Hitman Mock 1.0 1-26-18

[Steeler Hitman]

I have never done a mock this early and typically do not like to without having a lot of information and had a chance to watch video and thoroughly research. Excuses aside (LOL), here is my shot at improving the Steelers to help them win SB 53.

Round One - - Rashaan Evans  6'3 235 ILB  Alabama - - Immediate help inside, but hopefully won't have to start immediately especially if a free agent ILB is signed. He is help for later in the year and years to come. I honestly anticipate his stock going up and he probably won't be available, but as of today, he looks like he may be in this range or the Steelers may even move up a few spots to get good LB help inside.

Round Two - - Vita Vea NG 6'5 344 Washington - - I liked Danny Shelton a few years back and I hope that the de-emphasis  on the NG position helps us a la the kid from Baylor a few years ago who went from a number one to the fourth round.  We need help inside and have struggled with our base since the days of Casey Hampton. He helps Javon Hargraves be solid in penetrating the opposing OL when we go BIG Nickel and I do mean big. Teams like the Bears, Ravens, Packers and Jacksonville gashed us because we could not stop the run. This gives the defense more flexibility and allows us to be stout up the middle similar to the old days when the Ravens had Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams and the Jaguars had John Henderson and Marcus Stroud. While Hargraves is not as heavy, you have a guy who penetrate and another in Vita who can tie up blockers and the combo keeps our LB's clean to roam to the ball and make tackles.

Round Three - - Devon Bellamy OLB 6'5 245 UGA - - Tall and lean, a bit stiff as a pass rusher, but has upside and is an adept special teams player and kick blocker.  Not sure if he will fall to this range or move up a round or even two after the Combine and pro days.  He would be a bargain here.  Insurance and depth at OLB. I still believe that Dupree and Chikello will get better and contribute more going forward.

Round Four - - Kyzir White SS 6'2 215 WVU - - A similar piece to Sean Davis, but a better tackler and probably not as fast and athletic as Davis, but reminds me of Ryan Clark in style (probably not as instinctive).  Would be a good fit with Davis as our safeties are interchangable and we need depth and competition. He is more of an in the box type of safety that will thump ball carriers. Pass defense is adequate, but helps toughen our defense up the middle and in the Nickel.

Round Five - - Jordan Whitehead FS  5'10 195 Pitt - -Hoping that he learned from his early season suspension for disciplinary reasons.  He could be a raw gem.  He left school early and his stock his down, but he would be a steal here.  With proper coaching  and maturing, he could be a solid piece for our defense for years to come.

Round Six - - Greg Stroman  6' 180 CB/PR/KR VA Tech - - I love VA Tech special team guys as they are well coached and schooled in special teams.  Stroman is a CB, but an under-rated but solid KR and PR guy.  He helps our special teams instantly, although we thought that about Cam Sutton as well. He improved each year as a punt return man and average 11.3 yards and scored 2 TD's including a 91 yard return as a senior. We finally get AB off of PR's and have another dynamic guy to put next to Ju Ju on Kick-off returns.  He is also pretty durable despite his size.

Round Seven - - Brian Allen C 6'2 305 Michigan State - - Big McNasty at Center to develop and have as an extra insurance policy should something happen to BJ. He can work on his pass blocking with Coach Munchack, but he will scrap in the running game and is a guy who could develop into a starting caliber OC.

My thought is to strengthen the middle of the defense.  I went higher than many would with a NG type, but I believe that if we can shut down the run our defense improves greatly. We then force more obvious pass situations, where I think it can help the pass rush and secondary improve as well. I am banking on improvements from Bud, TJ and Chikello to help the pass rush, but added insurance with Devin Bellamy who is a project as well. I improved the return game and added depth and competition at safety. Our secondary rarely played well together and many times seemed lost and out of place.  I would also like to see more attacking of loose and tipped passes.  It is great to have a a strong offense, but as we have seen with the Broncos of a few years ago, Defense wins the Super Bowl. Stop the run in December, January and February and generate a solid pass rush and you keep your opponents offense off of the field. With a key veteran free agent signing at ILB and perhaps a FS/SS this draft class could help eliminate some weaknesses and bring back splash plays on defense. Thoughts????

 

[warfelg]

I think Evans is going to be gone by the time we pick, and Vita is getting 1st round love now.

