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Mark Kaboly  |  Tribune-Review

Everybody remembers what Warren Sapp said about the Steelers’ defense following the 2011 opening-season loss to Baltimore.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers. I have three things: old, slow and it’s over. It’s just that simple,” Sapp said.

Well, the “slow” and “over” were proven wrong almost immediately as that Steelers unit finished the season first in total defense. Even though the Steelers may never admit it, the “old” part of Sapp’s statement rang very true, and they done something about it.

That 2011 opening 35-7 loss to Baltimore featured a defense that had seven players 30 or older and the average age of 31.1 years. The 2011 season was the pinnacle of the Steelers age on defense. No other time during had the defense been older.

Since then, the Steelers have progressively gotten younger while keeping the core of their No. 1-ranked defense intact, which isn’t very easy to do.

In fact, the “old” Steelers defense has been able to knock off a year every season and, if projections hold true for this year and into next, the Steelers will have gone from 31.1 years of age to 28.2 within a span of three offseasons without any glaring holes in the lineup and reduce their 30-year-olds on defense to as few as two in 2014 … or even less.

Below is a list of Week 1 starters on defense since 2011 with the 2013 and 2014 years being projected. With Brett Keisel and Ryan Clark in the final year of their deals in 2013 and with a backup seemingly in place to replace them, the 2014 projected defense leaves those two out. Now, the 2014 projection could get very young if the Steelers decide to move on without Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu and Larry Foote. Foote would likely be the best chance of the Steelers getting younger in 2014. I do have first-round pick Jarvis Jones starting in 2014 but not 2013, but the difference between the ages of Jones and Jason Worilds  is minimal anyways.

For all the criticism the Steelers front office  received over some of their recent poor drafts, they’ve done a pretty good job of getting younger in a hurry.

2011 Week 1 starting defense

DE – Aaron Smith (35)

NT – Casey Hampton (34)

DE – Brett Keisel (32)

LB – LaMarr Woodley (26)

LB – James Harrison (33)

LB – James Farrior (36)

LB – Lawrence Timmons (25)

CB – Bryant McFadden (29)

CB – Ike Taylor (31)

FS – Ryan Clark (31)

SS – Troy Polamalu (30)

Average age: 31.1 years

2012 Week 1 starting defense

DE – Ziggy Hood (25)

NT – Casey Hampton (35)

DE – Brett Keisel (33)

LB – LaMarr Woodley (27)

LB – *James Harrison (34)

LB – Larry Foote (32)

LB – Lawrence Timmons (26)

CB – Keenan Lewis (26)

CB – Ike Taylor (32)

FS – Ryan Clark (32)

SS – Troy Polamalu (31)

Average age: 30.3 years

*Injured but returned Week 4

2013 Projected Week 1 starting defense

DE – Ziggy Hood (26)

NT – Steve McLendon (27)

DE – Brett Keisel (34)

LB – LaMarr Woodley (28)

LB – Jason Worilds (25)

LB – Larry Foote (33)

LB – Lawrence Timmons (27)

CB – Cortez Allen (24)

CB – Ike Taylor (33)

FS – Ryan Clark (33)

SS – Troy Polamalu (32)

Average age: 29.3 years

2014 Projected Week 1 starting defense

DE – Ziggy Hood (27)

NT – Steve McLendon (28)

DE – Cameron Heyward (25)

LB – LaMarr Woodley (29)

LB – Jarvis Jones (24)

LB – Larry Foote (34)

LB – Lawrence Timmons (28)

CB – Cortez Allen (25)

CB – Ike Taylor (34)

FS – Shamarko Thomas (23)

SS – Troy Polamalu (33)

Average age: 28.2 years

Day 2 — the final day that the Steelers rookie camp is open to the media — started to reveal some players that have a legit shot of either making the 53-man roster, or at least being an option for the practice squad.

This is what I saw:

*Le’Veon Bell wasn’t able to show his power-running style during a pad-less practice, but the rookie second-round pick out of Michigan State sure showed his skill set. During a scramble, Oklahoma rookie quarterback Landry Jones flung the ball awkwardly in the flat to Bell, who plucked the ball out of the air with one hand. Later on, Bell showed some nimble feet when broke through the line of scrimmage and made a move on safety Andrew Taglianetti that almost broke the ankles of the rookie safety out of Pitt, who is on a three-day tryout with the Steelers. Very impressive so far, but let’s be honest here. He’s not being judged against NFL-caliber competition yet.

