Steelers 2024 NFL Draft Prospects

[jebrick]

6 hours ago, warfelg said:

You still have plenty to go off of. Is the ball being put in catch and run situation, what’s the footwork like, what’s the mechanics, are they moving on from what’s not there, can they identify the right things presnap and pre-motion. 

And your MVP came from a gimik offense. The best QB in the NFL came from one. Josh Allen came from a run heavy offense. 

I’m sorry but when you scout you can’t use the offense someone plays in as a tool of determining the players ability. You have to look at what they do within the structure of the play. Reason why so many air raid QBs in NCAA couldn’t get drafted is they have terrible footwork, threw lollipops, struggled throwing to the wide side of the field. 

This makes me think back to the whole Manziel/Evans debate. Everyone said take Manziel high because it’s a pro offense and he does all the things you are saying you can’t see in a gimmick offense - I was on the train Manziel would bust and Evens would be great because all those good Manziel played were finished by Evans making a spectacular catch, despite being open sooner. 

I use the offense if it is not showing what needs to be seen. Mechanics can be fixed ( Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson) Those two were drafted on pure hope.  They were both boom/bust draft picks.  How many boom/bust draft picks boom?  Allen and Jackson were their offenses in college.  Pure athleticism on display and good arms.  Lets gamble.

What does throwing to receivers who have a 5 yard cushion show?  I expect high school Qbs to make that throw.  If the college offense is not showing what needs to be seen then you are drafting with higher risk.  Now you are into how much risk are you willing to take and can you handle the failure?

Mahomes came from a gimmicky offense but you could see he made the throws and could make reads.  Hell, Roethlisberger came from a spread offense which could be considered gimmicky but he showed he could make the tight throws and put a team on his back.

McCarthy is tricky and hard to evaluate.  He average 142 ypg.  Vs Penn St, he threw 8 passes.  He is a risk because you still are not sure what you have.  Is he a boom/bust?  What is his floor?  It is crazy to talk about a potential 1st round pick and not have a clear idea of what he might be able to do.  That is the risk.  someone will take it.  I hope it is not the Steelers.

Edited February 9 by jebrick

[warfelg]

3 minutes ago, jebrick said:

What does throwing to receivers who have a 5 yard cushion show? 

In a vacuum nothing.  But is the WR breaking stride?  Is it on the mask or numbers or hip?  Is it arching there or flat?  Is the nose up, down, or level?  How's the ball spinning? Did they throw it in rhythm or off a hitch? What route was ran and what was the pass to it like?  Was the ball coming our before, during, or after the break?

What can look like a simple pass and catch on the surface has so much more going on under the surface.

I don't think McCarthy is hard to evaluate in that aspect.

Hes a tough evaluation from what does he do with a muddled pocket?  Didn't see a ton of that.  What's his arm like with off platform throws? He barely did that.  Is he escape the rush athletic or create positive from negative athletic?  Those are my questions.

8 minutes ago, jebrick said:

He average 142 ypg.  Vs Penn St, he threw 8 passes.

So you penalize him as a prospect from the above when you evaluate "how good is he" on this scale.  What I want to know as a scout/coach would be how many more passes were called that he checked at the line.  Were there any RPO's (I didn't watch the PSU game) that he gave when both were open but the run was more there.  Did he move blockers into better places.  How was his pre-snap player recognition.

[JustPlainNasty]

8 hours ago, jebrick said:

Herbert was in a gimmicky offense.  Not as bad as Tennessee's offense but in the same boat.  It is hard to judge QBs from gimmicky offenses.  i would also say the Herbert has been the media darling in the NFL.  He has arm talent and elevates his team but has not show that he is as special as many talking heads have made him out to be.

 

For all of the college QBs, you have to ignore the stats and watch the film.  Problem with McCarthy is that he was on such a good team that he was rarely asked to do much.  We have not really seen him under pressure.  Most of his passes are to wide open checkdowns.  Does he make the pass?  Yes.  Has a much better showing then Penix in accuracy and consistency.  It is enough of the unknown to push him into the 2nd tier IMHO.

Id argue about the pressure, that right tackle got beat worse than most tackles you will ever see. It was almost unbelievable how often and quick that pressure was coming off that right side. The Penn State game upon review it made me so happy and sad at the same time to see that defense play so well and so fast. If they only had a qb that wasnt like a big baby deer they really should've beat Michigan that day uggh but defenses can only hold up so long before a crack is found with 4 minutes left in the game...history of Penn State in big games over the last 10 years pretty much. (but i digress)

The pressure wasn't just against Penn State it was pretty much every game or competitive one. 