[jebrick]

I think Vea is gone before pick 20 whic is impressive for a run stuffer.  Might I suggest looking at Tim Settle DT Clemson :-)

[Steeler Hitman]

That is why I typically hate doing thee now because of the yo-yo effect of players going up and down.  We remember how William Jackson started out a second round prospect and then was thought to be a target of the Giants who ended up taking Eli Apple, who was falling according to many draft experts.  It is hard to tell right now. My thought with Vita is that there is not a lot of love for the big nasty's who are not 10 sack DT's.  I have been saying that we need a NG type for our defense and we play so much Nickel anyway, this would allow us to Hybrid our 3-4 and Nickel some. Whether it is Vita or someone else, we need a big run stuffer up front to toughen us up the gut.

[Steeler Hitman]

1 minute ago, jebrick said:

I think Vea is gone before pick 20 whic is impressive for a run stuffer.  Might I suggest looking at Tim Settle DT Clemson :-)

My friend you are a draft guru in my book and any suggestions are welcome, especially right now. I do know the name Tim Settle, and I believe he is from VA Tech. I thought he was an underclassman though?

[jebrick]

you are correct.  He is from VT.  He is coming out.  He is a man child.  A better judge of talent than me compared him to Cortez Kennedy.  I like what I see in him.  Huge upside.

One that I like but would not fit for as a NT for the Steelers is Nathan Shepherd, Fort Hays State.  Will be one of the better 3-tech in this draft.

Poona Ford,  Texas,  is going to be one to watch.  5'11 and has a 80' wingspan.

 

[MOSteelers56]

I wouldn't enjoy Vita Vea in the 1st but if he's there in the second, they better be sprinting to the podium. I hope Evans falls to us in the first, as I think he's almost exactly what we need on defense. I'd like to see a little more on the safeties. Both of yours look more like SS prospects. I'm a big Jessie Bates(Wake Forest) fan. 

If we can someone swing those first two picks our defense would be GREATLY improved. @jebrick I'd like to check out the NT you're always talking up. 

[jebrick]

I would accept him in the 1st because he is such a talent.  I just do not think he will be there.  I am totally unexcited about the safety class.  Harrison is the best to hope for and he could be a JAG in 3-4 years.  It will be a good/decent year for EDGE rushers that the Steelers should like. Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest, is one I would roll the dice on.  Great technique and hands. Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State and Jeff Holland,  Auburn are two I am going to try and watch more film.

 

If Evans and Smith are gone I hope the Steelers get LVE

[MOSteelers56]

18 minutes ago, jebrick said:

I would accept him in the 1st because he is such a talent.  I just do not think he will be there.  I am totally unexcited about the safety class.  Harrison is the best to hope for and he could be a JAG in 3-4 years.  It will be a good/decent year for EDGE rushers that the Steelers should like. Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest, is one I would roll the dice on.  Great technique and hands. Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State and Jeff Holland,  Auburn are two I am going to try and watch more film.

 

If Evans and Smith are gone I hope the Steelers get LVE

What's your take on Edmunds the ILB?

[jebrick]

I fear his speed.  His last 40 was 4.82  Now I am not sure when that was taken.  Could have been at the beginning of this year or last year.  But that is slow.  I think he will be like Shazier in that he reacts faster than he thinks. and takes many false steps.  He is also like Shazier in that he dips his head when tackling( sometimes).  Shazier ran a 4.38 40 and had an unbelievable 6.91 3-cone drill.  I do not think  Edmunds gets close to those numbers.  I would compare him to Timmons in his rookie year.

 

Basically, I want him to calm my fears and run  a better 40.  I would not trust him as a Mack but he has what Tomlin likes.

[3rivers]

NT could help if we played more base 3-4, but how many % of snaps did we play 3-4 anyways? I still see that as a ways down on the priority list since as of now we have no edge outside of Watt, then  ILB, S, then CB (in that order if relying on draft alone)  if sutton doesn't much burns as burns is getting his last chance or should be.  

I would rank CB behind edge, but just sign Grimes at CB and then  Haden+Grimes at CB   and no need to rely on draft and expect a rookie to start and play at a high level. When was the last time the tomlin regime drafted a CB that started and played at a high level? 

[Steeler Hitman]

1 hour ago, 3rivers said:

NT could help if we played more base 3-4, but how many % of snaps did we play 3-4 anyways? I still see that as a ways down on the priority list since as of now we have no edge outside of Watt, then  ILB, S, then CB (in that order if relying on draft alone)  if sutton doesn't much burns as burns is getting his last chance or should be.  

