Because the NFL Draft is not a game of solitaire, it is impo sible to predict what the Pittsburgh Steelers will do with their selection Thursday night in the first round of the 2021 edition. Because they do not wish to reveal their plans to any other team, they are loathe to share much information regarding their intent. Because they are in the entertainment busine s, though, it is preferred that they interact occasionally with their public.And in the conversation coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert had with the media in advance of the draft, one could discern how the Steelers would like the draft to go in an ideal circumstance.I dont think Dallas Cowboys Hoodies Sweatshirts you can ever underestimate the value of a quality player at any position, and running back is no different, Colbert told the reporters in attendance, and many more listening through social media channels.If you have a dynamic player at any position, that player should make a difference. If you look at the Hall of Fame runners, most of those guys were taken in high rounds. So I dont ever place that value high or low on a given position. I base it on who the player is and what that player can do to help us.MORE: Najee Harris of Alabama? Travis Etienne of Clemson. Maybe even North Carolinas Javonte Williams? One could not expect the Steelersto even provide a hint regarding their preference.But its fair to a sume the Steelers desire to choose a running back if the right one is available.And, no, that is not at all a bad idea.There are only a few positions that would fit the Steelers needs right now and the talent that would be available in the first round for them, NFL analyst Chris Carter of DKPittsburghSports.com told Sporting News. The reason I keep pointing to the running back position is for the past four years, you have to remember, the Steelers have picked running backs each year and none of them have stuck to become primary ballcarriers for the team.James Conner was a decent running back, but not the kind of game changer that the team had with LeVeon Bell.Although Carter often hears from fans that the Steelers just arent good at drafting Micah Parsons T Shirts running backs later in the draft, his research indicates that theyre no worse than anyone else. According to Carters research, since 2017, the year Conner was chosen with the 105th overall pick, 61 running backs were chosen beyond the top 100 selections. That includes Jaylen Samuels, Bennie Snell and Anthony McFarland with the Steelers. Among them, only five have produced 900 or more rushing yards in a season. Conner is one.Nobody has some formula of just drafting a running backlate and making it work, Carter said. You still look at important players DeMarcus Lawrence Jersey like Derrick Henry. Without him, the Titans dont compete as they did in the past two years in the playoffs. Dalvin Cook without him, the Vikings are drafting in the top 10 again. I think that running back is still very important.NFL football in the salary cap era is first about deployment of available resources. It has become a canard among many who follow the league that selecting a running back in the first round of the draft is foolish in that respect.Indeed, choosing one with the first overall pick unle s its spent on the 20-year-old clone of Jim Brown would be ludicrous. For those in the latter part of the round, though, its as viable an option as any.A running back taken with the 24th pick this year would have an estimated cap hit of $2.26 million,according to Spotrac. Ronald Jones cap hit for the Super Bowl winners in 2020 was $1.93 million. The team the Buccaneers played for the championship, the Chiefs, actually drafted a running back with their 2020 first pick. The cap hit on Clyde Edwards-Helaire was $1.97 million, and the return on that was 1,100 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns.Its not just Hall of Fame backs who are taken in the high rounds.Its the recent stars, guys who excelled enough to make at least a single Pro Bowl. Since the 2005 draft, 64 percent of Pro Bowl backs were selected in the first two rounds.Such stars as Bell, Henry, Cook and Clevelands Nick Chubb all were second-round selections. But they came off the board, on average, with the 42nd selection. The Steelers dont choose in the second round until No. 55. Of the 10 Pro Bowl second-rounders since 2005, only two came that far into the draftWhen youre like the Steelers you have T.J Troy Aikman T Shirts . Watt, you have Minkah Fitzpatrick, you have Stephon Tuitt, you have Cam Heyward you have a wide receiver corps and still have Ben Roethlisberger under center, at least for this year, Carter said. When you have all those pieces in place, if you add a running back even if he only lasts you five or six years of being a primary player thats still a lot of value.The Steelers ranked last in the NFL in rushing yards last season. Contrary to a common perception that they lacked commitment to the run, they at least tried to run more than four other teams but were dead last in yards per carry. Why commit to failure?Improving at running back is not the only ingredient to improving the running game. The offensive line will be largely rebuilt. The only starter who figures Dallas Cowboys Golf Sporting Goods to be in the same place as 2020 is veteran right guard David DeCastro. Chuks Okorafor was identified during the news conference as the teams intended left tackle, which would mean Zach Banner returning to the right tackle spot that he earned last training camp but forfeited when he tore his ACL in the season opener. Kevin Dotson, last years fourth-round pick and a minor sensation filling in for injured teammates, is all but certain to start at left guard. The center spot still needs help and could be a position bolstered by the draft.And Ill add to that and lets be clear the improvements in the running game go beyond just the acquisition of additional players, Tomlin said. Were capable of performing better than we have, players aside: schematics, formations, the things that we do to give ourselves a strategic advantage need to be improved. And thats some of the things were working on.Of course, a teams intent and what might be po sible are oftentwo different things. Do you believe the Packers expected to choose Aaron Rodgers with the 24th pick in 2005? His slide was a happy accident for Green Bay and has paid off well into a second decade.MORE DRAFT: The Steelers could very much want Harris on their roster and see him selected earlier. They could want him and discover that someone even more gifted drops to them. NFL Network analyst Charley Ca serly has declared on multiple occasions that he expects Dallas Cowboys Pet Gear Ohio State quarterback Justin Fieldsto still be on the board when its Pittsburghs turn. It is not a popular opinion, but it would have been even harder to find someone