His location accuracy is probably better than any of the top prospects in this class, and its really good in general. He makes layered throws and he has a slingshot for an arm (its a good thing, for me it means he can rip some darts in places mid distance). Id say his mechanics and footwork are better than anybody in this class in regards to consistency by a good margin. 

If Harbaugh would've stayed I wouldve recommended he stayed just to get more exposure and experience but I dont have much problem with anything Ive seen in 5 games now : Rutgers, at Minnesota, at Penn State, Ohio State & Alabama.  

 

Edited February 9 by JustPlainNasty

[armsteeld]

Think piece: Would you rather sign Michael Onwenu in free agency or draft Jackson Powers Johnson? Onwenu, 26 years old, is 6'3 350 playing Center but is also able to play Guard. You could then use that draft capital differently. Thoughts?

[warfelg]

12 minutes ago, armsteeld said:

Think piece: Would you rather sign Michael Onwenu in free agency or draft Jackson Powers Johnson? Onwenu, 26 years old, is 6'3 350 playing Center but is also able to play Guard. You could then use that draft capital differently. Thoughts?

I would pass on Onwenu in this concept for JPJ, but maybe Andre James

[MOSteelers56]

4 hours ago, armsteeld said:

Think piece: Would you rather sign Michael Onwenu in free agency or draft Jackson Powers Johnson? Onwenu, 26 years old, is 6'3 350 playing Center but is also able to play Guard. You could then use that draft capital differently. Thoughts?

I don’t think Onwenu has played center. I think he’s a G/T not a G/C. 

[Ward4HOF]

Came across this name Khristian Boyd Northern Iowa University - NT/DT, measured in at 6'2" 320 at either the Shrine or Senior Bowl, but anyway, made a bit of a splash, likely vaulting him into a early-to-mid Day 3 selection. 

Watched a video with a bit of interview of him, and seems like a well-spoken guy, with teammates speaking to his leadership as Captain. 

He's a 6th-year Senior, so older, which likely keeps him in Day 3, I'd suspect.  Anyway, anyone who follows these bowls batter than I do, have any thoughts or insight?

Edited February 11 by Ward4HOF

[armsteeld]

Coach Tomlin has a relationship with this guy. He is a people mover. IOL is something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Fill your roster with quality players not just position flexible players.

[MOSteelers56]

Have we talked about Cooper Dejean from Iowa yet? He's a really interesting CB. Great size, great athleticism, great versatility. He could be a heck of a running mate with JPJ. He's good in zone, press and off-man. I think he could be a real good get for us, depending on how the board shakes out. 

[jebrick]

18 minutes ago, MOSteelers56 said:

Have we talked about Cooper Dejean from Iowa yet? He's a really interesting CB. Great size, great athleticism, great versatility. He could be a heck of a running mate with JPJ. He's good in zone, press and off-man. I think he could be a real good get for us, depending on how the board shakes out. 

I think his future is safety but YMMV

[MOSteelers56]

20 minutes ago, jebrick said:

I think his future is safety but YMMV

I think he's got the athleticism to stick at CB. But even if he does make the switch, I think he'd be a very good safety. He's a great run defender too.

[warfelg]

45 minutes ago, MOSteelers56 said:

Have we talked about Cooper Dejean from Iowa yet? He's a really interesting CB. Great size, great athleticism, great versatility. He could be a heck of a running mate with JPJ. He's good in zone, press and off-man. I think he could be a real good get for us, depending on how the board shakes out. 

H’s gonna be a safety at the NFL level because of the versatility.

[mwalker]

4 hours ago, warfelg said:

H’s gonna be a safety at the NFL level because of the versatility.

chess piece. very solid player.

[armsteeld]

This guy does excellent breakdowns and doesn't follow the norm. He has done a video of almost every position group in which he chooses his top position players.

 

[3rivers]

On 2/10/2024 at 7:44 AM, armsteeld said:

Think piece: Would you rather sign Michael Onwenu in free agency or draft Jackson Powers Johnson? Onwenu, 26 years old, is 6'3 350 playing Center but is also able to play Guard. You could then use that draft capital differently. Thoughts?

Will ONwenu be a good C in Smith's offence?  People are saying how good JPJ will be in general, and I expect the eagles to draft him.

I look at it and think 2 OL this year and to go with what you ask:

if they get Onwenu in UFA, then get RT in the draft

if they get RT in UFA (Brown) then get C in the draft

we don't want or need  throw aways and fringe players on the OL anymore.  It's time to get Legit top tier type players to complete the OL

 

Whats the expected salary for  Onwenu? I would expect the cap space will be available.