Steelers address needs with lineman-heavy draft

"  PITTSBURGH (AP) Kevin Colbert spent the days leading up to the NFL Draftstressing the Pittsburgh Steelers would focus on ''want'' and not''need.''Maybe, but it's no coincidence the general manager wanted - andgot - everything his team needed.The Steelers stockpiled prospects for its beleaguered offensiveline and addressed depth issues at linebacker, nose tackle and widereceiver with their nine picks.''It was no grand design,'' Colbert said. ''That's just howthese drafts break.''Pittsburgh wrapped up the draft with a flurry of activity onSaturday, moving up in the fourth round to take nose tackle AlamedaTa'amu out of Washington then grabbing speedy Florida running backChris Rainey in the fifth.The Steelers selected Colorado wide receiver Toney Clemons, aPittsburgh native, in the seventh round before choosing TexasA&M cornerback Terrence Frederick, Oregon tight end DavidPaulson and SMU lineman Kelvin Beachum with compensatory picks.''The last three days unfolded very well for us,'' Colbert said.''We got a lot of players we had targeted. We didn't think wereached for everybody and we got everybody where we felt verycomfortable.''Pittsburgh addressed its line issues in the first and secondround by taking Stanford's David DeCastro and Ohio State's MikeAdams then adding Miami (Fla.) linebacker Sean Spence in thethird.The only time the Steelers moved aggressively in the draft camein the fourth, when they traded picks with Washington and gave up asixth-rounder to take the 348-pound Ta'amu, who gives Pittsburghinsurance at the position that anchors its 3-4 defense.Longtime starter Casey Hampton is recovering from offseason kneesurgery and longtime backup Chris Hoke retired in January leavingthird-year man Steve McLendon as the most experienced nose tackleon the roster.Ta'amu had 30 tackles and four sacks during his senior year withthe Huskies and was an honorable mention All Pac-12 selection. Heplayed extensively against DeCastro. Ta'amu had high praise for hisformer rival turned teammate.''When you go against DeCastro, you can feel his presence,''Ta'amu said. ''There's not a lot of guards that can block down on anose tackle and you can feel him. The thing about DeCastro is he'sexplosive, from play one all the way to the last play. There's nota lot of guards that can stay the same like that.''The Steelers are in no hurry to bring Ta'amu along, though hebelieves he can be a three-down player. When asked about his passrush skills, Ta'amu just laughed.''My pass rush is amazing,'' he said.So is Rainey's speed. The former All-American track star withthe Gators is be used in a variety of ways.''I think he's a very versatile player that is very fast andexplosive,'' offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. ''He can runit, he can return it. That's a commodity.''One the Steelers could use. Antonio Brown made the Pro Bowl as areturn man last season, but will be elevated to a starting widereceiver following the retirement of Hines Ward.Rainey, whose older brother Rod Smart played five seasons in theNFL with the Eagles and Panthers, understands he'll need to be opento anything. He's certainly confident in his ability, callinghimself the fastest player on a team that includes Pro Bowl widereceiver Mike Wallace.Though he lined up at slot receiver at Florida, Rainey considershimself a running back but will likely need to make the 53-manroster as a special teams ace. Though he will get a look atreturning kicks, Rainey set a Southeastern Conference record byblocking six punts during his career.Rainey called Pittsburgh the ''perfect'' spot for him, notingthe team's status as a Super Bowl contender and his closerelationship with Steelers offensive linemen Maurkice Pouncey.That relationship made Rainey more attractive to the Steelersafter character concerns stemming from his arrest in 2010 on anaggravated stalking charge for allegedly sending a threatening textto a former girlfriend. He spent a night in jail and was kicked offthe team the next day before being reinstated. Rainey leanedheavily on Pouncey's family for support after the arrest, and theSteelers reached out to the Pounceys before making the pick togauge Rainey's commitment to staying out of trouble.Looking back, Rainey called the incident a turning point.''I became a man. I matured,'' Rainey said. ''I learned a lessonnot to do that ever again ... this stuff happens for areason.''It's a message Clemons echoed after being chosen by his boyhoodteam. Clemons starred at Valley High in New Kensington, Pa., justnorth of Pittsburgh before signing to play at Michigan. Hetransferred to Colorado after his sophomore year and developed intoa pleasant surprise last fall, catching 44 passes for 680 yards anda team-high eight touchdowns for the Buffaloes.The 6-foot-2 Clemons gives the Steelers size at wide receiverand the team was impressed by Clemons' resiliency and the way hebattled for the ball in the air against multiple defenders.''He's a competitor and it jumps off the screen at you,'' coachMike Tomlin said.Clemons wasn't sure he'd get a look after a bumpy career thatincluded a transfer and a series of coaching changes.''It took me awhile to find myself,'' Clemons said. ''When Ifinally found myself in a system that had faith in me, I was ableto go out there and perform.''Most of the new players - including undrafted rookie free agents- will participate in a rookie minicamp next weekend, though Adamsand DeCastro will not be there due to academic commitments."