A Blooming Romance?

ESPN reported this afternoon that the Steelers are interested in Jeremy Bloom, the shrimpy Colorado WR/KR who lost his NCAA eligibility by skiing while endorsed. Mel Kiper suggested that the Steelers might find themselves maneuvering with the Broncos to draft Bloom in--get this--the third round. Earlier projections had Bloom landing in the second half of the second day.

If indeed the Steelers move on Bloom in round 3 (perhaps even trading ahead of the Broncos?), it wouldn't be unprecedented. Last year, the Steelers used their third-round pick on Trai Essex, who most assumed would be around for them on the second day. The team has often been less interested in getting great value than it has in picking a particular player.

Listed Numbers

Stillers.com is perhaps the best fan-run Steelers site on the net. They have what no one else could provide: a list of the Steelers' pre-draft invitees. Notable: many DBs, no DEs. The list is incomplete (24 of the 30 allowed), but still. Among those on the list who are potential picks at #32: Bobby Carpenter, Donte Whitner, Jason Allen, Nick Mangold, Chad Jackson, LenDale White, and Joseph Addai. Many of these (Whitner, Jackson, White, and Allen) will likely be gone by the time the Steelers pick. But it's obvious that the Steelers are willing to trade up (no way they make 10 draft picks), and so perhaps they are measuring the field for a possible jump.

For more, much more, see stillers.com.

Addendum

Two reports surfaced today about other prospects visiting the Steelers: Jeremy Bloom, the tiny, speedy WR/KR/mogul skier, and Ko Simpson. Simpson, a young safety from South Carolina, is someone the Steelers might target in the early rounds. Bloom is a late-round pick, at best.

The Silent Treatment

Recently, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a couple articles about the draft prospects visiting Rams Park this month. While the team didn't release the information, the paper was able to uncover roughly two-thirds of the visitors' names through back channels. (Of course, who knows how much of that information was strategically released by the team in a bit of pre-draft subterfuge?)

No such reporting has been done about the Steelers. The Post-Gazette reported recently that the Steelers are in the process of entertaining 30 or so prospects, but only one name was included: LenDale White. White's PR tour has been well-publicized, and his presence in Pittsburgh could be no surprise, really. Two other names have been linked to the Steelers: UCLA RB Maurice Drew (who wrote of visiting the Steelers in his ESPN diary), and Penn State WR/Special teamer Ethan Kilmer. Kilmer is 6' 205#; he caught 15 passes in 2005, including 6 in the Orange Bowl win over FSU.

So: a fat back, a scat back, and a Sean Morey clone? Oh, the anticipation!

Fat Boy

LenDale White's subpar (pathetic?) demonstration in the off-season has people talking about a potential (and precipitous) drop in his draft status. While White was once a sexy pick to go to Arizona at #10 (this was before the James signing--remember "LenDale to Glendale"?), many pundits see him dropping to the bottom of the first round.

And who sits at the bottom of the first round? The Steelers, of course. A quick browse of several recent online mock drafts revealed that many feel that White will be the Steelers' pick at #32. But it won't happen. Let me explain why.

1. The Steelers already have three running backs. Parker and Staley will compete to start, while Haynes will continue to play on 3rd downs. Remember that Staley was deactivated for most games after he got healthy last year. Four running backs are one too many. The Steelers will be looking for someone to develop; RB isn't a first day pick, let alone a first round pick.

2. LenDale is fat and lazy. Reports from USC's pro day indicate that White's fattitude (that's right, I said "fattitude") has lessened his appeal to many teams, despite his talent. And how do the Steelers feel about selfish, immature players? Ask Plaxico Burress.

3. Other needs: wide receiver, safety, a backup OLB. Any one of these would be preferable to the Fat Boy.

So there.