It’s Heyward; Steelers Bulk Up the D-Line with Ohio State’s Cameron Heyward

The Steelers addressed a need with the 31st pick in Thursday night’s NFL Draft, taking the son of former NFL running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward in Ohio State DT Cameron Heyward.

Here’s the scouting report on Heyward from FFToolbox:

Heyward is the son of former NFL running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward. In 2010, he played every position on Ohio State’s defensive line depending upon the situation. Given his size, he has a good athletic frame. He is fast, has good balance and does a good job controlling his body.

The problems with Heyward stem from what appears to be a very inconsistent motor. If he doesn’t get a good jump on the snap (or if he doesn’t get his hands where he wants to off the line of scrimmage), he can be thrown off and become one-dimensional. He will simply lunge forward, push and not really attack with any awareness of where he is going or reading the play. Furthermore, he does not have any finesse with regard to moves to pass-rush and he’s content to bull rush his opponent all game long. He needs to work on his hips and use his athleticism to his advantage more often. Some scouts may even go so far as to say he simply doesn’t have that instinct to go all-out and attack his opponents.

Heyward would be best suited as a 3-4 DE. He is a great tackler, holds the edge for containment, works hard to get through double teams and create pressure in the backfield.

At the 2011 NFL Combine, Heyward was unable to perform in any of the drills due to an elbow injury he sustained at the Sugar Bowl. He underwent reconstructive surgery on his torn ulnar collateral ligament, also known as Tommy John surgery, in early January. He will participate in a pro day workout on March 30.

Matt’s Take: Overall the pick fills a need, as it was D-Line, Corner and O-Line as the three needs on the roster. The D-line got a shot of youth two years ago with the pick of Ziggy Hood, and now they add another piece with Heyward. He is agile and quick for his size, and has all the physical tools to make a tremendous impact. The Steelers usually don’t miss on round one picks, and we will see if this holds true again in 2011.