Steelers Potential Draft Picks

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Pittsburgh Steelers Potential Prospects: Mark Barron, SS





By
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.](Featured Columnist) on April 12, 2012



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The [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] defense is always known around the league as one of the best there is. In 2011, the Steelers defense was ranked first in the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

To go along with that, they finished ranked first in the league against the pass (172 yards per [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]). Part of the reason for that is having a future Hall of Fame safety [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Much of the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] also has to go to Ryan Clark. Clark and Polamalu together make up one of the most ferocious safety tandems in the NFL.

When the Steelers are without Polamalu, it is obvious that the defense is not the same unit, as losing a player the caliber of Polamalu would do to any team.

The Steelers learned in the 2011 NFL playoffs that without Ryan Clark in the secondary, things are not much better, as [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] threw for a career game, defeating the Steelers in overtime.

I'm saying all that not only to prove the value the Steelers have in their secondary, but to show the importance of depth at the position.

Though the Steelers have Ryan Mundy as a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] to Polamalu and Clark, it is a huge step down in play, and one of the possible solutions to this problem may be available when the Steelers are on the clock in the first round.

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Barron is all over the board in terms of mock drafts. Some people have him going to the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] at pick 14, while others have him falling to the end of the first round.






With no way to have a clue if Barron is even going to be available when the Steelers select, there is no way to know if he is even on the Steelers' radar.

In addition to that, there are a lot of other positions at which the Steelers need help, and some people say taking Barron would be a "[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]" pick.

But, as I have said before, and will again, when the Steelers make their selection, it is not based on need, but based on "[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]."

The reality is that the Steelers secondary is very young. With the exception of Polamalu, Clark and Ike Taylor, the youth in the Steelers secondary is almost scary.

The Steelers used two draft picks in last year's draft on corners, both of whom have come along nicely, affording the Steelers the ability to cut Bryant McFadden and allowing Will Gay to leave with out so much as even trying to sign him.

Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen both figure in the long-term plans at corner for the Steelers. They will likely both be competing for the nickel role on the Steelers defense.

That is because fourth-year player Keenan Lewis is likely to be named starting corner opposite of Ike Taylor.

All of these young men are at least 6'0", and all are known to be fast. At the safety position, the Steelers backups don't have near the upside that the corners do.

Besides Mundy, the Steelers have Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith, who has not shown that he is capable of even being a fill-in to this point. The Steelers also signed the smartest guy in the NFL, Rhodes [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Myron Rolle.






Again, as there is potential there, none have shown that they are capable of being consistent contributors in the Steelers' long-term plans.

And when you have players like Polamalu and Clark, both on the wrong side of 30, you need to have someone who is ready, willing and able to take their place, and that is a "luxury" the Steelers simply don't have.

The biggest knock on Barron is his coverage ability, but with a coach like Carnell Lake, who has made improvements with all of the secondary players since joining the coaching staff before the 2011 season, Lake could turn a player like Barron into a combination of Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu.

He's a ball hawk who also likes to hit people. That is a deadly combination if you ask me.

And certainly one that is worthy of a first-round pick.