2014 NFL Draft: Steelers Finish Draft Well

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With the 2014 NFL Draft officially over, the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking like a better team now than they were last season. After drafting Ryan Shazier in the first round and Stephon Tuitt and Dri Archer in the second and third rounds, the Steelers finished by selecting Martavis Bryant (fourth round), Shaquille Richardson (fifth round), Wesley Johnson (fifth round), Jordan Zumwalt (sixth round), Daniel McCullers (sixth round), and Rob Blanchflower (seventh round).

Martavis Bryant, WR

In the fourth round, the Steelers selected Martavis Bryant out of Clemson. At 6 foot-4, Bryant is a tall wide receiver that Ben Roethlisberger has been looking to play with for years. Though he was overshadowed by his teammate Sammy Watkins, Bryant is terrific receiver himself. For his size, he has great speed. Also, Bryant knows how to position himself to win the 50-50 balls downfield. With Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, and Lance Moore all under six feet, the Steelers needed size at the wide receiver position. That’s exactly what they are getting in Bryant. With his combination of size, speed, and ability to establish good positioning, he could be a great value pick for Pittsburgh. He does have a problem with dropping too many passes, but that can be fixed. If he fixes his problem with dropped passes, Bryant could be a very good player.

Shaquille Richardson, CB

With one of two fifth round picks, the Steelers drafted Shaquille Richardson. Lacking cornerback depth, the pick of Richardson could be huge for Pittsburgh. Ike Taylor is continuing to get older. After Taylor, the Steelers have Cortez Allen and William Gay, but are thin at cornerback after that. They’re hoping Antwon Blake steps up, but even then, they needed a cornerback. Will Richardson be Taylor’s future replacement? Probably not. One of the reasons the Steelers decided to draft Richardson is because he is, at six-feet tall, very quick, agile, and explosive. He is an aggressive cornerback who knows how to intercept the ball and does it well. However, he must improve his coverage skills and technique. Overall, the Steelers needed a cornerback and Richardson provides depth at the position and plenty of athleticism.

Wesley Johnson, OT

To provide more help for Roethlisberger, the Steelers drafted Wesley Johnson with their second fifth round pick. He’s an agile and quick offensive lineman who can move around. He moves well for an offensive lineman. Also, Johnson is a leader. The downside is Johnson doesn’t provide much strength and is overpowered by many opposing defensive linemen. Johnson does, however, provide the Steelers some depth for their offensive line.

Jordan Zumwalt, ILB

Out of UCLA, Zumwalt could make a major impact on special teams in his rookie season. He’s extremely competitive and always provides his team with great effort. He will always compete and is a versatile player who is capable of being extremely disruptive for the opposing offense. Zumwalt has plenty of work to do, though, as he has limited range in coverage, doesn’t play very strong, and has difficulty escaping blocks. Jordan Zumwalt’s energy should be huge, even in year one, on special teams.

Daniel McCullers, DT

The first thing you’ll notice about McCullers is his size. At 6 foot-7 and 352 pounds, McCullers is big. He is still very agile for his size. McCullers has long arms, too, which is an asset when shedding blocks. He must improve his technique and learn to utilize his strength. Also, McCullers must keep his weight down and not get become too big. Overall, he’s a good sixth round pick and could be a steal.

Rob Blanchflower, TE

With their final pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Steelers selected Rob Blanchflower. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not Blanchflower makes the team. He is competitive, energetic, and tough. Also, he’s a very good blocker with good size. However, Blanchflower isn’t very athletic and is a poor route runner.

The Steelers drafted very well. After finishing 8-8 the previous two seasons, the Steelers are looking to return to the NFL Playoffs. With their free agent signings and this draft, they may be headed back sooner rather than later.

Information from NFL.com, Bleacherreport.com, and ESPN.go.com was used in this article.

Xaivier Carr Jaxson is an analyst and writer for Tru School Sports. Follow him on Twitter.