Steelers GM: We want players

Pittsburgh won’t draft for for need

Associated Press

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert isn’t a big fan of using the term “need” when it comes to how the organization approaches the NFL draft.

“Need is not a good word,” Colbert said. “It’s want. We want players. We don’t necessarily need.”

Maybe, but the Steelers have holes that need to be filled following an extensive roster overhaul. A mass exodus that included wide receiver Hines Ward, defensive linemen Aaron Smith and Chris Hoke and linebacker James Farrior began days after the 2011 season ended with a 29-23 overtime upset at the hands of the Denver Broncos in the wild card round of the playoffs.

Colbert called the loss of so many locker room leaders “substantial” but isn’t looking to find new ones in the draft. Instead, he’s focused on finding impact players early and ones who can provide depth late.

The Steelers have the 24th overall pick and 10 picks total in the seven-round draft that begins tonight.

Few teams have been as effective as the Steelers in selecting the right players and turning them into key contributors. Pittsburgh’s first round picks since 2000 include quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, safety Troy Polamalu, center Maurkice Pouncey, linebacker Lawrence Timmons and running back Rashard Mendenhall.

Toss in Pittsburgh’s reluctance to pursue high-priced free agents and it puts even more of an onus on the franchise’s ability to identify the right players to fit a system that rarely changes.

“If you miss on those [first-rounders] then it can set you back for years,” Colbert said.

The Steelers would prefer to keep the winning streak going. Though Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin declined to talk about specific players, they are aware the team is vulnerable at several positions.

Hoke’s retirement and a knee injury to Casey Hampton leaves Steve McClendon as the only nose tackle with any real experience on the roster. The move by many college teams to either 4-3 defenses or a 3-3-5 stack has thinned out the supply of nose tackles trained in the classic 3-4 scheme used by defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

Penn State’s Devon Still — who at 6-foot-5 and 303 pounds can eat up a lot of space — could be attractive at that spot, though there’s also been late buzz that the team could opt to grab Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower as an eventual successor to Larry Foote.

There are more pressing concerns along the offensive line. Max Starks and Chris Kemoeatu — who won a pair of Super Bowls in Pittsburgh — are gone, at least for now.