Jump to content

My Dream Draft for the Steelers


VanS

Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, FourThreeMafia said:

Yes, you addressed ILB and safety.     EVEN WITH THOSE PICKS...

ILB is still a bigger need than WR (we need 2 new starting ILBs)

S is still a bigger need than WR (while Im sure we give Sean Davis another shot, an upgrade to him is a higher priority that our 4th WR)

OLB to replace Dupree is a much bigger need.

NT to replace Hargrave is a bigger need.

CB in general is a bigger need.    We have 3 starting caliber WRs AS OF RIGHT NOW.....we have MAYBE 1 starting caliber corner.

If Bell leaves, RB is undeniably a bigger need.

We wont take one, but QB of the future is a bigger need.

And beyond that, we need depth at pretty much every position just as bad, if not worse than we need another WR.

You are downplaying the 3rd round as well.    I know its not a high success spot, but there are still quality talents to be found at almost every position.

This is a pretty deep draft.    If WR is BY FAR the best player available when we pick in the 3rd round, given our current circumstance, I would trade down 10-15 spots, pick up and extra 4th or 5th, and if that WR is still there, perhaps take them and grab another player at a position of need.     Im not even a huge fan of that, but if we could at least get another pick out of it, I could deal with it.   If we just straight up take WR in the 3rd round (which I will fully admit is POSSIBLE), I will seriously have to question this teams priorities.   

No, Bryant likely wont be here in 2019, but again....we are in WIN NOW mode until Ben retires.   MEANING....we should be building season to season, trying to put the best product on the field and addressing IMMEDIATE needs......not addressing something that MIGHT be a need a year from now.  

If we are doing that, then like I said, we should trade Ben to a team that is ready to win with the right QB.   How about trading him to the Vikings for Teddy Bridgewater,  Anthony Barr and their 1st round pick?   Then we dont necessarily have to focus on winning now, and a pick like that makes more sense.

PS....the bolded wasnt serious.    Im not chrissyororke.   

I guess I have alot more faith in last year's draft class than you do because I don't see as many glaring needs as you do both in the short term and the future. 

For example, I believe the Steelers have their RB of the future in James Conner.  So even if Le'Veon Bell walks there would be no need to draft another RB that high because Conner is a more than suitable replacement.  I also have faith in Cameron Sutton and Mike Hilton as really good starting caliber DBs (Sutton on the outside and Hilton at nickel).  Artie Burns is a liability that needs to be replaced but I would wait until after next season.  The CB class this year in the draft is not very talented at the top or deep in the mid to late rounds.  In addition, I believe Brian Allen has the potential to be a starting outside corner.  He's got the size, length, and athleticism.  He just needed experience playing the position after starting out as a WR in college.  Also, as crazy as it sounds, I liked the pick of linebacker Keion Adams last year in the 7th round.  He looked like a future starting OLB on tape to me.  At the very least he'll provide valuable depth behind TJ Watt.  With regard to QB, I believe the QB of the future is already on the team in Josh Dobbs.  So if my views turn out to be right, the Steelers would have drafted 7 potential starters/key contributors in last year's draft.

I guess we'll see soon if my faith in the 2017 draft class is warranted because players typically make their biggest leap from Year 1 to Year 2.  So if these players are as good as I believe, they should make a lot of noise next season on the field. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, VanS said:

For what its worth, at this time last year I was also laughed at for having Alvin Kamara ranked as the #1 RB heading into the draft with a player comparison to Marshall Faulk.   Most thought I was crazy to compare a guy who was 2nd string on his college team to a Hall of Fame RB.   Nobody is laughing now about the Alvin Kamara/Marshall Faulk comparison and most would agree that looking back he was the #1 RB from the 2017 Draft.

