ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay has now released his latest mock of the first two rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft on Thursday and after previously having the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander with the 25th overall pick, he now has them picking Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple in his latest version, which is his fourth of the offseason.
McShay writes of Apple being mocked to the Steelers:
At this point, all 21 players with first-round grades are off the board, so every pick could feel like a slight reach. Apple’s tape is good but not elite. While his 4.40 40 speed is a positive, he needs to improve his technique in press coverage. He’s a willing participant against the run, which is especially important in the AFC North, and teams will like his long, 6-foot-1 frame.
While Apple being mocked to the Steelers certainly isn’t anything new so far this offseason, it should be noted that McShay now has the Ohio State product as the third defensive back selected in the first round behind only Jalen Ramsey and Vernon Hargreaves III respectively. Additionally, McShay now has Alexander sliding into the second round.
We have already talked about Apple quite a bit in previous mock draft posts, so there’s really no need to regurgitate all of that information. The Steelers were present for Apple’s pro day so now we’ll wait and see if they wind up bringing him to Pittsburgh next month for a pre-draft visit.
In the second round of his latest mock, McShay has the Steelers selecting UCLA defensive tackle Kenny Clark with the 58th overall pick in this year’s draft and here is what he had to say about that choice for Pittsburgh.
Clark has the quickness and agility to create some disruption in the backfield, and he’s nimble enough to execute twists and stunts. After having just one sack in his first 26 games, he added six last season in 13 contests.
Clark, who measured in at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at 6025, 314-pounds, registered 74 total tackles in 2015 to go along with 6 sacks, of which 3 of them came in UCLA’s win over Washington state, according to ESPN.com. According to numbers compile by STATS, Clark registered 18 total pressures last season in addition to having 6 stuffs and 43 run disruptions.
Alex Kozora has his breakdown of Clark scheduled to be released Friday morning so be on the lookout for that.