* It was yet another day of struggles for Jones. Now, his passes looked a little more crisp than Friday and he actually did complete a few during 7-on-7, but it also wasn’t pretty at times. Two passes in particular where awful by Jones. First, he tried to dump off a pass to diminutive USC running back Curtis McNeal after going through his progressions, but instead, he threw the ball right into the belly of WVU rookie linebacker Terrence Gavin for an easy score. Later on, Jones badly overthrew tight end Jamie McCoy across the middle that was intercepted by Pitt cornerback Jarred Holley. Like I said, it wasn’t all bad for Jones. He ran a couple designed waggles where he looked nimble, but again struggled with his accuracy. I know it hasn’t looked good for Jones in two days, but it has only been two days. He will get better, there is no doubt about that.

Tomlin said just about as much following the morning session: “It’s a work in progress. I like his attitude. He’s a good communicator, he’s a sharp guy in the classroom, but like all the others, he’s at the very beginning of his journey.”

* First-year cornerback Isaiah Green out of Fresno State might be somebody to look out for. He intercepted a pass from Purdue QB Caleb Terbush intended for UConn first-year receiver Kashif Moore. Green followed that up a few plays later with by breaking up a pass down field.

* Rookie right tackle Mike Golic Jr. is a little undersized but was pretty physical on Northern Illinois rookie linebacker Alan Baxter. Penn State and Shady Side Academy tackle Mike Farrell looks like he might have a shot as well. Speaking of Farrell, I had a chance to talk to him for a couple minutes and he told me that Bill O’Brien‘s pro-style offense last year at PSU has helped him out tremendously during rookie camp.

* Standing out were Syracuse safety and fourth-round pick Shamarko Thomas during gunner drills; Utah rookie receiver Reggie Dunn and his crazy speed; fifth-rounder Terry Hawthorne and his smoothness at right corner; and the power and potential of first-year linebacker Marshall McFadden.

That’s all I have for now. The Steelers have a session on Sunday then won’t reconvene until the start of voluntary OTAs May 21. But don’t fret, we will still have plenty of Steelers coverage at the Tribune-Review.

– By Mark Kaboly

The Steelers held a two-hour rookie mini-camp session on Friday that was open to players who have three or less credited games to their resume. (Check out video of Landry Jones talking to the media http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGu25r_ymSU)

Now, that left guys out like John Parker Wilson and Larod Stephens-Howling, but the Steelers were able to get a look at all of their draft picks, undrafted free agents and workout guys.

So here is what jumped out to me:

*First, Ben Roethlisberger was in the building. I just wanted to get that out of the way.

* Forty-one players participated in the first day of rookie camp.
* The Steelers had eight guys in for tryouts who took part in the camp — RB Ryan Clarke (WVU), LB Terrance Gavin (WVU), S DeShawn Grayson (UTEP), CB Isaiah Green (Fresno), CB Jarred Holley (Pitt), DT Antoine Hopkins (Virginia Tech), S Andrew Taglianetti (Pitt), QB Caleb Terbush (Purdue). Don’t look for any of them to be asked back.

* My initial thoughts with the group  players  on the field was this: Boy they are small. Now, maybe that’s because I am used to seeing mammoths like LaMarr Woodley and Ziggy Hood, so that’s to be expected. But still, first-round pick Jarvis Jones looked tremendously undersized especially compared to Woodley and Jason Worilds. Now, his speed, that’s just fine. Jones showed that off a couple times in getting around tackle Mike Farrell, but my goodness he needs to put on some girth. That goes for them all — Landry Jones, Markus Wheaton, Curtis McNeal, Reggie Dunn, and so on and so forth.

* Go ahead and keep calling Le’Veon Bell a big back. It just makes you look foolish because Bell isn’t anything near being a big back (when I think of big back I am thinking Jerome Bettis, Michael Turner, Isaac Redman, LaGarrett Blount, Brandon Jacobs, Steven Jackson). Bell is listed at 6-1, 244 but said he is more around 230 but you sure can’t tell that by the way he looks. Bell showed some of his nimble nature that he was known for in college during the first day, but please, please don’t call him a big back. To me, Bell looks like Matt Forte.

