Now that the NFL Scouting Combine is over, we have a more clear idea of what all of the players look like on the same field, participating in the same drills and answering the same -- or at least similar -- questions.
So what's next for the Steelers?
Finally trading Antonio Brown.
There's a good chance that could happen sometime this week as the Steelers have now spoken to everyone who might be interested in the receiver -- and also a couple whose interest waned as Brown continued on his one-man tour of how not to attract the right kind of attention.
Brown's chosen team -- or at least one in which he showed quite a bit of interest -- was the 49ers. According to a source, San Francisco was one of at least two teams that was scared away by Brown's antics over the past several weeks.
So who does that leave? Well, if Brown truly has his heart set on being in the Bay area -- at least for a year -- the Raiders remain the favorite to land the 30-year-old All-Pro receiver given the draft capital they possess. Oakland has the fourth, 24th, 27th and 35th selections, with that final pick being early in the second round.
If the Raiders offer the 24th or, more likely, 27th pick, they would likely have a deal.
That's because the other teams showing interest -- Tennessee, Washington, Arizona, New Orleans and Denver -- either aren't likely to part with a first-round pick or don't have one to offer.
Either way, there remains a solid feeling within the organization the Steelers will move Brown before his roster bonus of $2.5 million is due March 17.
DEFENSIVE BACKS FINISH THINGS
While the receivers and front-seven players lit up the Combine over the weekend, the defensive backs were somewhat disappointing Monday.
While the average 40 time for receivers was a record 4.496 seconds, and several of the big defensive players put up impressive times, the well-known or highly regarded corners coming into the event weren't all that impressive.
While Byron Murphy's 40 time of 4.55 seconds isn't going to wow anyone, especially for a corner whose just a shade under 5-foot-11, he looked as fluid as expected in positional drills. It would have been nice to see Murphy do some of the agility drills -- three cone and shuttle -- but he did post a 35.6-inch vertical jump and pulled off 10 feet in the broad jump to show he's got explosiveness.
Murphy met with the Steelers at the Combine, as did Greedy Williams, Rock Ya-Sin and DeAndre Baker.
Williams, of LSU, ran the 40 well, timing at a blazing 4.37 seconds. But he wasn't nearly as smooth in the position drills. Williams also didn't lift, jump or run any of the shuttles, so his pro day March 22 will be big.
The same goes for Baker. His 4.52-second 40 wasn't all that impressive, while his broad jump was less than 10 feet. He also struggled with his footwork at times in position drills.
Ya-Sin, a Temple product, could be the corner who makes a move. The Presbyterian College transfer was under-recruited coming out of high school, but found his way to Temple.
He is just a shade under 6-foot and weighed in at 192 pounds. Ya-Sin timed at 4.51 seconds in the 40, and while he wasn't great in the agility tests, he was good for a bigger corner. He's raw, having played at Temple for just one season, but he had 12 pass breakups and two interceptions in that one season.
After a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, Washburn's Corey Ballentine might have made himself a Day 2 pick by running a 4.47 40 at 5-foot-11, 196 pounds. He also tore up the shuttles and had a 39.5-inch vertical and 11-foot-3 broad jump.
Matching Ballentine's athleticism was Penn State's Amani Oruwariye (6-2, 205). He also ran a 4.47 40 and was just a tick behind Ballentine in the other tests. He also looked good in position drills.
Michigan State's Justin Layne also tested well enough to be in the mix.
But overall, Murphy is the only corner who solidified his place in the first round, which isn't good news for the Steelers if that happens to be their fallback option if they miss out on an inside linebacker.
The safeties, however, did look good. Murphy's teammate, Taylor Rapp, might have forced his way into the first round along with Murphy. Rapp's 20-yard shuttle of 3.99 seconds was the second-best among defensive backs. And though he didn't run the 40, his other shuttle times also were in the top 10 for corners and safeties.
With the top corners not exactly lighting things up, the safeties, including Mississippi State's Jonathan Abram, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson of Florida and Juan Thornhill of Virginia did nothing to hurt their prospects. Alabama's Deionte Thompson did not work out because of a hand injury, while Delaware's Nasir Adderley also chose not to work out.
THE SKINNY
So where does all of this leave the Steelers?
With some of the same draft targets they had coming into this event.
The first-round targets are inside linebackers Devin White and Devin Bush, Murphy at cornerback and edge rushers Jachai Polite or Brian Burns of Florida, assuming the Steelers don't want to pay Bud Dupree's fifth-year option and can't work out a deal for less.
In the meantime, expect the team to announce it has signed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a contract extension any day now, while the Steelers also must make moves with former first-round picks Dupree and Artie Burns.
The Steelers have to decide if they will pick up a fifth-year option on Burns' contract, who lost his starting job last season. His fifth-year option would cost over $9 million for 2020, though the team could choose to pull that option at no cost if Burns doesn't turn things around.
That's the decision the team has to make with Dupree, its 2015 first-round draft pick. The outside linebacker is due a salary of $9.2 million that becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the roster when the free agency period begins March 13.
The Steelers are unlikely to want to pay Dupree that much money, but will need to get him to agree to take less rather than be released and become a free agent. Since Dupree is unlikely to get more than $9.2 million in guaranteed money, even on the open market, he might be amenable to taking less from the Steelers if he doesn't want to move on.