Steelers take Gilbert in 2nd

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The defending AFC-champion Pittsburgh Steelers spent Day 2 of the NFL Draft addressing their two biggest needs.

Pittsburgh took Florida offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert with the second-to-last pick in the second round and made Texas cornerback Curtis Brown the penultimate selection of the third round.

Those positions were considered somewhat of a weakness for Pittsburgh last season, and they have a degree of uncertainty associated with it this offseason due to injury or pending free agency.

“There is uncertainty,” offensive line coach Sean Kugler said about his position. “There are a couple coming back from injuries, [starting tackles] Max Starks and Willie Colon. [Tackle] Flozell Adams spent a good amount of the year injured. We just think we got a good football player that adds to the room.”

Gilbert joins Starks and center Maurkice Pouncey as former Florida players on the offensive line, causing Kugler to joke, “I just like taking trips down to Florida each spring to work these guys out.”

Pouncey was the team’s first-round pick last year and became a Pro Bowler as a rookie. There was speculation that Pittsburgh was interested in his twin brother, Mike, but the Miami Dolphins took him with the 15th pick and the price to move up from No. 31, apparently, was too high.

So the Steelers took the next-best Gators offensive lineman instead. In the 6-foot-6, 330-pound Gilbert, they have a player who has started at four different positions along the line — everything but center — over a four-year college career.

Gilbert started a full season at both right tackle and left tackle for Florida.

“He’s a high-energy player, he’s athletic, he plays the game physical — that’s the way we like it here,” Kugler said. “And we feel like he can play different positions for us. It’s also an added bonus that he and Maurkice are best buds. There is chemistry there, and that chemistry is a big thing on an offensive line.”

Brown was the second Texas cornerback taken. Aaron Williams went No. 34 overall to the Buffalo Bills, and he was believed to be under consideration by the Steelers when they picked at No. 31 in the first round Thursday.

Despite Brown’s so-so speed (4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash), Steelers secondary coach Carnell Lake said he believed Brown was the better cover corner of the two.

“He’s very quick — he’s more quick than he is fast,” Lake said.