Steelers should build secondary through draft like they built offensive line

The Steelers seem to have developed a blueprint for turning a weakness into a strength through the draft.

It looks like the weakness they’re focused on now is their secondary.

Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network reported this week that the Steelers will take the best available defensive back with the No. 30 pick in the NFL draft, and that they “love” Jabrill Peppers. They’d probably have to trade up to draft the Michigan safety, but it seems they’re trying to build their secondary by loading up on that area in the draft.

The Steelers drafted cornerback Artie Burns with the No. 25 pick in last year’s draft, and he tied for the rookie lead with three interceptions. The Steelers also drafted safety Sean Davis in the second round, and Davis started the final seven games of the regular season. In the playoffs, Davis broke up Alex Smith’s two-point conversion attempt to preserve the Steelers’ 18-16 lead with 2:43 left in the Steelers divisional-round win over the Chiefs.

In 2015, the Steelers drafted cornerback Senquez Golson in the second round. Golson has suffered various injuries and hasn’t played in his first two seasons.

Before Golson, the Steelers hadn’t drafted a defensive back in the first or second round since Bryant McFadden in 2005.

The Steelers’ pass defense improved from 30th in 2015 to 16th last year, but it still wasn’t good enough to stop Tom Brady in the AFC championship game.

There was a time when their offensive line wasn’t good enough to protect Ben Roethlisberger. The quarterback was sacked no fewer than 46 times every year between 2006 and 2009, including a career-high 50 in 2009.

The Steelers began fixing the problem in the 2010 draft when they drafted Maurkice Pouncey in the first round. In 2011, they drafted Marcus Gilbert in the second round. In 2012, they drafted David DeCastro in the first round. Those guys are three starters on an offensive line that yielded just 17 sacks of Roethlisberger last season.

Now, it looks like the Steelers will draft their fourth (at least) first- or second-round defensive back since 2015. If that philosophy works for the secondary the same way it worked for the offensive line, there could come a day when getting past the Steelers in the playoffs isn’t as easy for Brady as it is now.