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Pre-Playoff Mock...


MDSteeler1971

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If the Steelers were at Josh Allen's bowl game because they were interested in him, they'll love him now.  He was fantastic in that game.  His coach also coached Carson Wentz at NDSU.  He looks like Carson Wentz 2.0.  I also saw the Iowa game where he flashed ability a few times, but overall looked very bad because his team was very outclassed.  

I think you have to pick up an ILB earlier than that.  Maybe a FA?  It's not a good LB draft.  Roquan does look good to me, but he'd require that 1st rounder to be used on him.  It also doesn't address OLB at all, and Dupree just doesn't cut it.  That's why I took Hubbard in 1 in my sim.  Hubbard and Watt make a good bookend OLB duo.  

Parris Campbell looks more like a RB than a WR.....yes I had him in mine too, but after that last game I saw he appears to be more of a RB than WR.  Idk about him. 

Sony Michel that late is a steal.  


Overall, even though LB isn't addressed adequately, I like it because I am willing to gamble on Josh Allen after seeing that bowl game, and you got some good value picks like Michel and Goedert.  I know people who have season tickets to SDSU football games and they rave about Goedert.  My old football teammate is one of those guys who raves about him.....he played college ball himself and is a sports fanatic, so he knows a thing or two about what he's seeing and talking about.  

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I think the need for an OLB is overblown. Our defense has changed quite a bit since the days of Woodley and Harrison. We have stud pass rushers in the middle now. Watt and Dupree only need to keep the QB from escaping the pocket. Interior pressure is far and away more effective anyway. Dupree is fine, our OLB's are fine. 

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24 minutes ago, MOSteelers56 said:

I think the need for an OLB is overblown. Our defense has changed quite a bit since the days of Woodley and Harrison. We have stud pass rushers in the middle now. Watt and Dupree only need to keep the QB from escaping the pocket. Interior pressure is far and away more effective anyway. Dupree is fine, our OLB's are fine. 

Dupree doesn't do much though.  I understand that we don't have pure pass rushers at OLB anymore and the DL is more 1-gap, pass rushing oriented.  That doesn't mean Dupree's lack of impact is excusable though.  40 tackles (only 31 solos), 6 sacks, 1 PDef, 0 FF.  That's a career season for him too!  You think that is worth re-signing?  I'm not so sure.  

Contrast his production to Watt's.  54 tackles (40 solo), 7 sacks, 7 PDef, 1 INT, 1 FF.  He's about 2 years younger and a rookie, and way out producing Dupree.  So in 15 games, 15 starts, he had 14 more tackles, 9 more solo tackles, 6 more PDef, 1 more INT and 1 more FF.  There's no comparing the 2.  Now compare Dupree's rookie stats to Watt's:  16 games, 5 starts, 26 tackles (17 solo), 4 sacks, 1 PDef.  That's it.  

You either need to get 2 guys, more dynamic like Shazier in the middle, or upgrade to get more production outside opposite Watt if you want the D to be elite again.  Or a safety that can do it all like Harrison Smith or Troy Polamalu (good luck finding that).  

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28 minutes ago, Magnus-Viktor said:

Dupree doesn't do much though.  I understand that we don't have pure pass rushers at OLB anymore and the DL is more 1-gap, pass rushing oriented.  That doesn't mean Dupree's lack of impact is excusable though.  40 tackles (only 31 solos), 6 sacks, 1 PDef, 0 FF.  That's a career season for him too!  You think that is worth re-signing?  I'm not so sure.  

Contrast his production to Watt's.  54 tackles (40 solo), 7 sacks, 7 PDef, 1 INT, 1 FF.  He's about 2 years younger and a rookie, and way out producing Dupree.  So in 15 games, 15 starts, he had 14 more tackles, 9 more solo tackles, 6 more PDef, 1 more INT and 1 more FF.  There's no comparing the 2.  Now compare Dupree's rookie stats to Watt's:  16 games, 5 starts, 26 tackles (17 solo), 4 sacks, 1 PDef.  That's it.  

You either need to get 2 guys, more dynamic like Shazier in the middle, or upgrade to get more production outside opposite Watt if you want the D to be elite again.  Or a safety that can do it all like Harrison Smith or Troy Polamalu (good luck finding that).  

You can't compare Watt and Dupree.  Watt came in much more polished than Dupree.  At this point some of yall got me hoping Dupree goes Vrabel on us.

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29 minutes ago, Magnus-Viktor said:

Dupree doesn't do much though.  I understand that we don't have pure pass rushers at OLB anymore and the DL is more 1-gap, pass rushing oriented.  That doesn't mean Dupree's lack of impact is excusable though.  40 tackles (only 31 solos), 6 sacks, 1 PDef, 0 FF.  That's a career season for him too!  You think that is worth re-signing?  I'm not so sure.  

