STEELERS Bettis remains lead back

Pittsburgh stressed defensive players with top draft picks.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers loaded their draft with pass defenders and pass rushers, yet coach Bill Cowher is very enthused about his new-look running back.
A guy named Jerome Bettis.
His future with the Steelers in doubt following consecutive injury-shortened seasons, Bettis apparently has convinced them he's got something left. Namely, another season or two of the power running that allowed him to rush for at least 1,000 yards in six straight seasons.
The Steelers signaled that Bettis will begin training camp as their starter by not drafting an heir apparent among their five picks in the two-day NFL draft. They took Georgia fullback J.T. Wall on the seventh round Sunday, but he's a blocker who rarely carried the ball.
Satisfaction
After strongly hinting that Bettis needed to lose weight and get back into prime running shape, Cowher must be satisfied with what he sees.
Or, more accurately, with what he doesn't see: the Bettis of the last two seasons, when groin and knee injuries limited him to only a handful of carries in the playoffs.
Bettis has lost 12 pounds following West Coast workout sessions with track coach Bob Kersee.
"Jerome is doing great," Cowher said. "His weight is as low as it's been in the last few years. He's eager to prove people wrong. You'll see a fresh Jerome Bettis."
And, for certain, a much different secondary.
Defensive backfield
The Steelers went into the draft with a glaring deficiency, their pass defense, and they used their first three picks trying to fix it.
After drafting Southern Cal safety Troy Polamalu and Florida State pass rusher Alonzo Jackson on Saturday, they took yet another defensive back -- Louisiana-Lafayette cornerback Ike Taylor -- on the fourth round Sunday.
They dealt their third- and sixth-round picks to Kansas City to move up in the first round and get Polamalu.
Once they got around to offense, and it took them nearly 28 hours to do so, the Steelers took Boston College quarterback Brian St. Pierre on the fifth round and Wall on the seventh.
Just as Taylor, Wall was a walk-on in college; he started two seasons at Southwest Baptist before transferring to Georgia, where he became a starter only last season.
Late arrival
Taylor was something of a surprise pick on the fourth round, but St. Pierre was unpleasantly surprised after lasting until the fifth round. Even though this wasn't considered to be a prime quarterback draft class, St. Pierre figured to go earlier.
Only Glenn Foley and Doug Flutie threw for more yards at Boston College than St. Pierre, who closed out his college career by passing for 342 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles' 51-25 rout of Toledo in the Motor City Bowl.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't think I was going to go a little bit higher," St. Pierre said. "But I only got to start two years at Boston College, so the other quarterbacks got to play a lot more than I did. I'm still growing as a quarterback."
With Tommy Maddox the starter and Charlie Batch the backup, the Steelers can wait to see if St. Pierre becomes yet another late-rounder who develops into an NFL starter.
"We are not looking for a starter right now," offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey said.
St. Pierre plays with so much confidence he sometimes forces throws, but Mularkey views that as more of a positive than a negative.
"You want a guy that believes in his ability and you want his teammates to see the same thing I saw," Mularkey said.
The Steelers also didn't draft an offensive tackle, which likely means Marvel Smith will move from right tackle to left tackle to replace Wayne Gandy. Oliver Ross and Todd Fordham probably will compete at right tackle.