Apr 30, 2016 4 min read

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We now have two days and three rounds of the draft in the books and the Steelers have filled their glaring needs. Now the fun begins.

In safety Sean Davis and nose tackle Javon Hargrave, the Steelers picked up another valuable piece to add to their secondary and a chess piece to use on their defensive line.

Now, in the final four rounds of the draft, the Steelers can pretty much take the best value picks remaining.

That could be a quarterback such as Connor Cook or Cardale Jones, an edge rusher such as Josh Perry or James Cowser, a running back such as Tyler Ervin, another defensive back such as Jalen Mills, a receiver such as Pharoh Cooper, or even another defensive or offensive linemen.

It’s all there because the team filled its needs.

While I question the pick of a project cornerback in the first round – Artie Burns – his athleticism is special. Two years down the road, he has the talent to be the best corner taken in this draft class.

And in Davis, the Steelers got a safety who also has played corner and has the size and speed to run with any of the big tight ends in the league.

Hargrave, however, was my favorite pick. This was a kid I had targeted as a Day 2 pick for the Steelers. And once some of the tackles started falling, it became apparent the Steelers would have a chance to get him. This kid is a high-intensity pass rushing nose tackle who will be immediate help as a pass rusher in the nickel defense spelling Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt.

That was needed.

And it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s starting early this season as the team’s nose tackle or at least in a heavy rotation with Daniel McCullers, just as it wouldn’t shock me to see Davis starting at some point this season.

I don’t care what level of football you played. When you get nearly 40 career sacks, you can rush the passer.

And legit 300-pounders who run sub 5.0 40s and also possess a 34-inch vertical are special athletes. This kid has perhaps the best first step of any defensive tackle in this draft. He was a steal in the third round.

I realize Andrew Billings was still on the board. But he apparently has a knee issue that has now pushed him into the fourth round. That’s too bad for Billings. But the Steelers got a solid football player in Hargrave.

Some are killing the Steelers for passing on safety Vonn Bell and Billings to take Davis and Hargrave. But the fact is, just as when they passed on Mackensie Alexander in the first round to take Burns, they stuck with their rankings, not those of some guy sitting in his basement breaking down tape or reading what somebody else wrote and going off of that.

Davis and Hargrave are guys who can help right now. And the Steelers had good grades on them. Things couldn’t have worked out any better.

It makes up for taking a player such as Burns who likely won’t do much more than be a special teams player in his first season. The upside potential is there for Burns. But he’s far from a finished product.

But Davis and Hargrave are a lot closer to being what the Steelers will need out of them to play the positions for which they were drafted.

It will make for an interesting third draft day for the Steelers, who I believe helped themselves tremendously on Friday.