* Landry Jones doesn’t throw a good ball. Or at least he didn’t throw a good ball on this particular day, in my opinion. Caleb Turnbush, a rookie out of Purdue, threw a much better ball.

* I can see why John Mitchell was so excited about seventh-round pick Nick Williams. Sure, he is a little raw, but of all the people, he was the most physically mature guy out there.

* Safety Shamarko Thomas is going to be a stud. He just passes the eye test. Now, if we can just get him to stop saying “man” about 37 times during a five-minute interview … man. Just kidding. I talked to him for a while and he’s a nice kid with even a better story.

* The one draft pick that looks like he has it all is fifth-rounder Terry Hawthorne, a cornerback out of Illinois. He appears to be an early candidate for sticking to the 53-man roster come September.

* Who drew the biggest crowd Friday? Try new special teams coach Danny Smith. While Smith was going through special teams drills with the players with the enthusiasm you expect from a special teams coach, virtually the entire coaching staff gathered around to watch including Mike Tomlin, Keith Butler, Carnell Lake and Dick LeBeau.

* Markus Wheaton is a fast version of Antonio Brown.

*Curtis McNeal is small … wait, I already said that, but wow. He is small.

The Steelers will hold their second day of rookie camp/orientation on Saturday.

– Mark Kaboly

The Steelers used its first pick in the sixth round (186th overall) on former Penn State receiver Justin Brown, who played his senior year at Oklahoma.

The Steelers also drafted a receiver in the third round (Marcus Wheaton) making it the first time since 2010 when they drafted receivers in the third and sixth rounds (Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown.

The Steelers like Brown’s size — 6-3 — and his ability to be a possession-like receiver

Brown decided to transfer from Penn State after the NCAA imposed its penalty on the PSU football program.

“I think everything happens for a reason,” Brown said. “The things I learned at Penn State definitely helped me as far as my draft prospect as well as Oklahoma. I learned a lot from both schools.”

Brown caught 73 passes for 879 yards and five touchdowns at Oklahoma which was more than double that any of his previous two seasons at Penn State.

“I just feel really good about what I saw on tape,” Steelers receiver coach Richard Mann said. “He is a big guy. I think he has good toughness and I think that is a part of being a good receiver.”

Instant analysis: Brown gives the Steelers some added depth and needed height, but it’s hard to imagine that he will be anything more than a project for the Steelers.

The Steelers addressed yet another need in the fifth round when they drafted Illinois cornerback Terry Hawthorne with the 150th overall pick.

The Steelers lost Keenan Lewis in free agency and Cortez Allen is expected to replace him. Even though they did add William Gay via free agency, the Steelers are kind of thin at the position and went into the draft looking to bolster the position.

Hawthorne is a big, physical corner who can play press coverage. He was high on everybody’s draft board before the season but fell back in part because of a poor defense he played on with Illinois along with what defensive backs coach Carnell Lake said was poor technique.

“I have a chip on my shoulder. I thought I was better than the fifth round,” Hawthorne said. “It is really nothing I can control. I just leave it up to God.”

Hawthorne played in 44 games at Illinois, making 26 starts and collecting 163 tackles. He is also able to return kicks and punts.

“What I like about him is that he has a lot of upside,” Lake said. “I like his ability and with some real work, he can even better.”

Instant analysis: He does have a lot of upside giving  Hawthorne a chance to make the team with the likes of Ike Taylor, Allen, Gay, Curtis Brown, DeMarcus VanDyke and Josh Victorian, but he isn’t going to be an impact player.

The Steelers haven’t selected a quarterback as high as Landry Jones since they took Ben Roethlisberger with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft.

Jones marks just the third quarterback — Omar Jacobs and Dennis Dixon — since the Steelers selected Roethlisberger when they drafted the Oklahoma quarterback with the 115th pick (fourth round) on Saturday.

“I am going to come in and compete as hard as I can and try to win the job,” Jones said. “At the end of the day this is going to be a great opportunity for me whether I play quick or whether I have to sit and wait a couple years.”

The Steelers felt that they needed to get younger at the position and that’s what they accomplished over the past few months. They replaced 33-year-old Byron Leftwich and 38-year-old Charlie Batch with 24-year-old Jones and 30-year-old Bruce Gradkowski (signed as free agent).

