The Pittsburgh Steelers targeted some holes on the defensive side of the ball during the first two rounds of the NFL draft with Kentucky linebacker Bud Dupree and Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golden.
They switched to the other side of the ball in the third round by selecting Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates with the No. 23 selection of the third round, No. 87 overall.
Coates hands are often questioned, but there is no doubting that he has plenty of talent.
He stand 6-foot-1 and is a burner. Coates averaged 20.9 yards per reception during his collegiate career.
Last season Coates was named second-team All-SEC and was a Senior Bowl invitee. He really showed off his skill set in a loss to Alabama in which he had five receptions for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
The positives is that Coates has the size and speed. He can take the top off of most defenses and if corners want to turn and run with him he will burn them.
The negatives are that he is very unreliable in terms of catching the football and route running, finishing his collegiate career with a 19.1 percent drop rate.
But the Steelers are always looking for weapons and getting a guy like Coates with speed and potential can never hurt.
Coates is big, fast and raw and has drawn comparisons to current Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant.
While Coates could turn into a bigtime playmaker, you have to wonder if there were bigger needs to be filled.
Regardless, the selection of Coates certainly made one person very happy as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger certainly has a smile on his face after this selection.
Photo Credit: Auburn University
