As the 2014 NFL Draft came to a close, General Manager Kevin Colbert and Coach Mike Tomlin looked happy and satisfied with what they accomplished over the three days.
"It was really a unique draft when we entered this thing," said General Manager Kevin Colbert. "And when we talked about it going into it, we talked about how deep this draft was. We certainly saw that throughout the draft. Usually in a draft the first or second round will usually follow suit because everybody likes the better players. It usually opens up as you go through when teams are grabbing guys, and you usually have more guys available to you that you have a particular feel for. This year it seems like everybody was selected from the same group of players because it was so deep. It was really interesting to see how it broke, but we thought it broke well for us. We are very happy with the results."
They selected nine players, five defensive players and four offensive players, and Tomlin said he would be open to the possibility of several earning a starting position.
"It's not something that's going to be given to them," said Tomlin. "They'll be given an opportunity to earn it. But I do believe that within this group there are some guys that are very capable of doing just that.
"I think they have a chance to start if they earn it every year. That's just the reality of it. There have been some years where we've had an extremely strong unit and that makes it a tough nut to crack; we'll see what this unit is made of. I'm not going to prejudge and go into it with any preconceived notions. I'll let those guys sort themselves out on the grass of Latrobe like we always do."
Pittsburgh Steelers 2014 Draft Picks
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Shazier | LB | 6-1 | 237 | Ohio State |
| Stephon Tuitt | DE | 6-5 | 303 | Notre Dame |
| Dri Archer | RB/WR | 5-8 | 173 | Kent State |
| Martavis Bryant | WR | 6-4 | 211 | Clemson |
| Shaquiille Richardson | CB | 6-0 | 194 | Arizona |
| Wesley Johnson | OL | 6-5 | 297 | Vanderbilt |
| Jordan Zumwalt | LB | 6-4 | 235 | UCLA |
| Daniel McCullers | DL | 6-7 | 352 | Tennessee |
| Rob Blanchflower | TE | 6-4 | 256 | UMass |
Pittsburgh Steelers 2014 Rookie Free Agents
| Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Elkins | OL | 6-4 | 300 | Youngstown State |
| Ethan Hemer | DE | 6-6 | 285 | Wisconsin |
| Kaycee Ike | OT | 6-5 | 293 | UAB |
| Howard Jones | LB | 6-4 | 238 | Shepherd |
| Brendon Kay | QB | 6-4 | 228 | Cincinnati |
| Josh Mauro | DE | 6-6 | 282 | Stanford |
| Roy Philon | DT | 6-3 | 291 | Louisville |
| Will Simmons | OG | 6-5 | 342 | East Carolina |
| Eric Waters | TE | 6-5 | 245 | Missouri |
Make sure to check www.steelers.com on Wednesday, May 14, for the first part of "Countdown: Behind The Scenes Story of the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Draft." The documentary will air beginning at 12 noon, and a new installment will air every Wednesday for four weeks (May 14, 21, 28 & June 4).
