I hope the Steelers were at CB DeAngelo Hall's Pro Day. The only thing that makes me think Pittsburgh might be hesitant to take him in the first round is that he's also a punt returner -- currently the job of Antwaan Randle El. But that certaintly shouldn't be the determining factor in whether or not they take perhaps the best CB in the draft. Here's ESPN's report on Hall's Pro Day:
"The junior defender, who bypassed his final year of eligibility to enter the draft, had a 39-inch vertical jump and a long jump of 10 feet, 9 inches. But the clincher was an amazing time of 3.68 seconds in the "short shuttle," a drill that displays change-of-direction skills, and one that had scouts double-checking their stopwatches.Other than Robert Gallery (and the Steelers would only get him if they trade up), I can think of no other pick that would immediately upgrade the team -- substantially.
About the only negative scouts cite when discussing Hall is his lack of height. He was 5-feet-10 at the combine and weighed in at 202 pounds. On Thursday, his weight was down to 197 pounds, about where he played in college. This is a draft, though, in which few of the cornerbacks possess prototype physical dimensions, and scouts acknowledge Hall's vertical skills and innate aggressiveness will help him compensate.
While there is still more than a month remaining in the draft assessment process, the consensus seems to be that Hall and Dunta Robinson of South Carolina have distanced themselves from the pack. That doesn't mean that other players - like Chris Gamble of Ohio State, Southern California's Will Poole, Oklahoma's Derrick Strait and Ahmad Carroll of Arkansas - won't make a move on the top spot. Certainly each of those prospects has first-round potential. But at this juncture of the process, with scouts starting to narrow their focus, there is little doubt Hall helped himself immeasurably Thursday afternoon."
