2015 NFL Draft: NFL.com 7-round mock draft, who the Steelers take

With the 2015 NFL Draft days away, experts are scrambling to put together their final mock drafts before the big event kicks off on April 30th. NFL.com released their full 7-round mock draft recently, take a look at who they project to go to the Pittsburgh Steelers by round and a brief description of the selection.

In the first round NFL.com has the Steelers taking Washington cornerback Marcus Peters with their first round pick at No. 22. The selection would help a glaring need the team has at defensive back. See what NFL.com had to say regarding the pick:

22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
Many around the league believe Pittsburgh will grab a receiver as insurance against Antonio Brown's contract demands, but we'll stick with a pressing need.

In the second round, projections show the Steelers addressing the depth along their defensive line by selecting Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis. After Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt the team is very thin along the defensive line. This selection would make back-to-back second round picks addressing the defensive line. See what NFL.com had to say about the pick:

56. Pittsburgh Steelers: Carl Davis, DT, Iowa
An active nose tackle like Davis will make the Steelers' rush defense even tougher by clogging up lanes and eating blockers for Lawrence Timmons and 2014 first-round pick Ryan Shazier.

In the third round NFL.com has the Steelers sticking on the defensive side of the football, but rather than selecting a pass rusher, they have the team selecting a safety. James Sample from Louisville would help add depth behind Mike Mitchell, Shamarko Thomas and Will Allen as well as be a safety net for the team if the Shamarko project doesn't pan out in 2015. See what NFL.com has to say about the selection:

87. Pittsburgh Steelers: James Sample, S, Louisville
Although Gerod Holliman received the accolades due to his interception total, Sample is the better prospect. He's no Polamalu, but who is?

The fourth round finally sees the Steelers move from the defensive side of the ball and over to the offensive side of the football. With their first offensive pick of the mock draft, the Steelers select wide receiver Stefon Diggs from Maryland. Diggs would compete with Darrius Heyward Bey for the 4th wide receiver spot on the team's depth chart and look for time in specific offensive packages.

The fifth round is where the Steelers are projected to address their need at outside linebacker. NFL.com has the team projected to draft Xzavier Dickson from Alabama. Dickson would be vying for time behind Jarvis Jones, Arthur Moats and James Harrison and would try to beat out players like Shawn Lemon and Howard Jones at the pass rusher position.

With two selections in the 6th round, the first was spent on Jacorey Shepherd, CB from Kansas. Their second 6th round pick would be selecting Donald Celiscar, a safety from W. Michigan. The Steelers' final draft pick in the 7th round would have them selecting Torey Slater, a defensive tackle from West Georgia.

This mock draft has the Steelers selecting 2 cornerbacks, 2 safeties and 2 defensive lineman. Only one pass rusher was selected and only one offensive position was addressed in this mock draft. Although the Steelers' defense is the glaring concern for the team heading into 2015, whether the team will follow such a one-sided approach to the draft will be shown starting April 30th when the first round selections are made.

For a team-by-team grouping of selections in the 7-round mock draft, click here.