Home 2014 NFL Draft Compensatory Picks Give Steelers Flexibility in Draft

Compensatory Picks Give Steelers Flexibility in Draft

by Steelbydesign

TGC-Pittsburgh-War-RoomPrior to the announcement of the three compensation picks the Steelers were awarded on Monday, I was a little worried that Steeler Nation (myself included) were assuming an extra 3rd rounder was a lock.

I’m happy to say I was wrong, and that the Steelers picked up a 6th on top of the 3rd and 5th that I predicted in a write up last week.

That gives the Steelers 9 picks total in the loaded 2014 NFL draft.

With only 6 picks (and only 2 in the first 3 rounds) Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin would’ve had pretty long shot odds of putting together a really good draft class.

With only 6 picks, it would also be out of the question for the Steelers to move up at any point. Even though compensatory picks aren’t trade-able; having an extra pick in the 5th and 6th makes it easier to part with their original picks in those rounds if necessary.

While I’d guess that they won’t trade up anywhere in the early rounds, they now have the option to in the 4th round or later if a guy they really feel good about is there (like they did last year with Shamarko Thomas).

Typically, with so many picks I’d say they definitely move up somewhere, because they typically don’t have many holes… This year though, I could easily see a scenario where the Steelers select 9 players.

The Steelers have taken the “buckshot” approach in the past with some success… Meaning they select multiple guys at one position to help lessen the chance of busting completely.

We saw that happen with Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown. Had the Steelers only selected Sanders in that draft, they’d be hurting a lot at the WR position (even if Sanders was retained).

We also saw the same when they selected Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen in the same draft. The same applies to the CB position as WR.

It’s kind of interesting the later picks out-shined the higher ones in both cases, and it wasn’t even close in either instance.

If I was a betting man, I’d put money on the Steelers selecting two cornerbacks in the 2014 draft. They could even do the same with the defensive line if they wanted given the amount of picks they now have.

There’s a lot of options on the table now. Prior to being awarded the extra picks, it was pick 6 guys, or maybe trade down… Now though the front office shouldn’t be restricted by the lack of draft picks they have.

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