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Speculation abounds regarding the 2015 NFL Draft this Thursday, and here at BTSC we try to make Pittsburgh Steelers fans the most prepared fan base among their peers. We will be laying out specific scenarios which very well could become reality when the bullets start flying in Round one, but this is merely speculation.
With our friends help at fanspeak.com, we have outlined specific scenarios in which the Steelers might find themselves in on Thursday night. The first scenario has the high profile cornerbacks and outside linebackers off the board before the Steelers' selection, so what do the Steelers do?
Scenario:
Pass rushers Vic Beasley, Dante Fowler, Bud Dupree, Shane Ray, Randy Gregory and Eli Harold are all off the board. Along with those pass rushers the following cornerbacks have already been selected: Trae Waynes and Marcus Peters.
Response:
Common logic would tell fans the team would look for a cornerback to help the team's softening secondary. With Kevin Johnson, Jalen Collins, P.J. Williams and Byron Jones still on the board this would be an obvious place to target for the team moving forward. However, as fans learned in 2014 when Darqueze Dennard was on the board when the Steelers' selected at the 15th position, common wisdom doesn't always apply to the NFL Draft.
The Steelers feel strongly about being able to target a more than capable cornerback in the later rounds of the draft, and they hold to that philosophy this year.
The Steelers ignore the cornerback position for a second straight year and instead target a pass rushing player who, although many view as a project, could be a major player for the team in year's to come. Understanding very few rookies actually make an impact within the Steelers' defense, a project pick isn't the worst case scenario for the club. Not to mention a project pick who will be able to help on special teams, and could possibly see time in sub package football as well as in a relief role at the outside linebacker position.
Rather than take a cornerback, or even a defensive tackle, the Steelers instead choose to select defensive end/outside linebacker Owamagbe Odighizuwa from UCLA with the 22nd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.