“It was just time to start grooming a young player, to freshen up the room, if you will,” quarterback coach Randy Fichtner said. “This now gives Ben an opportunity to share his experiences and that’s an exciting time.”

When it comes to the Jones pick, that’s the only benefit I see in it is that they got younger.

A fourth round pick is a pretty hefty price to pay for a guy that you HOPE never plays. And if he does play, you are probably not going to be a contender for the Super Bowl anyways.

With a team that has so many needs like inside linebacker, tight end, corner and even another receiver, it feels like a wasted opportunity to address one of those needs with a quarterback in the fourth round.

To me, it would’ve made more sense to wait a year on the quarterback and use an influx of possible compensatory picks next year to be able to address a position that isn’t an immediate need.

Instant analysis: Wasted pick even if he does turn out to be good down the road. Other issues needed to be addressed before addressing a backup quarterback.

The Steelers were so enamored with Syracuse strong safety Shamarko Thomas that they were willing to give up a 2014 third-round pick in order to jump into the third round to draft him. With the Steelers likely to get a third-round compensatory pick next year for the loss of Mike Wallace, it made getting rid of next year’s pick more plausible.

Yes, it was another need pick with the loss of Will Allen and Ryan Mundy via free agency but another good need pick that provides the Steelers will some depth at safety.

The Steelers were in dire need of making the safety position younger and they were able to fill that with a guy who is so versatile enough that he covered USC receiver Robert Woods all over the field when Syracuse played them last year. Woods was taken in the seconds round by Buffalo.

“This guy loves to play football and his tape tells the story,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

Steelers defensive back coach Carnell Lake said that the 5-foot-9 frame of Thomas was the only reason he wasn’t selected earlier in the draft.

“In my opinion, if he was two inches taller he would’ve been in the first round,” Lake said. “He has size, he has speed, he has strength. He is very aware on the field. He cannot only play safety but he can play man-to-man on the slot receiver. He has played nickel and corner at times. He has not only going to do well for out secondary but special teams as well.”

Thomas will be able to get on the field early for the Steelers if not in the secondary but on special teams. Behind Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark, the Steelers have second-year guy Robert Golden and practice-squad player Damon Cromartie Smith.

Instant analysis: Good, solid pick.

I believe that exact quote from Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert went something like this:

“I don’t like to say we ‘need’ something more than we ‘want’ something,” Colbert said.

That’s nice and all but what happens when need and want intersect? Then you get what happened the first two days of the NFL Draft when it comes to the Steelers.

They needed … ah, wanted, an outside linebacker, a running back and a receiver and, wouldn’t you know, they got a outside linebacker (Jarvis Jones), a running back (Le’Veon Bell) and a receiver (Markus Wheaton) with their first three picks.

Surely the Steelers won’t admit drafting for need because that goes against their organizational philosophy, but you cannot deny the facts.

And really, it’s just fine that they did draft partly out of need because they needed a lot.

It is OK to draft for need if it is within reason (unlike the Buffalo Bills), and that’s what the Steelers did. Sure, they could’ve went with inside linebacker Arthur Brown instead of the running back in the second round, but the need was much more greater at running back. Arthur Brown won’t help you better your team in the upcoming year, but Bell very well could.

It’s not a true change in philosophy of how the Steelers went about their business in the first three rounds, but it is a philosophy that I truly believe needed to be done this year.

Remember, the Steelers didn’t NEED Rashard Mendenhall, Jason Worilds, Limas Sweed, Bruce Davis and all the others they took over the past couple years. They WANTED them … and how did that turn out?

And with the 17th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select …

Whoa, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We will find out who the Steelers will select in due time, but let me get you primed for what will be the Steelers most important draft since … well, since their last one.
I will be live blogging the NFL Draft from the Steelers’ South Side practice facility giving you the insight of the second most important war room in the city today — the media war room.

This is what you need to know before the draft starts:

What: The 2013 NFL Draft

Where: Radio Music City Hall, New York City

When: Today: Round 1 (8 p.m.); Friday: Rounds 2-3 (6:30 p.m.); Saturday: Rounds 4-7 (noon)

Steelers pick: 17th overall pick in the 1st round. They also have picks in the 2nd round (48th overall), 3rd (79th), 4th (115th), 5th (150th), 6th (186th), 6th (206th) and 7th (223rd)

Estimated time of Steelers’ first-round pick: 9:45 p.m.

