Cannon Firing Line
Finding Value - Unexpectedly
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher

The post-mortems continue to roll in after another NFL Draft and there's no place like home when it comes to that.

Indeed, the only thing that rivals the pre-draft chatter in Pittsburgh is that which follows, and this time with better reason than in other years.

Most of the conversation since the draft has focused selecting offensive skill players in the first two rounds rather than rather the anticipated offensive and defensive linemen.

The Steelers selected Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed because they would have been nuts to have passed on them. They followed their draft board, the one that assigns value and grades, and found themselves with two chances they didn't expect, so they pulled the trigger.

If that means they didn't take a lineman who would take two or three years to develop, but who fit a need and was slotted more in that range of the draft, the Steelers were more than happy to do so.

That's because both are playmakers, or certainly potential playmakers. The Steelers are gambling, like a lot of teams in the NFL, that they are not that far away from going places, including deeper than last season. Basically, the club feels they have enough infrastructure, if you will, with their core group to be good. Indeed, if that core remains healthy and can just grade out as well, the feeling is they've just added two skill players who can take them to a level they weren't expecting.

The veterans know that and are convinced they are good enough to surprise people this season. Adding players with tall upsides who can help now excites that core, something that should not be understated.

That's the analysis - and risk. Because the Steelers signed reserve vets on the defensive line and Justin Hartwig, they at least gave themselves the safety net to go away from need if things unexpectedly broke their way early, which they did.

So the Steelers believe they are close enough to take that chance, one that will be potentially heightened a year from now when those defensive linemen will be that much older and possibly a host of free agents on the offensive line.

But it's also about right now in the NFL, particularly with the Steelers' upcoming schedule, when they will need all the playmakers they can get.

Besides, Mendenhall and Sweed are skill players. If the Steelers are right, they can certainly contribute, even as rookies. Quality players at their positions are more likely to do that than those in units or schemes that require much more integration. That's less so at running back and receiver.

Along, the way, they're feeding the $100 million quarterback. And, for better or worse, the Steelers likely took away the long-term second guessing. Passing on Mendenhall and Sweed would have been something they would have been reminded of endlessly.

Not now.

"Ellis Cannon's Sportsline Pittsburgh" airs weeknights from 6-8 p.m. on FM Newstalk 104.7. Ellis is also a regular contributor on "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 p.m. on KDKA-TV.