By Christina Rivers
Sitting, waiting patiently on my hands last night for pick #24 to come for the Pittsburgh Steelers as the unlikeliest players got selected by teams who had a much better shot at grabbing David DeCastro of Stanford; I was nearly as floored as others when it happened. The pick celebrated throughout Steelers Nation. If God picked football players on NFL Draft days for Pittsburgh, he handed the organization DeCastro with a big red bow you usually see on top of new Kias in car commercials. I seriously think I might have bitten off my tongue if I hadn\’t been cheering.
I give props to guys like Dave Bryan and David Todd for doing their homework on the draft. I admit, I don\’t spend as much time as I\’d like doing mocks. I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that everyone at Steelers Depot was pretty much in elated shock last night. We\’d contributed our educated guesses (see our contributed mocks), but the Universe stepped in and rearranged the entire thing with a big bang.
Don\’t think I am complaining, because I love (and by that I mean really love) the fact that DeCastro will be playing right guard for the Steelers. And I am absolutely sure that he will start right away. His stats more than prove that Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin knew he was ready and were probably giddy that other teams just kept overlooking him. I wish I\’d been there to see Tomlin doing a mental \’Dougie\’ dance right then and there.
Today I sit here and look at my mock draft predictions. I have about four different versions of how it could have all gone down. Tonight, I am hoping that a couple players find their way onto the draft cards for the Steelers because they would fit nicely into the scheme.
Still available, and on my radar, are the following players:
- Brandon Brooks | 6\’4 5/8, 353 pounds | Guard | Miami (Ohio)
Five out of the six of us here at Steelers Depot mocked Brooks to go to the Steelers in the second round. If you want specifics, check out the writeup that Dave did for his final mock. I am hoping that the good luck received by the Steelers in the first round holds over, but then again, do we need another guard?
The next best option in the second round may be the bolster the linebacking corps.
- Courtney Upshaw | 6\’2 1/2, 273 pounds | Outside linebacker | Alabama
He\’s still on the board, but for how long. Draft experts are anticipating he\’ll be picked up very early and likely will be. They are saying pretty much the same thing about Devon Still, a DT out of Penn State as well.
All in all, I will probably do what most of you will do – wait and hope that everything falls in line and that the picks are good ones. Am I upset that my mocks were blown to pieces by the DeCastro pick? Not in the least! Am I excited about the second and third rounds? Absolutely. I am elated about every round. It means new blood and new possibilities.
So, if you decide to watch the draft the rest of the weekend, have a good time with it. And don\’t feel bad if your own mock draft is now fodder for the shredder. After all, it\’s all just part of the game.