I would rank CB behind edge, but just sign Grimes at CB and then  Haden+Grimes at CB   and no need to rely on draft and expect a rookie to start and play at a high level. When was the last time the tomlin regime drafted a CB that started and played at a high level? 

We do not stay in base 3-4 a lot and are in Nickel probably 60% of the time. However, my question is (rhetorical) how did you like our run defense?  Despite playing Nickel, we could also play a hybrid 3-4 which is basically a 4-3. Despite being a more traditional NG type, we can use a big body next to Hargraves. He is getting eaten up in the running game and is playing out of position at least 35% of the time. Many say no, no, no to NG high, but if we can get a talent that can do what Casey Hampton did, why not?

 

Brent Grimes is too old and probably too expensive. We have Burns, Hayden, Sutton, Hilton, and Allen.  Allen is an unknown and yes, we could potentially use another good CB, but I would rather sign a more moderately priced veteran that is younger than 33 or 34. The CB in my mock is definitely developmental, but he is a return specialist who upgrades our punt and KOR game. If I would spend money on a CB, I would go after Malcolm Butler. Problem is that we still have to sign Bell and Boz.  Butler will be looking to make a decent wage, I am guessing a minimum of $5 million and he will want a long term deal I am sure.I would love to take a player from the Patriots though. 

When was the last time the Tomlin regime drafted a great OLB? There is depth in this class on the edge. Drafting 28, you rarely get a gem down that low. You generally end up reaching for a second rounder early or going after a player a round too early based on your draft position. We generated better pressure at the beginning of the season and despite getting some sacks later in the season and leading the league, I don't think we got as good of a pass rush the second half and  it was non existent against Jacksonville. Bigger issue to me is our inability to stop the run. We were too soft up the gut, even with a healthy Shazier.

I wouldnt mind a veteran like Connor Barwin who could come in as a pass rush specialist like the Eagles and Pats did Long.

[3rivers]

1 hour ago, Steeler Hitman said:

We do not stay in base 3-4 a lot and are in Nickel probably 60% of the time. However, my question is (rhetorical) how did you like our run defense?  Despite playing Nickel, we could also play a hybrid 3-4 which is basically a 4-3. Despite being a more traditional NG type, we can use a big body next to Hargraves. He is getting eaten up in the running game and is playing out of position at least 35% of the time. Many say no, no, no to NG high, but if we can get a talent that can do what Casey Hampton did, why not?

 

Brent Grimes is too old and probably too expensive. We have Burns, Hayden, Sutton, Hilton, and Allen.  Allen is an unknown and yes, we could potentially use another good CB, but I would rather sign a more moderately priced veteran that is younger than 33 or 34. The CB in my mock is definitely developmental, but he is a return specialist who upgrades our punt and KOR game. If I would spend money on a CB, I would go after Malcolm Butler. Problem is that we still have to sign Bell and Boz.  Butler will be looking to make a decent wage, I am guessing a minimum of $5 million and he will want a long term deal I am sure.I would love to take a player from the Patriots though. 

When was the last time the Tomlin regime drafted a great OLB? There is depth in this class on the edge. Drafting 28, you rarely get a gem down that low. You generally end up reaching for a second rounder early or going after a player a round too early based on your draft position. We generated better pressure at the beginning of the season and despite getting some sacks later in the season and leading the league, I don't think we got as good of a pass rush the second half and  it was non existent against Jacksonville. Bigger issue to me is our inability to stop the run. We were too soft up the gut, even with a healthy Shazier.

I wouldnt mind a veteran like Connor Barwin who could come in as a pass rush specialist like the Eagles and Pats did Long.

you noticed this too, but sooner or later the coaches might as well. I can't believe that he is that bad vs the run but appears to be much better for rushing the passer.  Our run D should be a priority, but the pass D is probably more important if that could possibly make sense.  I think we need help at many levels  on the D, but will it get help?

Grimes would be for say 2 years, to help until we find legit youth as burns hasn't shown to be a good starter yet ( but some blame safeties and I am not ruling that out either)

Barwin could be like what Harrison is I suppose I agree that proven older players can still contribute, just on a snap count. 

 

[43M]

I like the positions.   Dont know much about the players, so I wont comment.

[VigilantZombie]

Love the first two picks, neither one of them will make it beyond the Top 15-20 picks in the draft.