Charles Davis and I shared duties on "NFL Draft Review" on NFL Network, so I wanted to make sure I gave you my thoughts on the rest of the teams I didn't cover on the show.
-- Mayock on
Steelers second-round pick
Marcus Gilbert
I think one of the most underrated talent evaluators in the business is Pittsburgh's director of football operations, Kevin Colbert. He's remarkably consistent. It doesn't matter whether Bill Cowher or Mike Tomlin is the head coach, Colbert delivers the type of players the Steelers have won with over the years.
In the first round at No. 31, they got Cam Heyward, a college defensive tackle who I think can be a dominant five-technique defensive end. He can augment an aging Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith at that position. They took Ziggy Hood a couple years ago, and I think Heyward is tough enough to compliment him. He can stop the run and is athletic enough to push the pocket just a little bit.
I thought a key pick was their second-rounder at No. 63, offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert from Florida. Let's face it: Last year, Max Starks, their left tackle, had a neck problem. They picked up Flozell Adams, who had a remarkably good year, but he's 36 years old. They have to get younger and more athletic along that offensive line, and that's what they're hoping Gilbert will give them.
A fifth-round guy whom I think is interesting, too, is Chris Carter, a defensive end/outside linebacker from Fresno State. He kind of fits that Pittsburgh mentality of LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison and those guys. He has a great motor. He was an undersized defensive end. He's now going to be asked to stand up. I think he's a little bit more of a situational pass-rush guy at this point in his career, but what a great motor he has.
Boy, did the Browns have an interesting first day. They traded down with the Atlanta Falcons from No. 6 to No. 27. Then they traded back up to No. 21 to take defensive tackle Phil Taylor out of Baylor.
I really thought Taylor would go to a 3-4 team. He's a natural 3-4 nose tackle. But obviously Cleveland felt strongly about his movement skills. He'll plug into the middle of that four-man front and should be a starter there for years.
In the second round, the Browns took Pitt defensive end Jabaal Sheard, who has a great motor. So their first two picks become defensive linemen, which is kind of interesting. It's an inside-out philosophy.
Their other second-rounder, Greg Little, has tremendous talent as a running back and wide receiver at North Carolina. He's a big wide receiver with really good speed. He got into trouble there at UNC. He's very much a diva, but he's very talented. If he can come along, he could really help make Colt McCoy's life a lot easier. He's a big guy who you can throw the ball to outside the numbers and in the red zone while he learns how to run routes.
