2014 NFL Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers select TE Rob Blanchflower in 7th round

Since the Mike Tomlin era began in 2007, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been able to find a couple of hidden gems in the seventh round of the draft.

November 23, 2012; Boston, MA USA; Massachusetts Minutemen tight end Rob Blanchflower (87) catches a punt during warmups prior to a game against the Central Michigan Chippewas at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Can they do so again in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft?

While the Steelers have thrown names out like: Dallas Baker (2007), A.Q. Shipley (2009), Doug Worthington (2010), Terrence Fredrick (2011) and Torey Clemons (2011), they also grabbed the likes of David Johnson (2009), David Paulson (2011) and Kelvin Beachum (2011) during the draft’s final round.

The Steelers tried to continue that trend on Saturday when they selected Massachusetts tight end Rob Blanchflower with the No.215 overall pick.

It’s been Colbert’s mantra of late to target tight end depth in the seventh round, so I really expected this pick.

Blanchflower has good size at 6’4”, 256 and is a pretty solid run blocker and a functional pass blocker.

He is tough and can make tough catches in small windows. Blanchflower leaves Massachusetts as their all-time leader in receptions from a tight end. He has the chance to be a solid special team’s contributor.

Blanchflower doesn’t have great speed and isn’t a great athlete but he is tough and the type of player you don’t mind taking a chance on in the seventh round.

Check back to City of Champions Sports often as we will have continued reaction and analysis to all of the Steelers draft picks throughout the upcoming weeks.