The much anticipated NFL draft starts this Thursday, and it plans to be one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent years.

It almost seems like the amount of draft coverage analysts do heading up to the draft is a little much. But in this article we will be looking at what the Steelers will be looking to do in this year’s draft.

The biggest positions the Steelers need to address are cornerback, safety, and outside linebacker for the 3-4 defense. Depth at offensive and defensive line never hurts either. Many expect the Steelers to select someone who can help out their below average secondary. Outside of William Gay, they don’t have much at cornerback. They are going to need Cortez Allen to step up this season.

In terms of draft prospects at cornerback, the Steelers may possibly select Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson, Washington’s Marcus Peters, and Connecticut’s Byron Jones. Many experts have the Steelers drafting one of these three corners with their first round selection.

Let’s start with Kevin Johnson. Johnson is someone who is very athletic and can perform very well in man coverage. Some say he is too thin to succeed at the next level. Coach Mike Tomlin had dinner with Johnson on Sunday, and he is very impressed with his competitiveness.

Marcus Peters out of Washington has prototype size for his position and is very physical. He is very quick and has great strength. One knock on him is that his character is questioned. He was suspended for one game at Washington and was eventually kicked off the team. The Steelers tend to stay away from controversy, but Peters is an exceptional talent and plays a position the team desperately needs help at.

Byron Jones out of UConn has a very high football IQ and has a great attitude about the game. He is very well liked by his teammates. Jones has great route anticipation and is a reliable tackler. Scouts say he has trouble changing direction, and doesn’t have the best balance.

In terms of the safety position, there isn’t many that will be selected early in the draft. The only one to be likely drafted in the first round is Alabama’s safety Landon Collins. Collins is a very good tackler and an overall tough football player. Scouts get on him about his recovery speed and his hands. But I expect the Steelers to go for a safety later in the draft. Expect the Steelers to go for guys such as Damarious Randall out of Arizona State or Quentin Rollins out of Miami University (OH).

Expect the Steelers to look at pass rushers to fit their 3-4 defense. There is a lot of depth in terms of pass rushers in this year’s draft. Expect many to go early, but some may slide due to off the field issues. Nebraska’s Randy Gregory and Missouri’s Shane Ray are two players with top 10 talent, but will likely fall because of their issues off the field. The reason being for the Steelers to possibly take a shot on one of these two is because once the top pass rushers are gone, which there are a lot of them, the group looks thin.

The Steelers have always been known to look at linemen which there is plenty of talent at in this draft.

Lastly at running back, the Steelers will likely look to draft someone in the mid to late rounds to back up Deangelo Williams while starter Le’veon Bell is suspended.

The draft is being held April 30-May 2 in Chicago.