As almost always happens, the Steelers took a conservative approach to free agency. And as almost always happens, they'll look to restock the roster with young playmakers in the draft. 

It's a strategy that has proven successful. Pittsburgh went 13-3 last season. Since Ben Roethilsberger arrived in 2004, the Steelers have won 163 games, including two Super Bowls. The Steelers' .665 winning percentage is second only to the .769 of the Patriots, who have 196 wins and three Lombardi trophies over that same span.

Both franchises remain among the NFL's elite, but the Pats are annually considered the biggest obstacle between the Steelers and another Super Bowl appearance. In the Steelers conservative free-agency approach, they signed veteran linebacker Jon Bostic, the former second-round pick who battled injuries in Chicago and Indianapolis but should provide a steadying presence in the middle of the defense. And while no one expects Bostic to replace Ryan Shazier, the Pro Bowl middle linebacker who suffered a serious spinal injury in December and has already been ruled out for 2018, he adds much-needed depth to a position that was exposed once Shazier was sidelined.

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Pittsburgh also signed Morgan Burnett, the longtime Packers safety who is still just 29 years old. Burnett, whose production slipped in 2017, ranked 62nd among all safeties, according to Pro Football Focus' grades. But he ranked 12th in 2016 and ninth the season before. By comparison, the player Burnett will replace, Mike Mitchell, ranked 24th in 2015, 42nd in 2016 and 64th last season.

In addition to Mitchell, the Steelers released veteran defensive backs William Gay and Robert Golden. Golden was also a special-teams stalwart and Pittsburgh's third and final (to date) free-agent signing. Nat Berhe was brought in as his replacement.

So the steady-as-she-goes offseason theme continues for the Steelers, who routinely look for solid depth and established veterans in free agency and eye the draft to restock. Need proof? Take a look at this list of recent first- and second-round picks:

Of those 14 names, 11 are starters or see significant playing time, and are integral to Pittsburgh's continuity and consistency from one year to the next. The plan is to add more names to the list later this month. So what does the Steelers' 2018 NFL Draft to-do list look like?

Finding an inside linebacker is key

Shazier says he wants to play again but any comeback will be long and arduous. Pittsburgh's defense was exposed over the final month of the season, after Shazier was injured, in part because Shazier is such a special talent, but also because there was little depth behind him. (Backup Tyler Matakevich suffered a shoulder injury in the game Shazier was lost and the team was forced to sign Sean Spence off his couch.)

This draft is loaded with talented inside linebackers, though they could all be gone by the time the Steelers go on the clock at No. 28. If that happens, Pittsburgh won't overdraft a player but instead address other needs.

You can never have too many safeties

This might seem like overkill given that the Steelers just signed Burnett. But in today's NFL, where the passing game continues to evolve, defenses are spending more and more time in their nickel and dime packages. And for the Steelers, that means more snaps for more defensive backs. A season ago, the safeties struggled. Mitchell didn't have a turnover and Sean Davis ranked dead last among all safeties, according to PFF. Pittsburgh jettisoned Mitchell but remains high on Davis, the 2016 second-round pick. But even with Davis and Burnett penciled in as the starters, there's little depth behind them; J.J. Wilcox was acquired via trade just before last season but rarely saw the field. Berhe is a special-teamer and Jordan Dangerfield has spent more time on the practice squad than the active roster. 

Find a quarterback sooner rather than later

Roethlisberger just turned 36. Good news: A year after suggesting he might retire, it now sounds like he wants to play 2-3 more years. Bad news: The Steelers will need to find their next franchise quarterback soon. That doesn't necessarily mean they have to do it now, but if a guy they really like is still on the board late in the first round ... well, don't be surprised if it happens. Coach Mike Tomlin had dinner with Lamar Jackson two weeks ago, and the Steelers were at Mason Rudolph's recent pro day.

In related, unsurprising news, Rudolph would love to play for Tomlin and the Steelers.

"Of course you have to get ready to replace [Roethlisberger]," general manager Kevin Colbert recently told NBC Sports. "We've tried to add young quarterbacks into the mix. We've done it with Landry Jones (in 2013), we've done it with Josh Dobbs (in 2017). We've tried to do that just to keep some young guys in the system. But at some point, you may draft a quarterback higher. But as long as you have Ben Roethlisberger playing for you, you're hopefully not in a position where you're going to get one that high. The year we got Ben we were coming off a losing season. And that was very unfortunate — the losing season — but we were very fortunate to get him."

Possibly add a running back

The Steelers were fortunate to land Le'Veon Bell back in 2013, too. But after franchising him this offseason for the second time, it's unclear if the two sides will be able to come to terms on a long-term deal that will keep the NFL's most versatile running back in Pittsburgh beyond 2018. He rushed for 1,291 yards last season to go along with 655 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. And because of that versatility, Bell wants to be paid like more than just a running back -- he wants to be paid like a running back and a pass catcher.

