NFL Mock Draft: Full 1st round action

25. Pittsburgh Steelers: Karl Joseph – S – West Virginia

Why?: The Steelers defense is still reeling from the loss of Troy Polamalu.  They could really take a player at any spot on the defensive side of the ball, but with Tomlin’s background, I think he’ll know a potential star when he sees one…and that’s Karl Joseph.

Staying in the secondary: Eli Apple makes a lot of sense in Pittsburgh, and would hardly be a suprise here.  The Steelers need to stop teams from throwing all over them, and Apple would do a lot to help that.

The only reason this isn’t the projected pick for me is that the Steelers re-signed William Gay and are getting2014 second-round pick Senquez Golson back from injury.  That may not impress/scare most people, but all three players have been shown a good deal of faith by the organization already.  They haven’t done much of that with their options at safety.

26. Seattle Seahawks: Taylor Decker – OT – Ohio State

Why?: The Seahawks have struggled to keep up with their constant Free Agency departures over the past few years.  While still a strong team, some very obvious holes have emerged.  Chief among those is the offensive line.

Like the Chiefs, the Seahawks gave up an awful 46 sacks in 2016.  Unlike the Chiefs, the Seahawks haven’t done much to try and fix that in the past couple of years, and now it’s a very pressing issue.

Starting in the Center: If not an OT, then the Hawks should absolutely take Ryan Kelly (C – Alabama) right here.  He’s a quality player who should provide a very stable presence in the middle of the OL.  He has already demonstrated his ability to handle the mental side of the position, which should really help out Russell Wilson with making adjustments at the LOS.

Next: Picks 27-28