The 2015 NFL Draft closed for Pittsburgh as the Steelers drafted Gerod Holliman, safety out of Louisville in the 7th round.
With the 239th overall selection in the 2015 #NFLDraft we have selected Gerod Holliman, S, Louisville. pic.twitter.com/tsL6M72LHY
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 2, 2015
Gerod Holliman stands at 6’0” and weigh 219 pounds and had 14 interceptions for Lousiville in 2014. He’s also the third defensive back drafted by the Steelers in 2015.
Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert told Teresa Varley of Steelers Digest, “This kid has great instincts, great awareness, he is a film studier.” Colbert continued, “You see him making breaks on the ball before the quarterback throws it and he has the great hands to finish it. This kid is a ball hawk. He knows how to make interceptions.”
Video Highlights of Gerod Holliman
What a surprise it is when a 7th round defensive back has more and better YouTube highlights than a second round defensive back. But so it is with the case of Gerod Holliman and Senquez Golson.
The Steelers turnover has been turnover starved for years, so you can see why Pittsburgh used its final pick on Holliman.
How Gerod Holliman Fits into the Steelers Plans
The Steelers need good defensive backs, having lost 3 starters in this space so it’s logical that they drafted three more players. The training camp depth chart looks to have Mike Mitchell and Shamarko Thomas holding down the two starting safety slots, with Will Allen and Robert Golden as backups.
While its not unknown for the Steelers to carry four safeties, last season the Steelers carried six, and Ross Ventrone will return to St. Vincents to make a push at establishing himself as a permanent part of the Steelers 53 man roster.
- That means that Gerod Holliman likely arrives in Latrobe and finds himself in an immediate battle with Ross Ventrone for a shot at the Steelers 53 man roster.
The prospects of a safety drafted in the 7th round making an NFL roster are not great. But it has not only been done before, but in 1992 8th round pick Darren Perry won the starting job and made veteran Thomas Everett expendable.
Welcome to Steelers Nation Gerod Holliman.
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