Burning Questions on the Steelers: One Yinzer's opinion of the Best Player Available draft strategy and more

It is the week of the 2016 NFL Draft, and while most fans of the NFL, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, are waiting for the Draft like children wait for Santa Claus at Christmas time, it is time for me to sit down with our local Yinzer to discuss all things black and gold related from the week that was.

In case you are new to this weekly feature, I sit down with my co-host Lance Williams on the BTSC flagship podcast "The Standard is the Standard" to get his take, which is usually against the grain, on those burning topics surrounding the Steelers.

It is time for another weekly jam session with the man behind the microphone...

Question: Do you buy into the "Best Player Available" strategy of the Steelers drafting, or is that all just blowing smoke?

Lance: Do teams really draft the Best Player Available (BPA) without regard to need? Around draft time the term "Best Player Available" is thrown around like the phrase "the greatest of all time" on ESPN's First Take. Although it's stated ad nauseam, I have no clue what it means, and I think most don't either. However, I do know what it doesn't mean. It does not mean select players bereft of team needs. If Ezekiel Elliot is available when the Steelers select in the 1st round and he's the highest rated player on their board, he won't be selected. Why? Simple, they don't need a RB. They may need one for depth purposes but certainly not in the 1st round considering their other team needs. Needs are always a factor when a selection is made, and the best picks are typically when need and BPA intersect. The selection of David DeCastro was a perfect example of the marriage of the two.

Question: Antonio Brown might miss some offseason workouts due to being on 'Dancing with the Stars', does this bother you?

Lance: If you question Antonio Brown's work ethic, and you think that participating on Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) is somehow interfering with his off-season workouts, then "you need another lover like you need a hole in yo head" like Prince Rogers Nelson sang. In the last 3 years, Antonio Brown has averaged 125 receptions per year and is now considered to be the best wide receiver in the game. Because professional athletes are paid tremendous amounts of money, some think they shouldn't be allowed to do what they want in their free time. Neither the Rooney's, nor his teammates, have questioned his appearance on DWTS. His teammates have been at live tapings, and Hines Ward is a former DWTS champ. Brown's a former 6th round pick who through hard work has become the best in the game. Please let AB get in his extra cardio and build his brand, and stay tuned for Brown's new crop of touchdown celebrations in the fall.

Question: There have been a ton of draft trades so far in the past few weeks, what are your thoughts on these big deals?

Lance: Last week, the big news in the NFL were the trades made by the Rams and Eagles to acquire the 1st and 2nd overall picks in the 2016 NFL Draft. After the trades, I've been asked by fans if trading up and down is a good strategy. The Steelers have traded up historically to get the guy they truly covet. For example, Troy Polamalu. Trading down is usually good because you usually get extra draft picks and because of the difficulty in finding players having extra selections is always coveted. It gets tricky when you try to move up because you have to give to get, and determining how much to give is very hard. This is why the Steelers typically don't do it. Trading up, or down, is a sound philosophy because if you get the guy you want...who really cares how you did it.

Question: I know you love Steelers on social media (sarcasm), and Le'Veon Bell made a silly 4/20 reference the other day. I'm sure you have some thoughts on this...

Lance: Last week, Le'veon Bell tweeted the following "of course I get a "random" drug test on 4/20...good luck with that sample". Apparently 420 is a National celebration of weed smokers. If Bell wasn't already in the drug program and Martavis Bryant wasn't suspended because of smoking weed, this would be funny. I'm sure the Steelers, Coach Tomlin, and fans aren't happy with the tweet and don't find it particularly funny. Also the statement insinuates that he's still smoking weed and he hopes he doesn't get caught. Winning championships requires focus, and it seems like some of the young guys don't get it. If he fails any test, he deserves a suspension from the NFL, the cold shoulder from the coaching staff and organization, and bad blood from Steelers Nation.

Be sure check out Lance on the BTSC podcast "The Standard is the Standard", which will be starting back up Monday at 9:00 p.m. EDT on our BlogTalkRadio page. You can also find us on iTunes by searching "The Standard is the Standard".