It's pretty easy to note that Mike Wallace signed a mega-deal with the Miami Dolphins this off-season and figure that the Pittsburgh Steelers need a replacement in their receiving corps. As Neal Coolong of Behind the Steel Curtain explains in his 2013 NFL mock draft pick below, however, Pittsburgh's need at receiver actually goes much deeper than the void left by Wallace.
Team | Player | Position | Height | Weight | Class |
17. Pittsburgh Steelers | Cordarrelle Patterson | WR | 6'2" | 216 | JR |
Neal Coolong: "The Steelers currently have one wide receiver signed after the 2013 season. Two of the four they have with playing time from 2012 are over the age of 31. While there are other positions the team would like to address at this spot, none fit the need as well as the talent to justify the No. 17 pick like Patterson does. "He can be considered a Dwayne Bowe 2.0 - they share very similar size, but Patterson has shown himself to be more athletic. He's a big-bodied, outside-the-numbers receiver, but his agility and quickness can be utilized very well with Todd Haley's shorter passing game. There aren't too many 215-pound receivers returning kicks, but Patterson showed he could do that in his time at Tennessee. He could make an impact from Week 1 - something Steelers first round picks haven't done since Maurkice Pouncey in 2010." |
Here's our own Dan Kadar to break down the pick:
The Steelers' need for wide receiver talent is often overlooked. Players on defense, namely the back seven, are often considered for Pittsburgh early. But Mike Wallace is gone and Emmanuel Sanders is a restricted free agent. Patterson may not be much like Bowe, though. He’s more versatile, able to line up on the inside or the outside and take handoffs. Given time, Patterson could develop into a No. 1 wide receiver. With Antonio Brown in Pittsburgh, it would be a good fit. He may not be counted on to be a big factor as a wide receiver as a rookie.
The Dallas Cowboys, repped by Blogging the Boys, will close out the day with the No. 18 overall pick at 3PM ET. Stay tuned!
Top 5 players remaining
# | Player | Pos. | College | Ht. | Wt. |
5 | Sheldon Richardson * | DT | Missouri | 6'3" | 294 |
11 | Bjoern Werner * | DE | Florida State | 6'3" | 266 |
12 | Jonathan Cooper | OG | North Carolina | 6'2" | 311 |
15 | Arthur Brown | LB | Kansas State | 6'0" | 241 |
16 | Kenny Vaccaro | S | Texas | 6'1" | 215 |
2013 SB Nation NFL writers' mock draft results
No. | Team | Player | Pos. | College |
1 | Kansas City Chiefs | Luke Joeckel | OT | Texas A&M |
2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Geno Smith | QB | West Virginia |
3 | Oakland Raiders | Sharrif Floyd | DT | Florida |
4 | Philadelphia Eagles | Eric Fisher | OT | Central Michigan |
5 | Detroit Lions | Ezekiel Ansah | DE | BYU |
6 | Cleveland Browns | Dion Jordan | OLB | Oregon |
7 | Arizona Cardinals | Barkevious Mingo | OLB | LSU |
8 | Buffalo Bills | Jarvis Jones | OLB | Georgia |
9 | New York Jets | Chance Warmack | OG | Alabama |
10 | Tennessee Titans | Dee Milliner | CB | Alabama |
11 | San Diego Chargers | Star Lotulelei | DT | Utah |
12 | Miami Dolphins | Desmond Trufant | CB | Washington |
13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Xavier Rhodes | CB | Florida State |
14 | Carolina Panthers | Lane Johnson | OT | Oklahoma |
15 | New Orleans Saints | Alec Ogletree | LB | Georgia |
16 | St. Louis Rams | Tavon Austin | WR | West Virginia |
17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cordarrelle Patterson | WR | Tennessee |