The SB Nation group of football sites is currently running a mock draft with each team represented by a member or members of each site's staff. BTSC Managing Editor Neal Coolong and draft analyst Steel34D are representing the Steelers' picks in the first and second rounds.
After seeing Teddy Bridgewater (Houston), Johnny Manziel (St. Louis), Jadaveon Clowney (Jacksonville) and Greg Robinson (Cleveland) fall off the board, the BTSC Draft Committee was sort of happy with the fact Blake Bortles went No. 5 overall. That means more good non-QBs would fall down to the 15 range.
The Committee did die a little bit when the top player on our board, Khalil Mack, went to Atlanta at 6. Sammy Watkins followed that up by getting snared by the Buccaneers at 7.
The Vikings are on the clock (pick scheduled to be made Saturday), giving us a bad feeling another one of our top defensive players will be gone.
We're intrigued with the possibility of an offensive tackle falling to 15 - whether that's Jake Matthews of Taylor Lewan (the Committee has thrown down over that one, and it really is an interesting conversation figuring out how to choose between those two). We're just ignoring the possibility of Mike Evans falling to 15, as we don't really assume that's going to happen.
C.J. Mosley looks to be a player who will be available, as will Darqueze Dennard - a player one member of the Committee would bet the Steelers take come May. Eric Ebron is another possibility. The big one, though, and the big name is Justin Gilbert. Will he last to 15, and what other combination of players would need to be gone for the Committee to feel he's their guy.
A lot is going to happen between now and Wednesday, April 9, when the Committee is on the clock for the Steelers.