PITTSBURGH -- A number of underclassmen who figure to be high picks have declared for the 2014 NFL draft, and one in particular should intrigue the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Allen Robinson needed just two seasons to rewrite the receiving part of Penn State’s record books, and there is a lot to like about him for a team that might make wide receiver a priority in the draft.
Robinson has been incredibly productive -- he caught 97 passes for 1,432 yards in 2013 despite playing with a true freshman at quarterback and regularly facing double coverage -- and has good size and ball skills. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is also athletic enough that he could have played basketball at a Division I school had he taken that route.
What should really put Robinson on the Steelers’ radar: he could be available when they make their second-round pick.
He has been projected to go anywhere from the first to the third round, and my guess is that Robinson is selected in the second round as I think questions could be raised about his speed -- or at least enough of them to drop him into the second round.
I think the only way the Steelers go offense with the 15th overall pick of the draft is if there is a left tackle prospect they feel they cannot afford to pass on, or if there is a transcendent wide receiver that gives quarterback Ben Roethlisberger the big downfield target he has long coveted.
Other than that, I think the Steelers take a playmaker on defense, whether it is for the back end of their secondary, their linebacking corps, or a nose tackle who fits the prototype more than incumbent Steve McLendon does.
Assuming they don’t take a wide receiver in the first round for the first time since Plaxico Burress in 2000, the Steelers could seriously be in play for one in the second round.
Emmanuel Sanders is, at best, 50-50 to return next season , and if he signs elsewhere the Steelers should bring in a taller wide receiver or give 6-foot-5, 210-pound Derek Moye a serious look there.
There is a lot to like about Robinson, who is already polished as a receiver, but doesn’t turn 21 until next August and still has plenty of upside.
General manager Kevin Colbert said the Steelers do extra homework on NFL prospects in their backyard, so they don’t miss on a player who is right in front of them. You can bet Colbert and the Steelers coaches and scouts will take plenty of interest in Robinson, as they should.