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Wait a minute, what?
Neither of the most popular mock drafters, ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, had sent North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron to the Steelers with the 15th pick. They combined on a mock draft Friday, with McShay taking the honors for the Steelers.
He seems excited with his selection.
Analysis: After Kiper reaches to take Pryor for the Bears, I get to select the 11th-ranked player on my board at No. 15. Ebron will give Ben Roethlisberger a big-time weapon in the passing game.
Kiper threw another curveball in the second round, taking LSU wide receiver Jarvis Landry (completing the trifecta of having a Jarvis Jones, a Landry Jones and a Jarvis Landry on the same team, and expecting the NFL to announce running back Jones Jones-Landry is automatically assigned to the Steelers in 2015).
Kiper's explanation throws out an immediate qualifier against criticism.
Analysis: Roll the tape and you won't care if Landry runs a 4.3 or a 5.3. I know this looks odd after Todd went with Ebron in Round 1, but I need another wide receiver, and CB (a need) at this slot is a value issue, especially with system fit in mind. I consider a prominent nose tackle option, but pass.
McShay rounds out the Steelers choices by grabbing Clemson cornerback Bashaud Breeland with the 97th pick.
Analysis: We have to get younger in the secondary and having taken two pass-catchers in this draft already, we'll go with our eighth-ranked cornerback in Breeland. His aggressiveness in run support makes him a good fit.
To summarize...the Steelers selected the "eighth-best" cornerback in the draft, a tight end that needs to develop and the 11th wide receiver taken. We have a pretty good feeling how this will be received by fans, and we're excited to read the comments.