D-Day

The Steelers draft this week will either be just another draft in-which they try to re-tool their team for another run at the Super Bowl or it will be the most talked about draft in franchise history. But that's a blog for another day.

I'm excited about this year's draft because it'll be the first one I'm able to watch in seven years. The last draft I was home to see was the one where the Steelers drafted Troy Polamalu. For years, the event was held on Sundays and I watched it religiously every April. The first year at my new job in '03, the NFL moved the first round of the draft to Saturdays and soon after that, working Saturdays became a permanent thing for me. I was reduced to listening to it on the radio while at work. Needless to say, I was super-excited when I heard they were moving the first round of the draft to Thursday nights. Other people may not like it, you know who you are with your Monday-Friday jobs, but some of us have to work weekends.

Many years ago, before it became the phenomenon it is today, the draft was held on Tuesdays and it started very early, 7am, I believe. The last year it was held on Tuesdays, my mother let me stay home from school to watch it. It was the year the Steelers drafted Rod Woodson. Not a bad pick, if you recall. Starting in 1988, the draft was held on Sundays and I knew I'd be able to watch it without pesky school getting in the way. That was when my obsession really grew. I thought all week about who the Steelers would draft. I was hoping they'd draft Lorenzo White, a running back from Michigan St. The Steelers picked around the same position they're drafting this year, 18th or 19th, and I didn't think White would be there. Fortunately, he kept falling and falling and when it was Pittsburgh's turn on the clock, Lorenzo was still available. I jumped up and down and screamed for joy. The Steelers didn't waste any time with their pick. They probably only used a minute of their allotted time to make their selection. When the commissioner went up to the podium to read the Steeler's choice, I just knew it was going to be Lorenzo. "With their 1st selection in the 1988 NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select...........Aaron freakin Jones. Defensive end, Eastern Kentucky." The commissioner didn't say "freakin," but I did that day. In fact, I was so distraught that I spelled Aaron's name "Erin" by mistake on the sheet of paper I was using to keep track of the selections.

After a while, I convinced myself that Jones was a good selection, but ultimately, he never lived up to the status of a 1st round pick. As for Lorenzo White, he didn't have a hall-of-fame career, but he had a decent career, much better than Aaron freakin' Jones.

I'm not as nuts about the draft as I used to be, but I am very intrigued about this year's Steelers choice. Who will they pick with the 18th choice in the first round tomorrow night? Will they go offensive line? Will they address their defensive back deficiencies? Maybe they'll try and add some more depth to their defensive line. Maybe they'll feel the need to draft yet another wide receiver following the Santonio trade.

In my opinion, they must address the offensive line with the first pick. There is one guy I really love: Mike Iupati, 6'6 330lb guard from Idaho. From what most scouts are saying, he could be the next Alan Faneca. That's some pretty lofty praise right there. Scouts have been known to be wrong, but if he's there, I think the Steelers should grab him. From what a lot of people are saying, however, he will be gone by 18. The last mock draft I saw had them taking Maurkice Pouncey, center from Florida. I wouldn't have any problem with that, either. More and more teams are switching to 3-4 defenses and the Steelers need someone to take on some of these monster nose tackles in the NFL. Bottom line is they need a stud on that line. They have an OK line, but nobody even close to being an all-pro. I think every unit needs at least one stud. You saw what happened to the Steelers secondary when Troy was injured most of last year. It went from being a good secondary to one of the worst. Just goes to show you what one great player can do for an entire unit.

Speaking of the secondary, if they don't go offensive line, I think they should go for a cornerback in the first round. How many games did they lose last year in the 4th quarter? I don't know, I lost count. Joe Haden, cornerback from Flordia, is said to be the cream of the crop and no way will he be there. Kyle Wilson from Boise st. might be a possibility.

This is supposed to be one of the deepest drafts in years so no matter who they draft in the first round, they'll be able to address the other needs in the later rounds.

In any event, I will do everything in my power to be sitting in front of a television somewhere tomorrow night when the Steelers make their pick.