Could Danny Shelton Be the Steelers’ “David DeCastro” of 2015?

It was only a few years ago when the Pittsburgh Steelers entered the draft desperate for offensive line help. The guy many of us coveted was Stanford offensive guard David DeCastro but his availability at pick number 24 looked to be a long-shot at best.

Nearly every mock draft on the planet had DeCastro going in the top 15 so Steelers’ fans were left to wonder what direction the team would go in with DeCastro gone.

Amazingly, as the draft unfolded it became more and more apparent that DeCastro was going to actually fall right into the Steelers’ hands.

One guy that has been overlooked a lot is Washington’s nose tackle Danny Shelton. Like DeCastro, Shelton did not make an official pre-draft visit but that didn’t stop the Steelers from taking DeCastro.

Most mock drafts have Shelton going in the top 15 and to one team in particular, the Cleveland Browns. The problem with the Browns though is that they have two first round picks this year and the rumors have already started about them trading those picks to move up in the draft.

If that happens then Shelton likely falls.

The Steelers do not “need” Shelton like they needed offensive line help in 2012 but getting a true nose tackle might be something they couldn’t pass up. This would also allow Steve McLendon to play a more limited amount of snaps at the nose and perhaps be a nice compliment to Stephon Tuitt and Cam Heyward when they need a break.

To be clear, I’m not advocating the Steelers take a nose tackle. I think the game has changed so much that true nose tackles are almost becoming an after-thought these days but then again Shelton is a pretty special talent.

Would the Steelers pull the trigger on Shelton at 22? That of course depends on who has already been taken ahead of them but I feel it’s an interesting debate should it arise.

photo courtesy beaumontenterprise.com