4. 2012 David DeCastro (24) OG Stanford
DeCastro was expected to go higher in the 2012 draft, but fell to the Steelers with the 24th pick in the first round. He was the first offensive guard taken in the first round by the Steelers since Kendall Simmons in 2002. He was expected to have a big impact on a line that was struggling, but in the third preseason game against the Bills, he injured both his right ACL and MCL. He returned that November and has been solid on the line ever since. A good player, not great but worth the first-round pick.
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Pingback: Ranking The Eight Steelers First-Round Draft Picks Under Mike Tomlin | Sports Feedr
Mario
April 29, 2015 at 8:38 pm
Nothing spectacular. Shows Tomlin should let Cowher pick for him this year!
DrGeorge
April 30, 2015 at 8:56 am
Timmons and Heyward are the real deal; DeCastro is solid if not spectacular; Shazier excels when he’s healthy; Pouncey ends up in Ben R’s lap too often to be the best center in the NFL, especially since his knee surgery, but he is serviceable. Hood was for all practical purposes a second round pick and a mistake, and Jarvis Jones and Mendenhall are journeymen talents.
Yet, over all, Tomlin’s picks haven’t been remarkably worse than many other NFL coaches. If Tomlin has a fault, it is not his picks per se, but his tendency to become emotionally invested in his picks and continue to start them when other players are clearly better. Hood, Mendenhall and Pouncey are in this category. Jarvis Jones probably is too; he shows no flashes of brilliance even when healthy; but his frequent injuries make it difficult to assess his true abilities at this level, and he deserves another season to prove himself.