Steelers draft Ironhead's son

By Mike Batista

If there's anyone out there who still wishes the Steelers had drafted Pitt running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward in 1988, hopefully they have more than made up for it by drafting his son Thursday night.

The Steelers chose Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward with the 31st pick. The 6-foot-5, 294-pounder was one of my thumbs-up guys in my draft analysis. He can stop the run and rush the passer.

Heyward fills a need on the Steelers' aging defensive line. Who knows if 35-year-old Aaron Smith will ever be the same, and Brett Keisel is 32.

So now it becomes that much more important that the Steelers choose a cornerback in the second round. Many mock drafters had Aaron Williams of Texas going to them in the first round. I would have been pissed if they picked him. He's more of a safety.

Franco Harris will announce the Steelers' second-round pick tonight. I want to hear him say either "Ras-I Dowling of Virginia" or "Davon House of New Mexico State."

Hopefully one of those guys will be available when the Steelers pick at No. 63 overall. Besides Williams, Miami's Brandon Harris is likely regarded as the best corner still available. Hopefully other teams snap them up and increase the likelihood that Dowling or House are still on the board when the Steelers pick. If I had my choice between the two, I'd go with Dowling.

I hope the Steelers don't pick Brandon Burton of Utah, Curtis Brown of Texas, Johnny Patrick of Louisville, Shareece Wright of USC or Chimdi Chekwa of Ohio State.

If the Steelers have to trade up in the second round to ensure they get Dowling or House, I could probably live with them giving up a third or fourth round pick this year or a mid-round pick next year, because they will have addressed the defense with their first two picks.

The other good news from the first round of the draft is that Mike Pouncey, Maurkice Pouncey's twin brother, was not drafted by Team Evil up in Foxborough.