Steelers biggest needs: Outside linebacker, safety, wide receiver, running back, tight end

TV: ESPN and NFL Network

Trib Total Media’s Steelers beat team has you covered

>> Ever wonder how the NFL Draft became such a big event? My story from a couple weeks back will tell you all you need to know … and much more … about how the draft became a much-watch TV show.

>> The Tribune-Review’s Steelers page

>> My mock draft from Thursday so you can use it to mock me when it goes awry.

>> Alan Robinson’s draft day preview

>> Ralph Paulk’s feature on the importance of drafting character guys.

>> And, of course, Dejan Kovacevic’s chat that covers a lot of draft topics.

What you will need to follow the NFL Draft

>> You can follow the NFL’s Draft Tracker so you don’t miss a pick

>> If you are curious of the Steelers all-time first-round picks.

>> The Steelers’ official website

>>  Twitter: @MarkKaboly_Trib, @ARobinson_Trib, @Dejan_Kovacevic, @RalphPaulk_Trib

Here we go:

8:02 p.m. — These drafts have sure changed a lot when it comes to media covering it since it went to prime time a couple years back. The “Media” war room used to be packed to the gills with reporters. Now, we have just a couple dozen.

Also, it wasn’t very long ago that a PR representative would come in and write every pick of the draft on pre-made board. Oh, it’s changed. We are about to start, but here is what the war room looks like.

8:16 p.m. — The Chiefs took their allotted time but decided to go with left tackle Eric Fisher out of Central Michigan. As some wiseguy in the media room just said, it is the highest draft pick ever for Central Michigan. Well, duh. I am surprised that it wasn’t LT Luke Joekel of Texas A&M but six of one, half dozen of the other. Oh, by the way, my mock draft is busted — 0-for-1. Ha!

8:24 p.m. — And there goes Luke Jokel to the Jaguars. Being a former (bad) offensive linemen myself, you just have to love the fatties going 1 and 2. Just think, last year at this time the 1-2 in the draft were Andrew Luck and RGIII. How quickly we have fallen.

8:35 p.m. — The Dolphins traded up nine sports to grab Oregon DL Dion Jordan. Very curious decision by the Dolphins there. By moving up nine picks, it cost the Dolphins a pretty penny — a second round pick. Not sure if it is worth jumping up to grab a guy like that especially when there are comparable players still on the board.

On the Steelers front, it’s pretty quiet here. I talked to Dick LeBeau briefly before the draft started, but everybody must be holed up in the war room waiting. We are looking like the Steelers pick isn’t going to be anywhere near 9:45 like I predicted.

8:42 p.m. — Philadelphia takes yet another left tackle with the selection of Lane Johnson. Johnson fits in perfectly with what the Eagles want to do with its offense under new coach Chip Kelly. Johnson is fast and the spread needs fast offensive linemen. What a red-letter date in fat-guy football history. I am getting all choked up. Four picks in the NFL draft and three OL. A tremendous day.

8:51 p.m. — Yet another ‘project” as the Lions select BYU DE Ziggy Ansah. Kind of strange for teams to take guys that have a lot of question marks like Ansah and Dion Jordan this high in the draft. The Lions would love to have a tackle, but, ironically, all the tackles were gone.

8:55 p.m. — The Browns continue this crazy first-round with the selection of Barkevious Mingo. Somebody who has to be worried right now is Geno Smith. Not many teams interested after Buffalo.

9:01 p.m. — And yet another offensive linemen gone with the Cardinals taking UNC guard Jonathan Cooper. I am kind of shocked that Bruce Arians didn’t take a flyer on Tavon Austin. Oh, by the way, 0-for-7 with my mock.

9:09 p.m. — The Rams move up from 16 to 8 to take WVU WR Tavon Austin. What an absolute great pick for the Rams. Can you imagine how fast this kid is going to be on turf 8 games a year. With the Bills moving back to 16, they will most definitely have their choice of quarterbacks — Geno Smith or Ryan Nassib.

9:11 p.m. — It is setting up nicely for the Steelers. I still think Jarvis Jones will be gone by 17, but I know truly believe that Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro will be around.

