who very likely could be their actual pick at No. 2, they managed to add two second round picks and a fifth round pick in 2014 as well as a second round pick in 2015.
The likelihood of this happening would land around the possibility of Paper Champions hiring me as his defensive coordinator in Buffalo next season, but it's an entertaining thought.
His write-up on St. Louis's larceny:
How in the world did they pull it off? The St. Louis Rams haul in more picks in their fall to 11th and still manage to land a franchise left tackle in Jake Matthews. His size, power and balance will be most welcome on the right or left side, since he played both in school. He is also quite durable and plays with a nasty streak befitting a Jeff Fisher player.
How in the world, indeed. Gotta love Mock Draft Season.
Anyway...
The Steelers grab Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert at No. 15 (apparently staving off their desire to trade down three times, amassing half of the third round picks in 2014 in the process). Gilbert's a big cornerback with excellent athleticism and playmaking ability. He returned two of his six interceptions in 2013 for touchdowns, and returned six kicks for touchdowns in his collegiate career.
The mocker's write-up:
Great strides were made on offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014, which could mean they can focus their efforts on reloading a depleted and aging secondary. Getting a great cover corner would do wonders for Dick LeBeau. Justin Gilbert has good size and length coupled with the speed and agility to blanket receivers from snap to whistle.
Gilbert has loads of potential, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in workouts and postseason All-Star games.
Still, St. Louis probably wins this draft overall.
Check out our Featured Mock Draft Database for all the Steelers' picks from the Interwebs