Now this is not to say my evaluations and rankings are perfect.  I'm just saying I have hit on a bold projection before.  Also, its too early to write off Dobbs, Conner, and Sutton.  Sure they barely played last year.  But in the little bit I saw from them, I thought they showed potential.  For example, James Conner averaged 4.5 YPC last year compared to Bell's 4.0 YPC.  Sure he had way less carries than Le'Veon but still I thought he showed a lot of promise.  Sutton dealt with injuries unfortunately.  But when he did play, I thought he played really well.  He looked great against the Patriots in his only start.  And finally Dobbs.  He definitely looked shaky in the preseason.  But that is to be expected.  I really like his physical tools to be a dynamic dual threat QB in the mold of what Deshaun Watson showed early this past season.  This summer is big for him.  I'll be curious to see how he develops.  Typically if a QB is gonna be a star eventually, he makes a big leap from year 1 to year 2.  If Dobbs is who I think he is, he should make a huge leap this summer.  And his performance in training camp and preseason 2018 should show it.

 

Kamara was a different story and a very difficult evaluation based on what was commonly available to see on him.

I dont dog on Sutton so much, but to have him ahead of Humphrey, Tre'davoius White, Lattimore & Awuzie seems pretty questionable. There were a lot of other guys too like Witherspoon, Conley, Jackson ...I could see him more in the Kazee, Myrick, King, Moreau, Q. Wilson, Tabor , Tankersley and injured Sydney Jones category which is where I had him. Last years CB class was the best I can ever recall seeing. 

I was not really a fan of Dobbs in evaluation. I'd love for him to make Jones extinguishable, but I also would like to see him focusing on ways to get to Mars faster. 

I could see the possible upside of Conner but it was a stretch and felt like a reach for us at the end of round 3. Pre injury Conner was exciting to watch and had exciting potential. Revisiting the same injury his first year doesnt bode well. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, JustPlainNasty said:

Kamara was a different story and a very difficult evaluation based on what was commonly available to see on him.

I dont dog on Sutton so much, but to have him ahead of Humphrey, Tre'davoius White, Lattimore & Awuzie seems pretty questionable. There were a lot of other guys too like Witherspoon, Conley, Jackson ...I could see him more in the Kazee, Myrick, King, Moreau, Q. Wilson, Tabor , Tankersley and injured Sydney Jones category which is where I had him. Last years CB class was the best I can ever recall seeing. 

I was not really a fan of Dobbs in evaluation. I'd love for him to make Jones extinguishable, but I also would like to see him focusing on ways to get to Mars faster. 

I could see the possible upside of Conner but it was a stretch and felt like a reach for us at the end of round 3. Pre injury Conner was exciting to watch and had exciting potential. Revisiting the same injury his first year doesnt bode well. 

 

(1) The only reason people didn't go all-in on Kamara is because he only had a few great games in college and he was a backup for a 9-4 college football team.  Unfortunately most people can't separate college success from pro potential.  This is why every year Heisman Trophy winners are overdrafted in comparison to where in the draft their respective talent warrants (hence the reason most of them end up as busts).  Nothing Alvin did this year was surprising.  He showed all those skills in college.  He just finally had a competent coach that utilized his abilities properly.

(2) Cam Sutton will be a sports example of how the tortoise beats the hare.  I agree with you that many of those other CBs are physically more talented than Cam Sutton.  And some are better right now.  However, the reason I'm so high on Cam Sutton is because of his savvy and intelligence.  The guy is a football savant and film rat.  In the long run, he will end up being the best CB from the 2017 NFL Draft.  I recounted a story I read a few months back on Cam Sutton during the draft interview process.  The Steelers were breaking down some tape with him from his time at Tennessee and were impressed with his ability to know not only his responsibility on one particular play but also the responsibility of every one of his other teammates.  The Steelers coaches thought he just memorized everyone else's responsibility for that one play.  So in an attempt to stump him they fast forwarded to another play in the game and told him to break that play down.  And he did it once again.  He not only knew his responsibility but also everyone else on the defense.  This is the type of intangibles that make me confident in saying Cam Sutton will be the best CB from the 2017 NFL Draft when its all said and done.  He won't be considered the best right now when all those better athletes are in their athletic prime.  But in 2025, 2026, 2027 when all those other guys are out of the league or deep on someone's bench at 30, 31, and 32 years old, Cam Sutton will still be playing at a high level because his success will not be predicated on his physical attributes but rather his preparation and instincts.  He reminds me a lot of Former Eagles All-Pro Eric Allen.  Both guys have similar size and athleticism (of which neither is remarkable).  But Eric Allen was a student of the game and had tremendous instincts.  He was well known for being one of the most prepared players in the NFL.  Its what allowed him to play for a long time and put together what most consider a borderline Hall of Fame career.  I'm confident Cam Sutton will be able to do the same. 