9:17 p.m. — Alabama CB Dee Milliner goes to the Jets. Yes, it makes a lot of sense with the loss of Darrelle Revis. In unrelated news, Trib columnist Dejan Kovacevic just let out a big sigh … Winnipeg is losing.

9:29 p.m. — What a glorious day for the offensive linemen of the world. Chance Warmack to the Titans make three tackles and two guards selected with the first 10 picks. The Chargers follow that up with yet another tackle in D.J. Fluker. This is wonderful. On the Steelers front, I have a feeling that Jarvis Jones is going to the Jets at 13 leaving Kenny Vaccaro their man.

9:38 p.m. — This strange draft continues. The Raiders actually made a pretty good trade moving back to 12 and getting arguably the best cornerback in the draft in D.J. Hayden.

9:47 p.m. — The Jets took all that time to take Sheldon Richardson? What in the world is going on with Shariff Floyd? He is falling fast, but not as fast as Geno Smith. If the Bills don’t take him at 16, somebody is going to have to trade back into the first or he isn’t going. Remember, the Pats sit at 28 and would love to add a pick or two by trading out. New England only has five picks this draft.

9:57 p.m. — Carolina gets DL Star Lotulelei and have to be happy about that. The Saints added Texas safety Kenny Vaccarro and with the Bills likely to take a quarterback, Jarvis Jones will likely be the Steelers pick at 17.

10:05 p.m. — The Bills select Florida State QB E.J. Manuel. Come on, don’t the Bills think they could’ve got him in the second round? BTW, only way Geno Smith goes in the first round now if Philly,

10:11 p.m. The Steelers select Georgia LB Jarvis Jones. They are ecstatic. Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin and Jones will talk now so I’ll be off the grid for a couple picks.

10:21 p.m. — Jarvis Jones just finished up his conference call with the media and Colbert and Tomlin just finished addressing the media. Colbert said that the organization was thrilled when Jones ran a 4.9 40-yard dash at the Combine because it gave the Steelers a chance to get him at 17 then.

Here are some quick comments from Jones, Colbert and Tomlin

Colbert: “We are very pleased to have a player like Jarvis Jones available for us at the 17th pick. He was one of the guys that I talked about the other day as being a special player in this draft. He is a solid kid, he is a great player. He was productive at a major college level. In fact, he has been dominant at the major college level. He plays the run, he chases the ball and most important, he gets after the passer.”

Tomlin: “It was a fun and easy evaluation. When you look at the outside linebackers in the 3-4 defenses generally there is some projection and so forth int he evaluation. This was an easy evaluation from that standpoint. He plays in a very similar scheme. It made it a fun evaluation and made it comfortable evaluation. He excelled in what they asked him to do and he will be asked to do similar things here.”

Jones: “James Harrison is a beast. I have a lot of work to do to get to James Harrison. The guy is powerful and has speed. He is a pro. I am trying to get the level to where he is at. I have a lot of work to do. He is a great player and I love the way he plays. I think we both play relentless and we both are passionate about this game. We are ball hogs and impact players. We made plays when they needed to be made.”

10:48 p.m.: Time to catch up with some picks. San Francisco traded up with Dallas at 18 and took LSU safety Eric Reid. The Giants took OT Justin Pugh; Chicago took guard Kyle Long; Cincinnati grabbed Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert; Atlanta moved up to take Desmond Trufant at No. 22 and the Vikings selected Florida DT Shariff Floyd at No. 23.

10:52 p.m.: All is quiet on the South Side. Mike Tomlin said “I’ll see you tomorrow” after his press conference so they aren’t interested in trading back into the first round. The first round continues with the Colts taking Germany native Bjoern Werner and the Vikings taking Xavier Rhodes.

11:34 p.m.: After a brief Popeye’s Chicken break down in the cafeteria, the biggest thing that happened was Bill Belichick shipping his 29th pick to Minnesota for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th round pick in which the Vikings used on Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. Thanks to Bill Belichick, it made the league honoring the victims in the Boston Marathon bombing a little awkward. Besides that, what a move by the Pats again. They had only five picks the entire draft — 1, 2, 3 and two 7s but now have eight picks.

