Steelers Surprise (Again) in 3rd Round, Picking Dri Archer, Running Back Kent State

Day two of the 2014 NFL Draft saw the Pittsburgh Steelers stick true to the script, first in selecting defensive end Stephon Tuitt of Notre Dame in the second round, followed another big deviation in the selection of running back Dri Archer of Kent State.

  • Of the two picks, Archer was by far the most surprising. 

Going into the draft, Steel Curtain Rising rated running back as a position of moderate need for the Steelers, due to the presence of Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount, and the expectation was that they would take one, but most likely on day three.

However, as they’ve done through the draft, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin kept their own counsel. Archer is a speed demon, clocking in at 4.26 in the 40 yard dash, and in that respect he is quite similar to Chris Rainey, the Miami running back the Steelers took in the 5th round of the 2012 NFL Draft, only to cut Rainey after his rookie year due to off the field issues.

Here´s a quick video recap of Archer´s time at Kent State:

As you can see, Archer does not lack for speed, but he is small, weighing in at 175 pounds. 40 years ago the Steelers once drafted an undersized player from Kent State who grew into a legend. His name is Jack Lambert. Kent State also supplied another unhearlded rookie free agent in the form of James Harrison.

Archer has got big foot steps to fill. Welcome to Steelers Nation Dri Archer.

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