Pittsburgh Steelers Select DL Stephon Tuitt In Round 2: Reaction & Analysis
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
After selecting Ryan Shazier in the first round last night, the Steelers front office once again chose not to select a player to fill their biggest needs, those being a cornerback or a wide receiver. With the 46th overall pick the Pittsburgh Steelers selected defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt from Notre Dame.
Tuitt is a large individual at 6’6″ 304 pounds. According to scouting reports he is very athletic for a man his size. He has impressive power and surprising quickness. Mel Kiper said on ESPN that Tuitt fits extremely nicely as a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme. Some questions about Tuitt, could be his durability in the future. He had limited participation at the combine due to a hairline fracture in his foot. He also had a sports hernia surgery entering his junior year at Notre Dame. Tuitt entered his junior year out of shape and did not perform as well as he did during impressive sophomore campaign.
Even though Tuitt is not a corner or a receiver, the defensive end position was also a pretty big hole if you look at the current depth chart. Before this pick the possible defensive end starter along with Cameron Heyward were Cam Thomas and Brian Arnfelt. Thomas signed a two-year deal after starting 10 games last season with the Chargers. was undrafted last year and only appeared in two games. The Steelers allowed Ziggy Hood to leave for Jacksonville during free agency. This pick could also mean the end of Brett Keisel’s time in the Steel City. With Tuitt now on the roster it appears unlikely that they would need to bring back the 35-year-old.
I am somewhat undecided on the pick. I think Tuitt can become a very good player in the future and he should be a starter on the defensive line immediately… if he is in shape. He and Shazier are now the future of the defense but only time will tell when their impact will be felt on the field. The thing I don’t like about this pick is that fact that the Steelers have yet to select a cornerback or a wide receiver. They now have to until pick 97 before they can finally address those needs.
What do you think about the Tuitt pick Steelers Nation?
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