This article is part of our NFL Draft Team Needs series.
Team draft picks (eight)
First round (17)
Second round (48)
Third round (79)
Fourth round (115)
Fifth round (150)
Sixth round (186)
Sixth round (206)
Seventh round (223)
1. Linebacker
The Steelers express quite a bit of faith in Larry Foote (ILB) and Jason Worilds (OLB), but neither player has impressed at any point, and the team needs to upgrade at both of their positions. Outside linebacker in particular might be a problem with James Harrison gone.
Potential targets:
First round
Alec Ogletree, ILB, Georgia
Arthur Brown, ILB, Kansas State
Cornellius Carradine, OLB, Florida State
Second round
Kevin Minter, ILB, LSU
Corey Lemonier, OLB, Auburn
Jamie Collins, OLB, Southern Mississippi
Sio Moore, ILB/OLB, Connecticut
Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
Kiko Alonso, ILB, Oregon
Manti Te'o, ILB, Notre Dame
Third round
DeVonte Holloman, ILB, South Carolina
Gerald Hodges, ILB, Penn State
Cornelius Washington, OLB, Georgia
Trevardo Williams, OLB/ILB, Connecticut
Lerentee McCray, OLB, Florida
Damontre Moore, OLB, Texas A&M
Fourth round
Stansly Maponga, OLB, TCU
Kevin Riddick, ILB, North Carolina
Khaseem Greene, ILB, Rutgers
Jon Bostic, ILB, Florida
Sean Porter, ILB, Texas A&M
Keith Pough, ILB, Howard
John Simon, OLB, Ohio State
Fifth through seventh rounds
Quanterus Smith, OLB, Western Kentucky
Steve Beauharnais, ILB, Rutgers
Chase Thomas, ILB/OLB, Stanford
Nico Johnson, ILB, Alabama
Brandon Jenkins, OLB, Florida State
Jelani Jenkins, ILB, Florida
2. Wide receiver
Team draft picks (eight)
First round (17)
Second round (48)
Third round (79)
Fourth round (115)
Fifth round (150)
Sixth round (186)
Sixth round (206)
Seventh round (223)
1. Linebacker
The Steelers express quite a bit of faith in Larry Foote (ILB) and Jason Worilds (OLB), but neither player has impressed at any point, and the team needs to upgrade at both of their positions. Outside linebacker in particular might be a problem with James Harrison gone.
Potential targets:
First round
Alec Ogletree, ILB, Georgia
Arthur Brown, ILB, Kansas State
Cornellius Carradine, OLB, Florida State
Second round
Kevin Minter, ILB, LSU
Corey Lemonier, OLB, Auburn
Jamie Collins, OLB, Southern Mississippi
Sio Moore, ILB/OLB, Connecticut
Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
Kiko Alonso, ILB, Oregon
Manti Te'o, ILB, Notre Dame
Third round
DeVonte Holloman, ILB, South Carolina
Gerald Hodges, ILB, Penn State
Cornelius Washington, OLB, Georgia
Trevardo Williams, OLB/ILB, Connecticut
Lerentee McCray, OLB, Florida
Damontre Moore, OLB, Texas A&M
Fourth round
Stansly Maponga, OLB, TCU
Kevin Riddick, ILB, North Carolina
Khaseem Greene, ILB, Rutgers
Jon Bostic, ILB, Florida
Sean Porter, ILB, Texas A&M
Keith Pough, ILB, Howard
John Simon, OLB, Ohio State
Fifth through seventh rounds
Quanterus Smith, OLB, Western Kentucky
Steve Beauharnais, ILB, Rutgers
Chase Thomas, ILB/OLB, Stanford
Nico Johnson, ILB, Alabama
Brandon Jenkins, OLB, Florida State
Jelani Jenkins, ILB, Florida
2. Wide receiver
Emmanuel Sanders looks like a decent player, but the Steelers will need to do better than him if they hope to recover from the loss of Mike Wallace. Pittsburgh could use some size at receiver in particular, as neither Sanders nor Antonio Brown are legitimate red-zone targets.
Potential targets:
First round
Cordarrelle Patterson, Tennessee
DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson
Second round
Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
Justin Hunter, Tennessee
Keenan Allen, California
Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech
Markus Wheaton, Oregon State
Robert Woods, USC
Third round
Chris Harper, Kansas State
Da'Rick Rogers, Tennessee Tech
Josh Boyce, TCU
Marquise Goodwin, Texas
Terrance Williams, Baylor
Kenny Stills, Oklahoma
Fourth round
Mark Harrison, Rutgers
Tavarres King, Georgia
Chad Bumphis, Mississippi State
Marquess Wilson, Washington State
Fifth through seventh rounds
Justin Brown, Oklahoma
Corey Fuller, Virginia Tech
DeVonte Christopher, Utah
Marcus Davis, Virginia Tech
Aaron Dobson, Marshall
Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas
Ace Sanders, South Carolina
3. Safety
Troy Polamalu will probably have a roster spot in Pittsburgh as long as he wants one, but the Steelers can't depend on his week-to-week availability. Polamalu just can't stay healthy – he missed 22 games over the last four years, and things probably won't get any better with age 32 coming up on Apr. 19.
Potential targets:
First round
Matt Elam, Florida
Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International
Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
Eric Reid, LSU
Second round
J.J. Wilcox, Georgia Southern
Bacarri Rambo, Georgia
Phillip Thomas, Fresno State
Third round
D.J. Swearinger, South Carolina
Shawn Williams, Georgia
Josh Evans, Florida
Shamarko Thomas, Syracuse
Fourth round
Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
Duke Williams, Nevada
T.J. McDonald, USC
Fifth through seventh rounds
Rontez Miles, California (PA)
Cooper Taylor, Richmond
Earl Wolff, North Carolina State
Other needs: Defensive line, running back, tight end
