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Draft Preview: Steelers pick 13th
Posted: Sunday April 04, 1999 01:15 PM
For the next 13 days, CNN/SI will offer a daily look at one pick from the 1999 draft, finishing with Cleveland. Check back for a new preview each day.
No team in the league seems to take the same perennial losses to free agency as the Pittsburgh Steelers -- all the traffic every spring is headed out of town, and this year has been no different. All-Pro cornerback Carnell Lake bolted for Jacksonville, and receiver Charles Johnson, safety Darren Perry, linebacker Donta Jones and defensive tackle Oliver Gibson followed shortly after. Fullback Tim Lester likely won't be back either. With limited salary-cap flexibility, the Steelers worked to keep some of their own key free agents, and signed their first unrestricted free agent away from another team in Jaguars safety Travis Davis. Despite the yearly exodus of starters leaving their roster, the Steelers have found ways to continue winning. They've done this with solid drafting, making the most of late first-round picks. This year's pick is the Steelers' highest in the Bill Cowher era, and look for Pittsburgh to make the most of it. Best bet for No. 13 The Pittsburgh Steelers need a receiver. It doesn't take decades of scouting to figure this much out. In Yancey Thigpen and Charles Johnson, Pittsburgh has lost its best receiver after each of the last two seasons. No one player in this year's draft can replace those two losses, but it's certainly a start. Last season, Pittsburgh let Tennessee make Thigpen the highest-paid receiver in the NFL and hoped promising rookie Will Blackwell would step up in his second year. Blackwell showed little big-play potential, however -- his longest catch of the year went 24 yards and his season highs were three catches and 47 yards. Veteran Courtney Hawkins made more of the opportunity with a career-best 66 catches, but he had only one touchdown and one 100-yard game. Rookie Hines Ward showed promise but finished with just 15 catches and no touchdowns.
Salvation could be ahead for Pittsburgh in the draft, where Steelers fans must hope that either N.C. State's Torry Holt or Ohio State's David Boston is still around. The team in the greatest need of a receiver is New Orleans, which picks 12th, but if Mike Ditka gets his wish and can trade up for tailback Ricky Williams, Pittsburgh should have one of the receivers available. Holt, generally considered the better of the two, could go eighth to the Cardinals or 10th to the Ravens, but it's unlikely any other teams ahead of Pittsburgh would draft a receiver. In the event that both receivers are taken, Pittsburgh could trade down and find one later in the first round, or use their top pick to address another need at offensive tackle. If Will Wolford does wind up retiring -- he's pondering his future a la John Elway right now -- then the Steelers would have to count on Chris Conrad, who played in six games as a rookie, at left tackle. Pittsburgh could have their pick of any of the draft's talented tackles except for BYU's John Tait, who's likely the first lineman taken. The other free-agent losses come at positions where Pittsburgh has decent depth -- former first-rounder Chad Scott, who spent last season on injured reserve, will take Lake's place, and backup Jon Witman will try to replace Lester as Jerome Bettis' lead blocker. If everything falls into place, Holt will be gone and the Steelers will be thrilled to take Boston with their top pick. His knack for finding the end zone will be a welcome addition for quarterback Kordell Stewart, new offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and Steelers fans looking for a receiver who won't get away for a while. Click here if you have a question or comment about the upcoming NFL Draft. We'll answer a few questions and publish selected comments once a week between now and April 17.
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