Safety is No. 2 on Steelers list
Mitchell, who is scheduled to count $8,135,000 against the cap in 2018. But they are not locked into whether they take a strong safety or free safety because it’s possible they will move Sean Davis into Mitchell’s spot to take advantage of his ability to cover more ground.
If the Steelers don’t take an inside linebacker in the first round, which is their intention, then it’s likely safety would be the area they would target with the 28th overall pick.
The top safeties in the draft are Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick (6 feet, 204 pounds), who could be a top-five pick, and Derwin James of Florida State (6-1, 215), who didn’t hurt his stock Monday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis when he twice ran 4.48 in the 40-yard dash.
“He and Derwin James are special talents,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said of Fitzpatrick.
Neither of those players will be on the board for the Steelers, but Ronnie Harrison, Fitzpatrick’s teammate at Alabama, could be.
The Steelers met formally and informally with Harrison (6-2, 207) at the combine. Several mock drafts have the Steelers taking him with their first pick.
Harrison had 174 tackles, 17 passes defensed and 7 interceptions in three seasons with the Crimson Tide. Curiously, his only interception return for a touchdown (58 yards) came against Josh Dobbs in a victory against Tennessee in 2016.
Harrison, who said he doesn’t celebrate any of his big hits of the field because “that’s what I’m supposed to do,” did a small end-zone celebration after that touchdown.
“I did a little dance at the end, a little one, so coach [Nick] Saban didn’t see it,” Harrison said. “I don’t think he really likes celebrating that much so I try not to do it too much.”
Unlike Fitzpatrick, who also is being looked at as a cornerback, Harrison is all safety, a thumper who also can run. But he said it doesn’t matter if he plays down in the box as a strong safety or a deep center fielder at free safety.
Some of the other top safety prospects who could be available to the Steelers are DeShon Elliott of Texas (6-⅞, 210), Stanford’s Justin Reid, who helped his draft stock Monday when he ran a 4.40; and Virginia’s Quin Blanding (6-2, 207), who lacks top-end speed after running a 4.64.
“The game is more spread out,” San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, a former Pro Bowl safety, said about defensive backs at the combine. “They throw the football much more. It’s played much more in space, so you better have players who can operate in space and who can do a number of different things.”
A point of emphasis for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Keith Butler this offseason will be finding players who are fundamentally strong in tackling. The Steelers think a lot of the big plays they yielded in 2017 — 10 of at least 50 yards, tied for most in the league — were a result of poor tackling.
One of the best tackling safeties in the draft is Penn State’s Marcus Allen, who has a Pittsburgh connection. His father grew up in Homewood and was childhood friend with Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin of Pitt.
“It all goes back to little league,” said Allen (6-2, 215), who had 262 tackles his final three seasons at Penn State.
“My father always taught me how to tackle. He always told me to keep my head up, have a wide base and keep your arms open. Just get the man down. Especially at Penn State, [we] harped on tackling a lot. We go through drills, hunger drills, all the time.”
The most surprising safety at the combine was Allen’s teammate, Troy Apke, who ran the fastest 40-time at his positon — 4.34. Apke was the WPIAL’s 100-meter champion when he was at Mt. Lebanon High School. Curiously, NFL scouts say Apke lacks range and list him as nothing more than a late-round pick, but his time could change that.