Steelers News: Draft, Weddle, Ohio State
By Kim Myers
The Steelers offseason including free agency and draft prep is in full swing.
Steelers season never truly ends for Steeler Nation so while the offseason starts to heat up we’ll be busy looking for mentions of your Black & Gold so we’ve got you covered. Here’s your Steelers Morning Huddle for Saturday, Mar. 12th.
You get a pick! You get a pick! You get a pick!
The NFL awarded compensatory draft picks to several NFL teams on Friday. The Steelers received a sixth round compensatory pick which will be the 220th overall pick and the 45th pick in the sixth round. Teresa Varley explains that some notable Steelers who were drafted with compensatory picks include Hines Ward, Mike Vrabel, Amos Zereoue, Willie Colon and William Gay.
The Steelers were awarded the pick due to the loss of cornerback Brice McCain in free agency last offseason. The rules about compensatory picks are basically about when you lose a player in free agency and aren’t able to replace with a better option.
The players’ playing times and the amount of outside free agents signed in the year that player departed are taken into account in the calculation for the compensatory picks.
Mystery team
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Safety
was set to be a highly sought after free agent yet days after the free agency period has begun Weddle remains unsigned. That usually means he’s either getting a multitude of offers and not the right offer from the right team or his asking price is too high for the teams that have inquired about him.
It has been no secret so far the level of interest the Steelers and Steelers fans have in Weddle as he would be just an instant upgrade to the strong safety position, provide a ton of flexibility and relieve pressure off of the corners.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler suggests that Weddle is entertaining interest from four teams and wants to play for a legit contender. Fowler explains that the Steelers have thrown their name in the ring for Weddle but aren’t necessarily prepared to enter into a bidding war for the safety’s services. We’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out.
Pro Day
The Steelers, among representatives from the rest of the NFL, were front and center at Ohio State’s Pro Day on Friday. While some of the teams were looking at potential early picks like defensive end Joey Bosa and tight end Nick Vannett the Steelers were clearly looking at the secondary.
Next: Steelers 4th round draft prospects
Cornerback Eli Apple and safety Vonn Bell have been subjects of Steelers mock drafts for weeks now but Zack Jackson of PFT reports that Steelers GM Kevin Colbert, coach Mike Tomlin, defensive coordinator Keith Butler and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were doing their due diligence on all the players at the packed Pro Day.