2002 Steelers Draft Charge
Get Better Now
By Jerry DiPaola

Clearly, something was missing. Trouble was, no one knew it until it was too late.

That's where the draft comes in.

In most respects, the 2001 Steelers' season was a remarkable success.

After missing the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, they compiled their best regular-season record (13-3) since 1978, advanced to another AFC Championship game and displayed the brand of talent, preparedness and determination that every winning organization needs to succeed in the NFL.

Coach Bill Cowher left the season bloodied from another title game defeat ­ that makes three in four tries - but bursting with pride for a job well done by everyone involved.

In fact, he praised everyone that walks through the doors of the Steelers' UPMC Sports Performance Complex, forgetting only the media (surely just an oversight).

"The organization, the coaching staff, the players, the openness, the unselfishness, the consistency that we played at this year, the way the organization worked as one," Cowher said, "in many respects is the healthiest that I have ever been involved with since I entered the league in 1980."

It was a great season, but decidedly unfulfilling, and the Steelers will attempt to make 2002 even better, when the NFL holds its annual selection meeting April 20-21.

The Steelers return 22 of 24 starters, with the only exceptions being fullback Jon Witman (who shared the position with Dan Kreider, anyway) and inside linebacker Earl Holmes.

Still, there are holes that must be addressed. With the Steelers drafting 30th, it will be difficult, but not impossible, to find quality players to provide immediate help.

Look at this impressive list of players drafted by the Steelers following previous conference championship game appearances in 1995, 1996 and 1998.

Picking 27th in 1995, they plucked tight end Mark Bruener, quarterback Kordell Stewart and strong safety Lee Flowers - valuable pieces to the Steelers' puzzle now and in the future.

A year later, fresh from a loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX, the Steelers managed to find four players who became starters, even though they chose 29th in the first round and in that immediate area in subsequent rounds. They were: Witman, Holmes, defensive end Orpheus Roye and outside linebacker Carlos Emmons.

Then, in 1998, the Steelers couldn't draft until No. 26, but they found Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca and Pro Bowl wide receiver Hines Ward in the bottom of the first and third rounds.

The challenge is finding similar players, because the constant player movement created by free agency always places a premium on the draft.

The most apparent and crucial need is linebacker where Holmes and outside linebacker Joey Porter reached the end of their contracts last year, with little quality depth on the bench. The Steelers attempted to fill the holes in free agency, hoping a veteran would pick up the team's complicated defensive schemes quicker than a rookie, but teams are built in the draft and using a fairly high pick on a linebacker is almost a foregone conclusion. However, it's a good thing the Steelers committed to outside linebacker Jason Gildon for six years and $23 million. This year's crop of collegiate linebackers is the weakest in years. In fact, linebacker is the most shallow position in the draft and this could be the first year since 1973 that none are taken in the first round.

That won't stop the Steelers from going after the best, possibly Napoleon Harris of Northwestern, a 6-3, 245-pound outside linebacker with 4.56 speed.

But Harris might be the only linebacker worthy of a first-round pick, and the Steelers won't reach for him or any linebacker. Why should they? There are enough other areas to be considered.

The need is just as acute at safety and cornerback, and there are a good group of players at both positions. The Steelers need backup help at cornerback, and also must think about safety where starters Lee Flowers, 29, and Brent Alexander, 30, have reached the midway points in their careers. Also, Flowers' contract expires after the 2002 season.

Miami (Fla.) cornerback Mike Rumph has the size, 6-2, 190, the Steelers like, and he could be available when they draft in the first round. There is a huge gap between the two best safeties­Roy Williams of Oklahoma and Edward Reed of Miami ­ and everyone else, but there will be quality available when the Steelers make their second-round pick.

In any case, with so many good defensive backs expected to go in the first three rounds, the Steelers must pluck at least one of them. They passed on Ohio State cornerback Nate Clements last year to choose nose tackle Casey Hampton, a move that worked out even though Clements looks to be a future star with the Buffalo Bills. Hampton played well as a starter in his rookie season, but the Steelers still need to replenish their depth in the secondary.

The Steelers also must think about finding a wide receiver ­ maybe even that elusive deep threat ­ to push Troy Edwards for playing time or replace Bobby Shaw, who entered the off-season without a contract. Behind starters Ward and Plaxico Burress, the only wide receivers with contracts for 2002 are Edwards and untested Lenzie Jackson and Demetrius Brown. The Steelers would be wise to address the wide receiver position with a pick no later than the third or fourth round.

Other areas of need include fullback, where there is no backup to Kreider, and offensive line, where the team is always looking for depth.

The Steelers drafted tackle Mathias Nkwenti and center Chukky Okobi last year, but the Cleveland Browns' offer sheet to Oliver Ross makes finding additional young offensive linemen essential.

The Steelers probably can survive without drafting a tight end ­ although their failed attempt to sign Dave Moore from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers indicates that they will look closely at another backup.

With three veteran running backs ­ Jerome Bettis, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala and Amos Zereoue ­ the Steelers don't need to grab one early. But if they have any concern about the ability of Fuamatu-Ma'afala or Zereoue to replace Bettis after he retires, they should consider another prospect.

Bettis, 30, is coming off hip and groin injuries that forced him to miss six games at the end of the season, and he may not play past 2003.

And, of course, the quarterback position is an interesting point of conversation. Stewart enjoyed a Pro Bowl year and he is signed through 2003,and backup Tommy Maddox has a crucial year's experience in offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey's system. The Steelers can hold off drafting a quarterback until the later rounds or possibly sign an undrafted rookie.

Jerry DiPaola is a sports writer with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review