The Steelers look at this draft as the deepest in talent in thirty years, and the teams that stand out in the draft will be those who cash in on third and fourth round talent. With defensive secondary options plentiful, there's talk about the Steelers grabbing a plum inside linebacker (either CJ Mosley of Alabama or Chris Borland of Wisconsin should be available in Round 1. There are reports that they are also interested in USC WR Marquise Lee and NT Louis Nix of Notre Dame. Much of the Steelers' defensive success over the decades revolved around a strong NT, who ate up linemen and allowing athletic linebackers to make big plays.

The Steelers think that either or both safeties Ha Ha Clinton-Dix of Ala or Calvin Pryor of Louisville may be worth taking in the first round. Polamalu is in the final year of his contract, but the Steelers are confident that Shakaro Thomas will take over as strong safety, but Ryan Clark is a free agent, so they either have to draft a player to step in as a rookie or grab another free agent as a temporary fill.