The Pittsburgh Steelers need some work in bolstering their tight end and running back groups. The team has solid players in the position already, however there is still need for more.
The Steelers lost a tight end when Heath Miller announced his retirement. The Steelers still have Jesse James and Matt Spaeth under contract. However, NFL rosters normally have three tight ends. Because of that, the Steelers met with Austin Hooper at the NFL Combine.
The Steelers had a formal interview with Hooper, a tight end out of Stanford. Hooper is expected to go late in the second round or sometime in the third round. The 6’4 tight end was a red-shirt as a freshman, but excelled in his sophomore and junior seasons. His career has him catching 74 passes for 937 yards.
In the Pac-12 championship, where Stanford defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Rose Bowl, he caught six touchdowns. Hooper, who decided to forgo his last two seasons at Stanford, was a finalist for the Mackey Award.
The Steelers also want to bolster the running back position. Le’Veon Bell has had his share of injuries and so had DeAngelo Williams. While Fitzgerald Toussaint did a fine job as their replacement in the playoffs, the team still needs some more depth. That’s why the team met with Tyler Ervin at the Combine.
Ervin, a 5’10 back out of San Jose State University, had his formal interview with the Steelers. Ervin played five years with the Spartans, as he was a red-shirt in 2013, where he totaled 47 career games. Ervin had 528 carries in his career for 2,803 yards and scored 19 touchdowns. In his receiving part of the game, he caught 87 passes for 783 yards and four touchdowns.
The Steelers also need a solid punt and kick returner, and Ervin could be that guy. In the kick returning game, he’s returned 101 kickoffs for 2,374 yards and three touchdowns. As for punt returns, he’s made 186 runs and averaged 13.2 yards per punt return and had two touchdowns.
The Steelers have plenty of time to see if they want to draft Hooper or Ervin. Both players have significant qualities they could bring to the team. Time will tell at the NFL Draft if those qualities will fit well with the Steelers. The NFL Draft will be held from April 28-30.
