2012 POD Mock Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers Select Mark Barron

by Sean Yuille on Apr 10, 2012 9:00 PM EDT in NFL Draft

With the 24th pick of Pride of Detroit's 2012 NFL mock draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Alabama safety Mark Barron. Northern Lite is serving as the Steelers' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.


My final decision for the Steelers pick at No. 24 came down to two excellent choices: Mark Barron and Dont'a Hightower, both of the esteemed Alabama defense. Now, really I was hoping that Dontari Poe would be undervalued in our draft and would fall to the Steelers pick, but that was a pipe dream. After Poe on my big board came the offensive linemen like Jonathan Martin and the giant Cordy Glenn. With none of these players falling into my lap I was left with a far more difficult decision.



I chose between two superstar talents from one of the most dominant defenses in college football. Faced with this predicament, I did what any good GM should do. I went with the best player available. Mark Barron is found in the top 15 in many experts' mock drafts, while the same could not be said of Dont'a Hightower. With the NFL becoming a pass happy league, the value of safeties has increased almost exponentially. Pittsburgh already has two great starting safeties in Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark, but both are over 30. They need to get another safety in immediately to start learning this defense.

Now, I do realize that they have a bigger hole in their LB corps that needs to be addressed, but I believe that this can come later on in the draft or in FA. Quite simply, Mark Barron is the No. 1-ranked safety on EVERYONE'S board and that alone should put him ahead of Hightower. I am not a die-hard Steelers fan, but it will be a long, long time before I forget what Tim Tebow did to them in the playoffs this year. (Sorry, Steeler fans.)

At 6'2" and 218 lbs., Mark Barron is the prototypical safety. He has the size and frame you look for, long enough to cover big WRs and TEs, while still being able to step into the box and stuff the run. Averaging a mid-4.5-second 40-yard dash, Barron also has plenty of speed to cover open space.

(read more)http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2012/4/10/2939750/2012-nfl-mock-draft-pittsburgh-steelers-mark-barron



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i'll be Xtremelly happy if we get this guy

Brandon Hardin FS Oregon State


Hardin, a defensive back, lost his senior year due to a left shoulder injury suffered in practice. Before the injury, he was considered as high as a third- or fourth-round draft pick, but slipped into the sixth or seventh realm after the injury. Shoulder surgery repaired the damage, and he sat out his senior season to recover and train. Hardin played in the East-West Shrine Game in January to prove he could still play. "What I've been told, I have the potential to move myself up (in the draft)," Hardin said. "I just need my foot in the door and I'll impress them." Pro day was important to have a 40-yard dash time recorded and bench press as much as possible to prove the shoulder has healed. Hardin ran 4.40 and 4.36 seconds in the 40 and benched 225 pounds 24 times. Before the injury he benched that weight 21 times. "I showed I have speed and strength and versatility," Hardin said. "(The scouts) knew I was fast, but this was the first time I had a really solid time (recorded). And I proved the shoulder is healthy with the bench." - Oregon State football



Big strong and fast might be a good pick later in the draft.


http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1724658/brandon-hardin

03/14/2012 - Penn State Pro Day: Cornerback Chaz Powell (6-1, 207) ran a 40-yard dash in the 4.4 range and broad-jumped 10-3, improving his NFL combine stats in both categories. Powell talked with scouts about the transformation he made from wide receiver to defensive back and was told he could play corner or safety in the NFL. He said pro day was "a walk in the park" compared to the stress of the combine but was confident about his chances in the draft. "It's been a great experience," he said. "The next level is tough to make and only the strong survive. I feel like if I stay focused keep working, stay out of trouble, anything can happen." - Jeff Reynolds, NFLDraftScout.com

WR to DB could be a late round free agent project pick up has the size and speed to play corner or safety.


http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1272617/chaz-powell