A primary concern for the Steelers entering this offseason was on the offensive line (particularly at the tackle position), and it looks like they will use the draft to address this concern. NFL.com's Pat Kirwan has a story about the available linemen in April's draft and how many scouts around the league rate them.
Here's what Kirwan had to say about the available offensive tackles:
"...The interest in linemen shifts back to tackle after Smiley, and the guys the coaches tell me they like as the second-round picks are Jacob Rogers of USC and Max Starks of Florida. Rogers is described as an athlete with a toughness coaches can see on film. Starks appears to have jumped a few tackles that were ahead of him a few weeks ago.It will be interesting to see what the Steelers do with their 9 picks in next months draft.
...The good news if you are hoping your favorite team can rebuild or upgrade their offensive line through the draft the late rounds have produced some pretty good O-linemen in the past. So, I asked my coaching friends for some long-shot candidates that intrigue them, and I got these names. Khiawatha Downey from Indiana (Pa.) who has overcome Multiple Sclerosis, tackle Marko Cavaka from Sacramento State who has measurable numbers to rival Gallery, and center Nick Hardwick from Purdue.
It's a well-known secret around the NFL that many line coaches like to get their players late in the draft and spend two years developing them with no pressure to play them early. Sometimes I think the coaches like to keep their excitement for the linemen down so they don't all get drafted too early."
