Corners, anyone?

Cal’s Pro Day, courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle: Cornerback Daymeion Hughes, whom many have projected as a mid-first round pick (hint, hint), says he tried to make up for a disappointing 40 run at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

“At last month's NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Hughes, who said he was slowed by a back injury, ran a 4.65, and most draft experts deemed his stock to have taken a more precipitous fall than any of the other 300 potential picks at the event.”

Also, according to the Chronicle:

“Most of the 30-plus professional scouts who attended Tuesday's athletic meat market at Memorial Stadium clocked Hughes at 4.56-seconds, but he said one scout told him that he ran a 4.47.

"If you play with a stopwatch and start it and stop it as fast as you can, it's like a tenth of a second," Hughes said. "That's the difference in a 4.4 and a 4.5, and I don't see how that plays a very big deal in your football ability."

“No one is questioning Hughes' ability or his production. Before he was injured at the Senior Bowl, he put on one of the game's most impressive days of practice, starting to refute the perception that he'll have to play for a Cover-2 team in the NFL.

"We all care about the measureables," one NFL scout said, "but I'd gladly have him on my team if he falls to us."

Hmmm. Probably not a pick for the Steelers – they have more glaring needs – but, still, you can never have too many cornerbacks.

Hughes isn'even the highest-rated corner this year, but if the Steelers trade down, they could probably pick up Hughes late in the first round or early in the second ("Quick, get Chicago on the speed dial!"), and address filling another need with the extra pick.

Nah, the Steelers have more glaring needs.

Don’t they?

Well, don’t they??

After all, it’s not like Ike Taylor was benched late last year or anything, or like DeShea Townsend is getting old, or Ricardo Colclough is a bust or anything, right?

Right???

Over at Stillers.com, though, CK Stiller (Feb. 22 entry) makes a compelling case against drafting a cornerback in a high round this year, and he’s probably right. We’re confident Ike will be fine, and we don’t want to tie up too much cap money against one position. The O-Line (Levi Brown?) and defensive front seven (Jarvis Moss? Paul Psluszny?) need to be upgraded this year, and it’s not like teams in the NFL pass very much or anything, right? Oh.