Contrast his production to Watt's.  54 tackles (40 solo), 7 sacks, 7 PDef, 1 INT, 1 FF.  He's about 2 years younger and a rookie, and way out producing Dupree.  So in 15 games, 15 starts, he had 14 more tackles, 9 more solo tackles, 6 more PDef, 1 more INT and 1 more FF.  There's no comparing the 2.  Now compare Dupree's rookie stats to Watt's:  16 games, 5 starts, 26 tackles (17 solo), 4 sacks, 1 PDef.  That's it.  

You either need to get 2 guys, more dynamic like Shazier in the middle, or upgrade to get more production outside opposite Watt if you want the D to be elite again.  Or a safety that can do it all like Harrison Smith or Troy Polamalu (good luck finding that).  

If Dupree craps the bed next year, I'll agree with you. He was as raw as anyone coming out. He's been dinged up his whole career. Usually I agree that 3 seasons is enough to determine if someone has "it." I don't believe this with Dupree.  

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3 hours ago, MOSteelers56 said:

If Dupree craps the bed next year, I'll agree with you. He was as raw as anyone coming out. He's been dinged up his whole career. Usually I agree that 3 seasons is enough to determine if someone has "it." I don't believe this with Dupree.  

 

I know he was raw and has been dinged up a lot.  That's why I compared his 3rd year to Watt's rookie.  Dupree is a guy that isn't horrible, but it certainly hasn't clicked for him just yet.  Part of my desire for another OLB is much needed depth along with my belief that Watt could be a good ILB in the mold of Chad Brown.  So it covers 2 bases in essence.  I felt we needed at least one linebacker before the Shazier injury.  Now I feel the Steelers need at least 2 linebackers.  I don't see much promise out of any of them except Watt.  A few guys could be "serviceable" starters, but that's about it.  

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3 hours ago, warfelg said:

You can't compare Watt and Dupree.  Watt came in much more polished than Dupree.  At this point some of yall got me hoping Dupree goes Vrabel on us.

Define Dupree going Vrablel on us??  Going to another team and becoming a good player there?  Why would you ever want that?

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8 hours ago, MOSteelers56 said:

I think the need for an OLB is overblown. Our defense has changed quite a bit since the days of Woodley and Harrison. We have stud pass rushers in the middle now. Watt and Dupree only need to keep the QB from escaping the pocket. Interior pressure is far and away more effective anyway. Dupree is fine, our OLB's are fine. 

 dupree isn't fine, but Watt is and he will get better.  If we had either Harrison or Woodley from 07-11, this D would be much improved. Safety is still an area that needs to be addressed but to accept our edge rush isn't the way , or is it? We had 56 sacks, many probably garbage variety, but if we had a good edge rusher, we could have had 70 , then more turn overs, less pats scored, make teams one dimensional etc.

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Well, you know I've said for years and years that the way to an elite defense is by having a stud safety.  It seems to be the trademark of elite defenses.  That safety that defies normal safety duties and is able to cover more, blitz more, stuff the run more, etc.  Polamalu is what made the D elite before.....he was that X-Factor.  The same way that Shazier was now, since he had 4.3 speed at the LB position.  Harrison Smith got a league-high regardless of position 98.8 grade from PFF this year, and he's one of those do it all safeties that puts the #1 defense (#1 scoring, #1 yardage, #2 rush yards, #2 pass yards....like old Steeler defenses used to be) over the top.  If you can get a guy like that, or even just elite cover corners and safeties making the QB hold the ball longer, it would mitigate the need for a better OLB as well.  Hard to say who that guy would be in this year's draft, but that type of player is what I'd be looking for.  Sam Hubbard is that TJ Watt type guy at OLB.  Idk who the guy would be at S.  Last year was the year to take a DB.  I really wanted Chidobe Awuzie, Ahkello Witherspoon, maybe Obi Melifonwu and Marcus Williams, and Brian Allen, among others.  Most of those guys went before pick 62, and I wouldn't have taken any of them over TJ.  I would've taken Witherspoon over JuJu for sure.  Not too sure anymore though!  I like JuJu.  The WR I would've taken was Cooper Kupp, who had a similar statistical rookie season to JuJu.  Budda Baker was a guy who I liked to watch, but he was a bit small for my liking....he did make the pro bowl as a STer as a rook though.  Is this year's version of him Jordan Whitehead?  Tedric Thompson (yes, I watch Colorado more than most) is another one, whose measurables dinged him a bit, but his ball production was really good.  The real steal though, was Desmond King.  I think he'd be a better S than CB due to lack of length and speed, but he's 200+ and one hell of a football player.  I had him pegged as the best DB in the nation his junior year.  He tore it up this year.  16 games, 4 starts, 76 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 PDef, 1 INT returned 90 yards for a TD.  Dude is a baller.....And he went in 5....disgusting that they took Dobbs over him.    

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