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Steelers take 2 as Porter fill-ins
PITTSBURGH - The Steelers didn't just draft one player Saturday to replace linebacker Joey Porter, they took two.
Lacking depth at the linebacker position after releasing Porter in March as a cost-cutting move, the Steelers selected a pair of linebackers with their first two picks in Saturday's draft, taking Florida State's Lawrence Timmons in the first round and Michigan defensive end LaMarr Woodley, who they will convert to outside linebacker, in the second.
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In the third round, the Steelers landed Minnesota tight end Matt Spaeth, a massive 6-7, 270-pound tight end.
"Obviously this is a great day for me," said Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler. "We got two good football players at outside linebacker, with one also having the ability to play inside or outside."
Butler's task now will be to teach the 6-1, 234-pound Timmons and the 6-1, 266-pound Woodley the intracacies of the Steelers' 3-4, zone-blitzing defense as quickly as possible.
"If you look at the history of this defense, it's been rare that a rookie has come in and started," said Butler. "That's mainly because this defense is complex, more than they are used to in college. It's going to take some transition time for them to get comfortable with it. What I mean by feeling comfortable with it, is that they'll play fast. If you've got a linebacker thinking too much on the field, then he's not playing fast. These two guys, probably the best thing they do is they're very aggressive and they both play fast. The worst thing I can do as a coach is slow them down."
The 20-year-old Timmons, who entered the draft as a true junior, was a one-year starter at Florida State after serving as a backup to Ernie Sims - a top-10 pick by Detroit last year - in his first two seasons.
Timmons recorded 79 tackles, including 18 for a loss, five sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin compared him to another former Florida State player and one he also coached in Tampa Bay.
"He has some Derrick Brooks qualities," said Tomlin, who was overseeing his first draft with the Steelers after taking over for Bill Cowher.
"You don't necessarily want to put that on anyone because Brooks is a legendary player. But he runs around and strikes people. He is relentless and he loves the game. He also comes from the same program."
Timmons was honored to be compared to Brooks, a 10-time Pro Bowl player.
"Brooks is one of the best linebackers to ever come from FSU," said Timmons. "He's a good athlete and it feels good to have a comparison like that."
Currently, the Steelers have James Harrison penciled into the starting lineup to replace Porter, who signed with Miami, with Timmons backing him up and also serving as a backup at inside linebacker.
"I can rush the passer well and drop back in coverage," said Timmons. "I think I can be a very good one in Pittsburgh."
What Timmons lacks in experience, the Steelers more than made up for with their selection of Woodley with 46th-overall selection.
Woodley saw action in 49 games in four seasons at Michigan, making 33 career starts. He holds Michigan's career record with 10 forced fumbles and is second in school history with 25 sacks, including 12 in 2006.
The winner of the Lombardi Award in 2006 as the best defensive lineman in college football, he also captured the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's best defensive end.
But the Steelers will use Woodley, at least initially, as a backup to left outside linebacker Clark Haggans.
"We plan on using LaMarr on the left side because he's a bigger guy, with the option of playing both sides because he played both sides in college," said Butler. "The thing we need is somebody on third down to spell Clark and James Harrison."
Woodley also played linebacker in his first two seasons at Michigan.
"I have linebacking blood in me," said Woodley. "It's just something that I know I can do. ... I don't think it's a big deal at all."
In Spaeth, the Steelers got a tight end who will give them the freedom to split starting tight end Heath Miller out wide more often than he has in the past.
"He's an outstanding, prototypical tight end," said offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. "At 6-7, he can stretch the field. He can handle the point of attack. He gives us good flexibility to take Heath and move him around a lot more and also I'm a three-tight end guy. Jerame Tuman has played extremely well for us the past couple of years, but I like having three tight ends on the field a lot of times. It gives us a good personnel group with two tight ends who can stretch the field and three tight ends that can block the point of attack."
Spaeth, a four-year starter at Minnesota, finished his career for the Gophers as the all-time leader in receptions (109) and yards (1,293) for a tight end. He also scored 12 touchdowns.
The Steelers have six picks remaining in the draft's final four rounds today, including two picks each in the fourth and fifth rounds.
