Jonathan Stewart is off the board. Branden Albert is long gone. Even Gosder Cherlius and Jeff Otah, the Steelers' fall-back picks have already gotten phone calls from their new coaches.So with running back and offensive tackle no longer logical options, Pittsburgh faces a choice. They can trade down and pick up some more picks or they can stick here and take either a corner or a defensive end. The best bet is to trade down, if they can find a trade partner--trading down seems easy this year with teams bouncing up and down all through the first round. If they do, Sam Baker and Brandon Flowers could still be there in the early second round.
But if they can't, every indication is that Kentwan Balmer, the defensive end from North Carolina, will be the pick. Balmer will likely not start anytime in the near future, but he will give the Steelers three defensive ends who can all play 60-65 percent of the snaps while staying fresh. It's not the sexiest pick, but it seems like the most likely.
The other options are to take a cornerback with Mike Jenkins, Brandon Flowers, Aqib Talib (character issues) still on the board with only three picks to go to Pittsburgh's spot. And there are plenty of wide receivers, including Devin Thomas and Limas Sweed.