(3) Josh Dobbs is special.  He'll be what most think Deshaun Watson will be.

(4) What hurt James Conner his final year in college was not the meniscus injury to his knee.  It was the cancer.  He started looking like the guy who was the 2014 ACC Player of Year last season.  I was very impressed with his play and thought he got his burst and running ability back.  The injury he had toward the end of the season is minor.  It should not affect him going forward.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, VanS said:

(1) The only reason people didn't go all-in on Kamara is because he only had a few great games in college and he was a backup for a 9-4 college football team.  Unfortunately most people can't separate college success from pro potential.  This is why every year Heisman Trophy winners are overdrafted in comparison to where in the draft their respective talent warrants (hence the reason most of them end up as busts).  Nothing Alvin did this year was surprising.  He showed all those skills in college.  He just finally had a competent coach that utilized his abilities properly.

(2) Cam Sutton will be a sports example of how the tortoise beats the hare.  I agree with you that many of those other CBs are physically more talented than Cam Sutton.  And some are better right now.  However, the reason I'm so high on Cam Sutton is because of his savvy and intelligence.  The guy is a football savant and film rat.  In the long run, he will end up being the best CB from the 2017 NFL Draft.  I recounted a story I read a few months back on Cam Sutton during the draft interview process.  The Steelers were breaking down some tape with him from his time at Tennessee and were impressed with his ability to know not only his responsibility on one particular play but also the responsibility of every one of his other teammates.  The Steelers coaches thought he just memorized everyone else's responsibility for that one play.  So in an attempt to stump him they fast forwarded to another play in the game and told him to break that play down.  And he did it once again.  He not only knew his responsibility but also everyone else on the defense.  This is the type of intangibles that make me confident in saying Cam Sutton will be the best CB from the 2017 NFL Draft when its all said and done.  He won't be considered the best right now when all those better athletes are in their athletic prime.  But in 2025, 2026, 2027 when all those other guys are out of the league or deep on someone's bench at 30, 31, and 32 years old, Cam Sutton will still be playing at a high level because his success will not be predicated on his physical attributes but rather his preparation and instincts.  He reminds me a lot of Former Eagles All-Pro Eric Allen.  Both guys have similar size and athleticism (of which neither is remarkable).  But Eric Allen was a student of the game and had tremendous instincts.  He was well known for being one of the most prepared players in the NFL.  Its what allowed him to play for a long time and put together what most consider a borderline Hall of Fame career.  I'm confident Cam Sutton will be able to do the same. 

(3) Josh Dobbs is special.  He'll be what most think Deshaun Watson will be.

(4) What hurt James Conner his final year in college was not the meniscus injury to his knee.  It was the cancer.  He started looking like the guy who was the 2014 ACC Player of Year last season.  I was very impressed with his play and thought he got his burst and running ability back.  The injury he had toward the end of the season is minor.  It should not affect him going forward.

 

Im pretty aware of the circumstances around all of those prospects going into the draft. It had little to do with Tennessee's record and just the fact that there wasnt a lot of tape on him. Even with what there was, there were only glimpses, like half sentences. There was a good bit of buzz about him leading up the draft, so its not like he was unknown, just more of a shot in the dark. This team once found a running back prospect that was used even less than Kamara, it usually helps to have some information from people around the program. 

Im surprised your not talking about John Kelly. He's a very intriguing prospect that is currently riding below the radar.

