While much of the focus for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the upcoming 2015 NFL Draft will be on the defensive side of the ball, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert will also have to focus on the offensive side of the ball as well.
In particular the tight end position.
Veteran Heath Miller has had a decade run as the top tight end for the Steelers and like they have had to do at almost every other position on the field, it is time that the Steelers get younger and more athletic when it comes to their tight ends as well.
That doesn’t mean that Miller is on his way out just yet, but father time is undefeated and Colbert needs to have a plan in place for when Miller decides to hang up the cleats as well.
Miller can still be a very productive piece in the Steelers offense in 2015.
Last season he caught 66 passes for 761 yards and three touchdowns and still remains one of the top blocking tight ends in the league.
But Miller has only two years remaining of a three-year contract he signed in 2013 and it can never hurt to add another weapon to an already potent offense.
With that in mind the Steelers have hosted quite a few tight ends among their pre-draft visits.
Two of those were in this week when Ohio State’s Jeffrey Heuerman and UAB’s Kennard Backman visited on Tuesday.
Heuerman is ranked as the third best tight end in the draft by CBSSports.com even though he caught only17 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns last season for the Buckeyes while battling a foot injury.
Backman led UAB with 39 receptions last season and ran the 40-yard dash in under 4.7 seconds at UAB’s pro day.
Both are projected to be middle to late round selections.
Up next to visit the Steelers is Penn State tight end Jesse James.
James caught 38 passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns and is a projected as mid-round pick. He declared for the draft after his junior season, finishing with 78 receptions for 1,005 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Other tight ends, including Auburn’s C.J. Uzomah and Texas A&M’s Cameron Clear have also been among the Steelers allotted 30 pre-draft visits.
So while Colbert’s plan is likely to get younger and improve on the defensive side of the ball come draft time, it looks like the same can be said for the tight end position.
So when the draft rolls around at the end of April, don’t be surprised if the Steelers select a tight end in hopes of finding Miller’s eventual replacement.
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