On Thursday, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock held a two-hour pre draft conference call with the media and during it he gave his thoughts on which direction he thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers should go in the first round with the 15th overall selection.
“I think that the way Pittsburgh historically approaches the draft, it’s the best player at the position of need,” started Mayock. “Defensively they’re No. 14 in points allowed, offensively No. 16. So basically, I think as they get close to No. 15 here, I think first and foremost they’ve got to see if a corner matches up with what they want to do on defense.
“Ike Taylor is going to be 34 years-old, making $7 million dollars. William Gay is probably better as a nickel. Are any of those other guys ready to step up and play? I think they need a corner and I think at 15 they can get one. Whether it’s (Kyle) Fuller, (Darqueze) Dennard, (Justin) Gilbert or (Bradley) Roby, it just depends really on what Dick LeBeau wants and how Kevin Colbert lines them up.
“My perspective is, I think they got to get a corner there. I don’t think the tight end Eric Ebron will be there. If he was, I think he’d be a heavy consideration also.”
It’s hard to argue with Mayock suggesting the Steelers go cornerback in the first round and he once again shared his thoughts on why he believes Virginia Tech’s Kyle Fuller is the best one in this year’s draft class.
“I think that Fuller – he’s my No. 1 corner – he’s a first-round corner,” said Mayock. “He’s got it in his DNA and you do know what you’re getting day one. He can play on, he can play off, he can play man, he can play zone.”
