Jerry DiPaola's
Position Evaluations
By Jerry DiPaola

Quarterback: B
The 49ers need a young quarterback, but it might be too much of a risk to spend their overall No. 1 on Cal's Aaron Rodgers or Utah's Alex Smith. Rodgers might be ready to play sooner than Smith. Good value in later rounds, especially with former Pitt assistant J.D. Brookhart's star pupil, Charlie Frye of Akron.

Running back: A
A deep crop. Auburn's Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown and Texas' Cedric Benson will be gone early. First-day prospects include Minnesota's Marion Barber and two Steelers-type backs, Louisville's Eric Shelton and WVU's Kay-Jay Harris, both bruisers with speed. IUP's Mike Jemison could be a sleeper.

Wide receiver: A
A lot of first-round talent. With Michigan's Braylon Edwards and USC's Mike Williams likely top-15 picks, the Steelers might have their choice of South Carolina's Troy Williamson, Oklahoma's Mark Clayton or UAB's Roddy White.

Offensive line: B
Tackles Alex Barron of Florida State, Khalif Barnes of Washington and Jammal Brown of Oklahoma will catch many eyes as the first round progresses into the late afternoon. Pitt's Rob Petitti is a first-day prospect, but isn't as mobile as NFL scouts like. Elton Brown of Virginia has a chance to be the first guard taken in the first round since the Steelers' Kendall Simmons in 2002. Center is deep, with Michigan's David Baas, Ole Miss's Chris Spencer, LSU's Ben Wilkerson and North Carolina's Jason Brown.

Tight end: C
Steelers' fans think it's time to draft a pass-catching tight end, but what the team really needs is someone who can block like Mark Bruener in his prime. Heath Miller of Virginia has a chance to be both.

Defensive back: B-
Teams needing a corner should be happy to get West Virginia's Pac-Man Jones, Miami's Antrel Rolle or Auburn's Carlos Rogers. Thomas Davis of Georgia is the best safety and one of the top defensive players.

Linebacker: C
The best defensive player available might be Derrick Johnson of Texas, a play-making, sideline-to-sideline OLB. He needs to learn to play the run, but he is excellent in backside pursuit. Maryland OLB Shawne Merriman has a nasty streak and is bigger than Johnson, but has trouble in pass coverage.

Defensive line: B
No shortage of top ends, but many of them are under-sized for the Steelers' system. The best are Wisconsin's Erasmus James, Oklahoma's Dan Cody, Georgia's David Pollack, Iowa's Matt Roth, LSU's Marcus Spears and USC's Shaun Cody. The best tackle appears to be Florida State's Travis Johnson.