Obviously you have some inclination towards Tennessee. Its good to know your home team or school.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, VanS said:

(1) The only reason people didn't go all-in on Kamara is because he only had a few great games in college and he was a backup for a 9-4 college football team.  Unfortunately most people can't separate college success from pro potential.  This is why every year Heisman Trophy winners are overdrafted in comparison to where in the draft their respective talent warrants (hence the reason most of them end up as busts).  Nothing Alvin did this year was surprising.  He showed all those skills in college.  He just finally had a competent coach that utilized his abilities properly.

(2) Cam Sutton will be a sports example of how the tortoise beats the hare.  I agree with you that many of those other CBs are physically more talented than Cam Sutton.  And some are better right now.  However, the reason I'm so high on Cam Sutton is because of his savvy and intelligence.  The guy is a football savant and film rat.  In the long run, he will end up being the best CB from the 2017 NFL Draft.  I recounted a story I read a few months back on Cam Sutton during the draft interview process.  The Steelers were breaking down some tape with him from his time at Tennessee and were impressed with his ability to know not only his responsibility on one particular play but also the responsibility of every one of his other teammates.  The Steelers coaches thought he just memorized everyone else's responsibility for that one play.  So in an attempt to stump him they fast forwarded to another play in the game and told him to break that play down.  And he did it once again.  He not only knew his responsibility but also everyone else on the defense.  This is the type of intangibles that make me confident in saying Cam Sutton will be the best CB from the 2017 NFL Draft when its all said and done.  He won't be considered the best right now when all those better athletes are in their athletic prime.  But in 2025, 2026, 2027 when all those other guys are out of the league or deep on someone's bench at 30, 31, and 32 years old, Cam Sutton will still be playing at a high level because his success will not be predicated on his physical attributes but rather his preparation and instincts.  He reminds me a lot of Former Eagles All-Pro Eric Allen.  Both guys have similar size and athleticism (of which neither is remarkable).  But Eric Allen was a student of the game and had tremendous instincts.  He was well known for being one of the most prepared players in the NFL.  Its what allowed him to play for a long time and put together what most consider a borderline Hall of Fame career.  I'm confident Cam Sutton will be able to do the same. 

(3) Josh Dobbs is special.  He'll be what most think Deshaun Watson will be.

(4) What hurt James Conner his final year in college was not the meniscus injury to his knee.  It was the cancer.  He started looking like the guy who was the 2014 ACC Player of Year last season.  I was very impressed with his play and thought he got his burst and running ability back.  The injury he had toward the end of the season is minor.  It should not affect him going forward.

 

Im pretty aware of the circumstances around all of those prospects going into the draft. It had little to do with Tennessee's record and just the fact that there wasnt a lot of tape on him. Even with what there was, there were only glimpses, like half sentences. There was a good bit of buzz about him leading up the draft, so its not like he was unknown, just more of a shot in the dark. This team once found a running back prospect that was used even less than Kamara, it usually helps to have some information from people around the program. 

Im surprised your not talking about John Kelly. He's a very intriguing prospect that is currently riding below the radar.

Obviously you have some inclination towards Tennessee. Its good to know your home team or school.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, JustPlainNasty said:

Im pretty aware of the circumstances around all of those prospects going into the draft. It had little to do with Tennessee's record and just the fact that there wasnt a lot of tape on him. Even with what there was, there were only glimpses, like half sentences. There was a good bit of buzz about him leading up the draft, so its not like he was unknown, just more of a shot in the dark. This team once found a running back prospect that was used even less than Kamara, it usually helps to have some information from people around the program. 

Im surprised your not talking about John Kelly. He's a very intriguing prospect that is currently riding below the radar.

Obviously you have some inclination towards Tennessee. Its good to know your home team or school.

