2014 NFL Draft: Steelers reportedly targeting Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans
By Matt Shetler
It appears more and more likely that the Pittsburgh Steelers will look to add a tall wide receiver in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft in May.
I have touched on this fact a few times already and I don’t disagree with the strategy, although I’m not so sure the two guys the Steelers have eyes on will be available when the team is on the clock with the No. 15 overall pick.
Nov 2, 2013; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Mike Evans (13) warms up before a game against the UTEP Miners at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Gerry Dulac noted in an interview with Bleacher Report’s Adam Lefkoe that the Steelers have their eyes on both Clemson’s Sammy Watkins and Texas A&M’s Mike Evans.
Dulac also notes that Emmanuel Sanders is all but gone, something I also touched on yesterday.
If the Steelers could get their hands on either guy it’s a no-brainer, but I have a hard time believing either will be on the board.
Does that mean Kevin Colbert will look to trade up in the draft to get Ben Roethlisberger the weapon he needs?
It’s possible, but the Steelers are already without a third-round pick in this draft so any deal would likely have to include picks in next year’s draft.
There’s no chance that the Steelers will get a shot at Watkins, who will likely be off the board within the first eight picks.
Evans on the other hand is a guy I like a lot and while there is a slim chance he falls to the Steelers, if he does, that pick should be turned in immediately.
That’s something that NFL Media draft analyst Charles Davis agrees with.
Davis said the big and physical Evans would be a good fit to work with Roethlisberger.
Davis told Pittsburgh’s KDKA-FM that Evans “fits perfectly” with the Steelers. Davis compared Evans – listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds by A&M – with former Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress in terms of playing style, calling Evans “a longer version” of Burress.
Either way, it looks like the Steelers are definitely considering adding a weapon early in the draft.