By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
After years of putting little or no emphasis on their secondary in the NFL draft, the Steelers did something last week they hadn’t done in the past 20 years. For the first time since 1995, the Steelers drafted three defensive backs.
Cornerbacks Austin Lemieux and Doran Grant and safety Gerod Holliman were selected to improve a defensive backfield that ranked among the worst in the league in 2014 and lost three players who started a combined 26 games last season.
Safety Troy Polamalu (12 starts) and cornerback Ike Taylor (5 starts) retired after 12 seasons and cornerback Brice McCain (9 starts) signed with Miami as an unrestricted free agent.