 

He's currently my #4 rated RB behind Saquon Barkley, Rashaad Penny, and Ronald Jones II.  I have him just ahead of Mark Walton (Miami).  I think he'll be a very good NFL RB.  I've compared him build and skill set to that of Priest Holmes.  Tough runner with good pass catching potential.  He won't wow you with his athleticism but he'll be a very effective pro.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, VanS said:

He's currently my #4 rated RB behind Saquon Barkley, Rashaad Penny, and Ronald Jones II.  I have him just ahead of Mark Walton (Miami).  I think he'll be a very good NFL RB.  I've compared him build and skill set to that of Priest Holmes.  Tough runner with good pass catching potential.  He won't wow you with his athleticism but he'll be a very effective pro.

 

Just cause I'm wondering where does Sony Michel, Nick Chubb, Derrius Guice, Kerryon Johnson fall in your rankings. All guys who are universally rated above John Kelly. Also because I'm intrigued of your rankings system. Could you just post your positional rankings?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, JPeezy55 said:

Just cause I'm wondering where does Sony Michel, Nick Chubb, Derrius Guice, Kerryon Johnson fall in your rankings. All guys who are universally rated above John Kelly. Also because I'm intrigued of your rankings system. Could you just post your positional rankings?

RB is the deepest position group in this year's draft IMO.  Just cause I don't have those guys in the top 5, doesn't mean I don't like them or don't think they'll be really good starting caliber RBs in the league.  I'm different than most people in my evaluations in that I don't put a lot of emphasis on college success (whether real or perceived) and I don't follow the herd on where I rank guys.  Most people like to look at stats and they also give way too much credit to guys who have big college profiles.  I just watch the tape and see if the guy has the skills to be successful on an average NFL team.

When it comes to RBs, I look for only 1 skill.  Can you create yardage for yourself?  I'm not a guy who cares about your 40 speed.  I don't care how many yards or TDs you ran for in college.  I wanna see if the blocking isn't perfect can you make people miss or break tackles.  Because its guys who can make something out of nothing that are more likely to succeed at the next level.  Unlike college where a lot of the top RBs on the top teams have better talent around them than their opponent more often than not, in the NFL not everyone will play behind an offensive line that's gonna create large alleys every other play.  So creating extra yardage from breaking tackles or making people miss is critical to me.  So my top prospects tend to be guys with tremendous balance and powerful legs to break tackles as well as the slipperiness to make people miss.  This is one of the reasons I valued Kamara so much last year.  I saw him get more yardage than was blocked for.  He could always break tackles with his incredible balance and he had this slipperiness that made him impossible for one guy to bring down.  I see the same ability (though not quite as good as Kamara) in John Kelly.  He's got tremendous balance, he makes people miss, and he gets extra yards that are not necessarily always blocked for.  Plus he's a good receiver out of the backfield (which is a huge plus in today's NFL).

Here are my current RB rankings:

  1. Saquon Barkley (Penn State) - NFL comp: Fred Taylor
  2. Rashaad Penny (San Diego St.) - NFL comp: Curtis Martin
  3. Ronald Jones II (USC) - NFL comp: Jamaal Charles
  4. John Kelly (Tennessee) - NFL comp: Priest Holmes
  5. Mark Walton (Miami)
  6. Bo Scarbrough (Alabama)
  7. Sony Michel (Georgia)
  8. Derrius Guice (LSU)
  9. Nick Chubb (Georgia)
  10. Kallen Ballage (Arizona St.)
  11. Kerryon Johnson (Auburn)
  12. Jordan Wilkins (Ole Miss)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, JPeezy55 said:

Just cause I'm wondering where does Sony Michel, Nick Chubb, Derrius Guice, Kerryon Johnson fall in your rankings. All guys who are universally rated above John Kelly. Also because I'm intrigued of your rankings system. Could you just post your positional rankings?

At the moment I have Kelly ahead of Michel & Chubb.  Barkley, Guice, Kelly, Jones, Ballage, Michel, Penny then Chubb (you have to take into account the injury history with Chubb). I think you'll hear more and more buzz about Kelly as things go on. 

Penny reminds me of Thomas Jones' game. Very solid, hits the hole fast and hard, finishes runs hard, but not very dynamic in todays game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...