One of the biggest question marks on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster is the safety position. The Steelers didn’t have much consistency at the position last season, and the secondary was scored against plenty of times.
The Steelers currently have Mike Mitchell, Ross Ventrone, Shamarko Thomas, Robert Golden, Jordan Dangerfield, Jacob Hagen and Ray Vinopal on their roster. Pittsburgh hasn’t made any attempts to secure a free agent safety, even though a few, like Eric Weddle and Reggie Nelson, were up for grabs.
Pittsburgh has hinted it wants to draft a few defensive players in the 2016 NFL Draft (which is from April 28-30), but will one of those players be a safety?
The draft has three top safeties who could, quite possibly, go in the first round—and one of them could even be wearing black and gold next season. Jalen Ramsey out of Florida State University has been ranked the No. 1 safety in the NFL Draft by the NFL Network’s Chad Reuter, a draft analyst. Reuter said nothing but positive things about Ramsey.
“He has the athleticism and length to cover receivers and could very well end up outside to start off his career,” Reuter wrote. “Some teams might decide his ball skills and tackling ability are best utilized in a leadership role where he can work inside and outside, playing everywhere from nickel to single-deep. That’s versatility that a defensive coordinator should relish.”
Ranked No. 2 was Boise State’s Darian Thompson, who spent all four years of his college career with the Broncos. Thompson set a Mountain West Conference record with his 19 career interceptions. In his report, Reuter said he could instantly see Thompson as a starter.
“Thompson played in traffic to stop the run and was active versus the pass, showing an all-around game that likely will make him an immediate starter in the league,” Reuter wrote.
Lastly, ranked No. 3 in the safety category is Ohio State University’s Vonn Bell. Reuter admitted that picking Bell over University of Florida safety Keanu Neal, who visited the Steelers this past week, and West Virginia safety Karl Joseph was a tough decision to make, but Reuter said it was the right one.
“Bell edges out the others because not only is he capable of creating turnovers with hits and solid hands, like Neal and Joseph, but he’s also athletic enough to handle nickel coverage responsibilities,” Rueter wrote. “That sort of dual-threat option at safety is coveted in today’s NFL.”
The Steelers need a dual-threat option. They also need consistency at the safety position. Normally, the Steelers would look to their veteran players, but it might be time to make a change. With Dick LeBeau gone and Keith Butler’s defense in, it’s time for the Steelers to make the necessary changes in their defense, especially in the secondary. Now’s the time for a rookie to get in on Butler’s defensive action.
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