This makes sense on some level, but Bell's reported asking price is so steep that it's almost impossible to think that the Steelers would consider it. NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala said last week that Bell wants $17 million a year. That's Antonio Brown money. By comparison, Bell is set to make $14.5 million in 2018, which is $6.2 million -- or 75 percent -- more than the $8.25 million Devonta Freeman will earn as the league's second-highest-paid back. With that in mind, the Steelers were at Derrius Guice's pro day and could look to add a running back in the draft.

You can never have enough pass rushers

Former first-rounder Bud Dupree hasn't yet lived up to expectations, but he's also battled injuries in two of his first three seasons. The Steelers remain high on his potential and are already in love with what 2017 first-rounder T.J. Watt brings to the defense. But depth at outside linebacker is a concern -- only Anthony Chickallo and Keion Adams are on the depth chart -- and James Harrison, who turns 40 in May, won't be back.

OK, let's get to the Steelers' draft board:

1. Rashaan Evans, ILB, Alabama

It's easy to envision a situation where all the top inside linebackers are long gone but Evans makes a lot of sense for the Steelers. He's either the No. 3 or No. 4 prospect behind Tremaine Edmunds and Roquan Smith, but Evans, as the cliche goes, checks all the boxes. He's drawn comparisons to Lawrence Timmons, the former Steelers linebacker who was Mike Tomlin's first-ever draft pick in Pittsburgh. He's a sideline-to-sideline player, and while he lacks the athleticism of Shazier (like everyone else on Planet Earth), he would bolster the middle of the defense.

2. Leighton Vander Esch, OLB, Boise State

Vander Esch is a physical freak -- he's listed at 6-4, 256 pounds and blazed a 4.65 40-yard dash at the combine. Depending on who you ask, he could go anywhere from 10th to the the bottom of the first round. The biggest issue is his lack of experience; he didn't become a starter until last season. But there's a lot to like, including his ability to blanket receivers in coverage. He would complement Pittsburgh's other inside linebacker, Vince Williams, who is more in the old-school thumper mold.

3. Justin Reid, S, Stanford

The worst thing you can say about Reid is that he does everything well. He doesn't stand out in one particular area but that should be considered a strength. He's smart and instinctive and would likely see plenty of playing time as a rookie (the Steelers didn't hesitate to put Sean Davis and Artie Burns on the field as rookies in '16).

4. Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama

At 6-3, 214 pounds, Harrison is a thumper who's comfortable deep in the secondary or closer to the line of scrimmage. Most mock drafts consider him an early second-round pick, so he should still be available when the Steelers go on the clock.

5. Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State

We could have six quarterbacks drafted in the first round, and depending what happens early -- don't be shocked if the first four players taken are passers -- the Steelers may not come close to having an opportunity to find Roethlisberger's replacement. But should Rudolph be on the board, and Evans and Vander Esch are already gone, Pittsburgh could think long and hard about taking a QB in Round 1 for the first time since 2004. It's obviously not an immediate need, especially since Big Ben could play for several more years, we're just saying this might be the draft it finally happens.

6. Derrius Guice, RB, LSU

There isn't much Guice can't do. And while Penn State's Saquon Barkley is widely considered the draft's best running back, at least one draft analyst, NDT Scouting's Jon Ledyard, ranks Guice as the third-best player in this year's class, four spots ahead of Barkley. "I think Guice is the ideal feature running back, with the vital traits of vision, decisiveness, contact balance and burst ... He's a terrific pass protector with natural hands and good open field elusiveness," Ledyard wrote last week.

The Steelers have been known in recent years for stockpiling and cultivating wide receivers. They could do the same with running back s if they add Guice to a backfield that includes Bell and 2017 third-rounder James Conner.

7. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, EDGE, Oklahoma

Depending on who you ask, Okoronkwo could go as early as the top of the second round or still be waiting on his phone to ring by Day 3. At 6-1, 253 pounds, he's undersized by typical edge rusher standards, but he was a consistent presence in the backfield during his senior season. According to Pro Football Focus, he generated 46 quarterback pressures (10 sacks, five hits, 31 hurries) on 373 pass-rushing snaps. As CBSSports.com draft analyst Chris Trapasso noted, that means on 12.3 percent of those snaps Okoronkwo generated pressure of some kind. By comparison, Bradley Chubb's pressure rate was 13.7 percent. The No. 28 pick may be too high to select Okoronkwo, but keep his name in mind should he still be available when the Steelers are on the clock in Round 2.