11:43 p.m.: Here is the Jarvis Jones transcript:

Re: Confident that he wouldn’t fall past the 17^th pick:

I just had a great visit and I talked to Coach Tomlin at my pro day. I was very confident and they sounded pretty legit to me. He was talking about how he liked my game and how I could fit in right away, and do what I’m supposed to do. Just come in and play, they needed an outside linebacker. I’m just so happy to be a part of this organization. I know they have a great defense, and they always have been known for their defense. That’s something they take pride in and are very passionate about. I’m just so happy to be a part of this organization.

Re: Comparing himself to James Harrison:

I’ve got a lot of work to do to get to James Harrison. The guy is powerful, has speed and he is a pro. I’m trying to get on the level he’s at. I’ve got a lot of work to do. He’s one of the guys I look up to as far as trying to learn how to better my game and better my craft. He’s a great player, and I love him and the way he plays. As for me, how would I compare my game to his? I think we both play relentlessly. You can tell we’re both passionate about this game in the way we play. We’re ball hawks, we’re impact players and we make plays when they need to be made.

I know you have been working out with Ike Taylor the past couple months. What did he have to say about the Steelers organization to you?

Ike is one of my best mentors and we train together. He just talked about how great the program is and what their defense means up there. It means a whole lot. They take pride in what they do. Everybody knows the Steel Curtain. It’s their thing, the defense in Pittsburgh. I’m just so happy to work hard for this organization.

What, if any questions did the Steelers have for you about your health, and how did the doctors confidently convey to them that you thought you were good enough medically to be drafted this high?

They did not have any questions at all. I was fine at the combine. The doctor had cleared me. After I left the combine I was cleared. I did not have to go back to get re-checked. All that was over with. Everyone pretty much stopped questioning me about my spine.

Do you think your combine time cost you falling down in this draft?

At the end of the day, I don’t know. I think I just made a great fit with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I am loving it. The combine stuff is over with now. I’m in the zone right now, and I’m enjoying it. I’m just trying to stay on the positives and enjoy it and get to work.

11:45 p.m.: That’s it. And the Ravens close out the first round with safety Matt Elam. That means Manti Te’o and Geno Smith didn’t go in the first round.

OK, folks, that’s it. It was real but it is now time to go get some sleep and be back from the 5 p.m. press conference with Jarvis Jones.

P.S. I got only one right with my mock draft (Star Loutolelei to Carolina at 14) but Mel Kiper only got two right and he had Geno Smith going in the first 5 picks. I didn’t have Geno Smith going at all in the first round which gives me the win. Or at least in my mind.

The Steelers find themselves in a precarious position just a few days away from the NFL Draft.

The Steelers need running backs … bad.

However, they don’t have the money to get a veteran via free agency thus putting a tremendous burden of coming away with a handful ball carriers this weekend whether it is in the draft’s seven rounds or after the draft via the undrafted free agency market.

The Steelers currently have three running backs on the roster – Jonathan Dwyer, Isaac Redman, Baron Batch — which is not nearly enough. Last year, the Steelers started training camp with seven running backs –Redman, Dwyer, Batch, Chris Rainey, John Clay, Rashard Mendenhall (PUP list).

The year before that? Yup, seven running backs again. The year before that they had six running backs.

“Really, it depends on how the draft unfolds and what we do prior to the draft,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said on Monday. “Obviously, we have a number of days before the draft. Like Kevin (Colbert) has said numerous times, as have I, we’re interested in adding to this football team within all the avenues afforded to us within the system. Obviously, that’s free agency and the draft and we don’t lean one way or the other in terms of utilizing any of those vehicles.”

The Steelers would love to bring in a veteran and more established running back but just may not be able to.

They are only $600,000 under the salary cap, and even if you account the $5.5 million that will come the Steelers way on June 1 because of the release of Willie Colon, it still likely won’t be enough to entice a decent running back to town like an Ahmad Bradshaw.

“It’s not like we are going to hit the lottery (with the June 1 $5.5 million),” Colbert said. “We still have to compensate for these draft picks. The eight draft picks will start to count against the cap once they are signed. That’s all part of the money that we will pick up in June. There is still potential to sign a veteran free agent here or there depending on how we come out of this draft. We have to be ready to add a player if we think they can help us.”

Take in account that Colbert likes to hold back a little more than a million dollar in case of an emergency and the Steelers must add multiple running backs by the end of the week.

Knowing that, it looks like that Dwyer and Redman will be your running backs again this year. And if both stay healthy, that might not be a bad thing.