2014 NFL Mock Draft: The Pittsburgh Steelers Select…
Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
For those of you readers who have not noticed, a new and updated 2014 NFL Mock Draft will be published by FanSided.com every week until the momentous weekend in May. This week, Josh Sanchez published FanSided’s newest Mock Draft and projected that the Pittsburgh Steelers would select the following player at number 15 overall:
Mike Evans, Wide Receiver, Texas A&M
"Markus Wheaton hasn’t made the immediate impact that the Steelers were hoping for when they spent a third-round pick on him in last year’s draft, and Emmanuel Sanders is set to become a free agent.Sanders drew interest last offseason from the New England Patriots, so there will be plenty of teams vying for his services if he is not locked up before the free agency period begins.To ensure they continue having weapons for Ben Roethlisberger moving forward, they need to jump on the opportunity to take one of the most impressive offensive weapons in the 2014 draft class."
Instead of wasting high round draft choices on defensive players who will be forced to rot on the bench by defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, the Steelers should try to upgrade as many holes on the offensive side of the ball as possible. With glaring needs at wide receiver, tight end and left tackle, I hope that the Steelers target one of those positions in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
The wide receiver-needy Steelers could benefit from the addition of a player like Evans. Assuming that Sanders walks, which I really hope happens, Evans would add some much-needed size to a receiving corps in need of it. Although Derek Moye and Justin Brown could be primed to contribute more next fall, they are still relatively unknown commodities at this point.
After a stellar 2012 campaign (82 catches, 1,105 yards, five touchdowns), Evans (6’5″ 225 lbs.) has been nothing short of awesome for the Aggies this fall (65 catches, 1,322 yards, 12 touchdowns) as Johnny Manziel’s go-to threat.
Although Evans lacks the type of straight-line speed of a Sammy Watkins or a Marqise Lee, his large frame, soft hands and terrific body control could give the Steelers the type of red zone threat at the receiver position which they have lacked since Plaxico Burress was in town from 2000-2004.
Stats & Contract Info. Provided By: ESPN.com, Steelers.com, Spotrac, and Pro Football Reference
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