NFL Draft thoughts

Wow, it's such a beautiful day outside ... but I'm going to spend it in my living room watching the NFL Draft. That's America, baby.

The Steelers, of course, are picking at No. 32 this year, and I decided to offer some thoughts on what their top needs are heading into the draft.

1. Tackle -- Willie Colon is average at best and would probably make a better guard, and Max Starks, while decent, is still being overpaid with the franchise tag, and if the Steelers do draft a tackle, maybe they could let Starks go after this year. Or, at least they would have more leverage in negotiations. The depth isn't that great either, even though I always thought Trai Essex deserved more of a chance.

2. Defensive Line -- Whether it's a nose tackle or a defensive end, the Steelers could use both. The defensive line is getting old with none of the starters below 30 years old. They have had great production, but you have to be concerned that the dropoff could be coming soon. I think we saw it a little bit with Casey Hampton this year.

3. Cornerback -- The Steelers' cornerback situation is still pretty good, even with the loss of Bryant McFadden. William Gay is going to be a star, and they did sign Keiwan Ratliff, who ... didn't always start for the Bengals. Hmmmm. You still can never have enough corners and Deshea Townsend isn't getting younger.

Almost every mock draft I see has the Steelers taking a center in the first round, either Max Unger or Alex Mack. I don't buy it. The center position is actually really great this year (Eric Wood from Louisville is also a top option, A.Q. Shipley could be late-round steal), and I think the Steelers will address center later on in the draft. Plus, if the Steelers take a tackle in the first round, I think it could create a chain reaction that leads to Darnell Stapleton playing center, which is allegedly his best position.

If I had to make predictions on who the Steelers will draft, I will say they take UConn tackle William Beatty in the first round. He's a very solid prospect who does everything very well, but not necessarily anything great. He also has great character and just sounds like a Steelers guy. (By the way, UConn might have THREE! guys taken in the first round.) In the second round, I'm going to go with a little bit of a surprise and say they take defensive end Jarron Gilbert from San Jose State. I don't know much about the guy, but from my understanding, he's a prototypical 3-4 defensive end with a lot of skill, but sometimes takes some plays off. I don't think he'll be doing anything like that on the Steelers defense.

If the Steelers go cornerback in the first round, I really think they should take Alphonso Smith out of Wake Forest. The knock on him is a lack of size, but I have seen him dominate in some games, including an ACC championship game against Georgia Tech in which the Demon Deacons absolutely shut down Calvin Johnson. I think Smith is going to be a star.

If the Steelers hadn't already drafted Dennis Dixon last year, I would've liked to see them take a shot on Nate Davis from Ball State. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being the best quarterback out of this draft because I'm not convinced that any of the first-round quarterbacks will be any good.