Farrior made choice easier for Steelers

It's no secret that the Steelers chose James Farrior over incumbent inside linebacker Earl Holmes for several reasons.

Farrior is faster, better in pass coverage and versatile enough to play inside or outside linebacker, although he's locked inside for the upcoming season with the Steelers. Holmes might be better in negotiating the heavy traffic inside the tackles, but Farrior knows how to find the ball, too. He had 143 tackles last season for the New York Jets.

And one other small point: Farrior was willing to accept the Steelers' three-year, $5.4 million contract offer. Holmes was not.

The Steelers have invested significant free-agent dollars this off-season in the linebacker position, which is what you might expect from a team that puts four of them on the field in most situations. Total up the signing bonuses alone for Jason Gildon, John Fiala and Farrior and you get $8.775 million, excluding the $1.2 million that restricted free agent outside linebacker Joey Porter will earn this season (if the Steelers don't sign him to a longer, richer contract extension before the start of the regular season).

Is there a great need to throw another couple million or so into the position by drafting a linebacker in the first round of Saturday NFl Draft•

Probably, not.

But the reason has less to do with finances than it does with the incredibly weak of field of linebackers coming out of college this season.

"The linebackers are kind of so-so," said director of football operations Kevin Colbert, who is usually not openly critical of anyone.

Northwestern outside linebacker Napolean Harris could be the only linebacker selected in the first round. Harris, a former college basketball player, is a seasoned linebacker, even though he played end last season. Unlike the Steelers' Gildon, Porter and Clark Haggans, who were exclusively defensive ends in college, Harris played linebacker for two seasons at Northwestern and probably will do so exceptionally well in the NFL.

The Steelers could use Harris — eventually — but Porter has 19 1/2 sacks in two seasons as a starter. The team prefers what they know in Porter to what they think they know in Harris.

Besides, Harris will be selected about 10 picks before the Steelers' turn at No. 30.

Nonetheless, the Steelers will draft linebackers this weekend, just not in the first round. That's what they do. Since 1985, they haven't missed the opportunity to pluck at least one out of the college ranks.

In fact, they have become rather good at it. There was an obscure sixth-rounder in 1987 from Fort Valley (Ga.) State who turned out to be Greg Lloyd. There was that outside linebacker from Clemson in 1992 named Levon Kirkland, who became one of the game's best inside linebackers through a good portion of the past decade. How about that undersized 10th-rounder from Pitt in 1989• Jerry Olsavsky started for a Super Bowl team.

And last year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year was second-round pick Kendrell Bell, an inside linebacker from Georgia, who shoves 300-pound centers out of the way like they are rag dolls.

Exceptions to the rule include Chuck Noll's last first-round pick, Florida's Huey Richardson in 1991. At the next year's training camp, new coach Bill Cowher couldn't wait to get Richardson off the roster. But Cowher's regime also missed on a linebacker or two. Who could forget Arkansas' Steven Conley, a third-round pick in 1996• His greatest feat was drawing a paycheck for three seasons.

Without the need or opportunity to draft Harris, the Steelers will wait to select a linebacker this weekend, but maybe not very long. If they want Alabama's Saleem Rasheed, it would require an investment of a second-round pick in a player who can play inside or outside. Later possibilities include UNLV's Anton Palepoi, a 6-3 1/4, 279-pound defensive end, who could become an outside linebacker in the Steelers' 3-4 scheme, and Tennessee linebacker Dominique Stephenson.

Perhaps Georgia defensive end Charles Grant will fall to the Steelers in the first round. Grant, 6-3, 282, is highly regarded and might not make it past the New Orleans Saints, who pick at Nos. 13 and 25. But teams seeking a bigger body for their line might give him a pass. If the Steelers want him, however, they might have to move up from No. 30 to get him.

Grant could be a big outside linebacker in the mold of former Steelers player Kevin Greene (if the team can't re-sign Porter next year), or the eventual replacement for right end Kimo von Oelhoffen or left end Aaron Smith, who also will be unrestricted in 2003.

Don't be fooled about all that talk of 21 of 22 Steelers starters returning this season. That won't be the case in 2003 and 2004, and the Steelers will use this draft to get ready for the worst.

Steelers inside linebackers

*1. Napolean Harris
Tale of the tape: 6-2 7/8, 255
College: Northwestern
40 time: 4.55
Did you know?: He was a top rebounder for the Northwestern basketball team before he quit to concentrate on football.

2. Dwight Freeney
Tale of the tape: 6-0 7/8, 268
College: Syracuse
40 time: 4.42
Did you know?: An incredible athlete with speed, strength and leaping ability (bench-presses 500, squats 700 and has a 35-inch vertical leap).

3. Brian Thomas
Tale of the tape: 6-4 3/8, 266
College: Alabama-Birmingham
40 time: 4.47
Did you know?: His 40 time was faster than 25 running backs and 18 wide receivers at the combine.

4. Levar Fisher
Tale of the tape: 6-0 7/8, 233
College: North Carolina State
40 time: 4.67
Did you know?: He started the final eight games of 1998 and didn't miss a start after that.

5. Saleem Rasheed
Tale of the tape: 6-2 5/8, 229
College: Alabama
40 time: 4.6
Did you know?: He can bench nearly twice his body weight (about 500 pounds).

Others:
Raonall Smith, Washington State Ben Leber, Kansas State James Allen Oregon State Rocky Calmus, Oklahoma Kevin Bentley, Northwestern.

*1. Robert Thomas
Tale of the tape: 6-0, 233
College: UCLA
40 time: 4.51
Did you know?: His father was a major-league baseball player with the Pirates, and brother Stan, an offensive tackle, was a No. 1 draft choice of the Bears in 1991.

2. Andra Davis
Tale of the tape: 6-0 5/8, 246
College: Florida
40 time: 4.85
Did you know?: He played most of last season with his thumb in a cast.

3. Ben Taylor
Tale of the tape: 6-1 3/8, 238
College: Virginia Tech
40 time: 4.83
Did you know?: He recorded 18 tackles behind the line of scrimmage last season.

4. Justin Ena
Tale of the tape: 6-2 7/8, 248
College: BYU
40 time: 4.85
Did you know?: He has good and vocal leadership qualities, and he will turn 25 in November.

5. Tyreo Harrison
Tale of the tape: 6-2, 232
College: Notre Dame
40 time: 4.87
Did you know?: He had more solo tackles last season (47) than he had total tackles in any of his preceding three years.

Others:
Larry Foote, Michigan Billy Silva, Northwestern Trev Faulk, LSU D.D. Lewis, Texas Josh Thornhill, Michigan State.

If Napolean Harris is still on the board at No. 30, the team will have a hard time ignoring an outside linebacker who is the perfect fit for the Steelers' 3-4 defense. Especially if the Joey Porter talks don't go well. Robert Thomas was the best middle linebacker in college football last season and would be good value for the Steelers in the second round. Ditto: Florida's Andra Davis, who was a sideline-to-sideline playmaker in college. It's a weak year overall for linebackers and there might not be one taken in the first round for the first time since 1973.

* Underclassman