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As was reported earlier this Friday morning, when ESPN.com's NFL Draft experts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. decided to do a joint mock draft, they projected the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting cornerback Byron Jones from UConn in the first round with the 22nd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
The mock draft didn't end there as the two experts put together two more rounds of selections. Both Kiper and McShay alternated selections and picked from a need-base list per team and according to best player available still on the draft board.
In the second round, the Steelers pick was taken by Mel Kiper, and with the No. 56 pick he had the Steelers selecting defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa from UCLA. See what Kiper had to say about the selection:
56. Pittsburgh Steelers
Kiper's pick: Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLASticking with the defense in Pittsburgh. He's not a great pass-rusher, but he plays the run well and is a fantastic athlete they can develop.
If you thought it was tough pronouncing Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu, good luck trying to pronounce this prospect's name. Name aside, the Steelers would stick with the defensive trend in the early round and would be selecting a freak of an athlete who could certainly help the Steelers on special teams and in spot situations in 2015.
For the third round, the Steelers' pick landed on Todd McShay's turn, and with No. 87 pick he had the Steelers selecting safety Anthony Harris from Virginia. See what McShay had to say about the selection:
87. Pittsburgh Steelers
McShay's pick: Anthony Harris, S, VirginiaThe Steelers really need to improve their secondary, and in first-round pick Byron Jones and Harris they'll have added two talented coverage players.
Harris would round out the top 3 selections, and it should be no stunner to Steelers' faithful the team went defense in the first three rounds of the draft. Harris would be depth at the safety position behind Mike Mitchell, Shamarko Thomas and Will Allen, but would also be asked to play special teams and make an impact there in 2015.
Defense, defense and more defense. That is how the Steelers' first three rounds panned out in this 3 round mock draft. Byron Jones, CB, UConn. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA. Anthony Harris, S, Virginia. April 30th is just around the corner.