Draft discussion

Draft Week is finally here. Who do you think the Steelers will pick? Who do you want them to pick?

As I've often said, I don't watch college football, so I'm useless in draft discussions and rely on the opinions of others. Personally, I'd like to see us go CB in Round 1.

CB
OL
DL
LB

Either one of those positions in the first round.

Quote :

Steelers won't trade up, but could move down in Thursday's NFL draft

By Alan Robinson

The Steelers won't trade up in the first round but they could trade down and they will be happy with whatever pick they get at No. 15 overall because they've graded 19 players as being worthy of such a choice.

That was Kevin Colbert's synopsis of one of the most important draft picks the team will make during his 14 years as general manager -- one that if successful could help accelerate the Steelers' bounce-back from successive 8-8 records.

Colbert reiterated Monday at a news conference with coach Mike Tomlin that this is the deepest draft class he can remember in 30 years of pro football, and that the Steelers could get at No. 15 a player worthy of a No. 7 or No. 8 pick in the past.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/6061440-74/steelers-colbert-draft#ixzz30rjraIpJ
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DL

I have to admit, I don't know much about the draft so I can't contribute much to this discussion.

As a matter of fact, the only name I really am familiar with is Clowney. We do need to concentrate on the D for sure, in my opinion.

Most of the mocks I looked at show us picking CB(Denard) but if he is there I think Louis Nix will be tempting. He just looks like the Casey Hampton type. But I too don't know enough about this subject so I guess this is all I got.

Quote :

Wide receiver vs. cornerback a decision for Steelers

By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

They compete on most every play in a football game, much of it one-on-one. Receiver versus cornerback; one wants to catch the ball, the other wants to prevent him from doing so.

That competition might very well have taken place in the draft room at the Steelers training facility for weeks. Cornerback versus receiver, which one do they draft in the first round?

It is a good time for the Steelers to be needy at cornerback and wide receiver, because the prospects at both positions are plentiful in numbers and quality in this draft.

They need to get much better at both positions and can start doing so Thursday night. But if those are their two biggest needs, in what order might they draft them? Wide receiver in the first round, then cornerback in the second? Or cornerback in the first round and wide receiver next?

And they also need linebackers and defensive linemen, but if it does come down to wide receiver against cornerback, as it does on the field, which do they pick first?

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2014/05/07/NFL-draft-Wide-receiver-vs-cornerback/stories/201405070160#ixzz3106K3Cq6

Defense wins championships

I have always wanted them to draft Louis Nix but I'm betting we probably go with a corner. Definitely will be getting something on the defensive side of the ball.

I really want a WR, but CB is most likely.

Steeltown beatdown wrote:

I really want a WR, but CB is most likely.

Just curious why WR over CB?

It would be hard to pass on Gilbert or Dennard if they are still on the board. This draft has the feel of the draft 2 years ago when everyone (myself included) thought LB Hightower would be taken and DeCastro fell in the Steelers lap. So it may come down to a great player that somehow drops to them. Gilbert shouldn't be on the board when they draft, but if he drops, they should take him. If both Gilbert and Dennard are off the board, I think they could trade back and still get Fuller. That kid plays with a lot of spunk and grit.

Defensive line probably won't happen at 15 either. There's just not the talent after the first couple players come off the board to use a 15 pick on. Nix isn't Casey Hampton and with is knee injury last year, he'll most likely still be on the board when the Steelers pick in round 2 (I wouldn't take him there either). If the Steelers trade down in round 1 and Hageman is still sitting on the board, I could see that pick happening (or even if he's still there in round 2). Tuitt might also be a good round 2 DE choice.

Mosely might be tempting, but I think people are under appreciating the value that Vince Williams added at the end of the season last year. So I don't think that's a huge need to pick a round 1 as an ILB. Barr would be interesting, but again, OLB isn't a huge hole given Jones and Worilds as starters.

For safety, they have Mitchell and brought back Will Allen. So I don't see that being a round 1 pick either.

Aside from Evans falling (which I have a hard time believing he will fall to the Steelers), there really isn't a WR that should be picked at 15. You can get the same level of skill in round 2 that you would get with a WR sitting at round 1 #15.

I discount OL in round1, but again, if a stud drops (as DeCastro did) it doesn't mean it's a bad pick.

I don't see TE, even though Ebron has talent. But a TE that can't block really doesn't fit the Steelers style.

They don't need a round 1 QB or RB ... so on offense it's either WR or an OL that falls.

Corner back is the greatest need on this team. I'm not seeing 2 solid starters on the current roster. Gilbert, Dennard or Fuller have the skills to potentially play this year (not necessarily start) and one of those guys should still be on the board at 15. So I'm thinking CB as their first pick.

Oh, and you guys that say you don't have enough experience to predict draft picks ... your guess is as good as Mel Kiper's.  

kirklandrules wrote:

Oh, and you guys that say you don't have enough experience to predict draft picks ... your guess is as good as Mel Kiper's.  

Throwing darts is as accurate as Mel Kiper.   

Wallace108 wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Oh, and you guys that say you don't have enough experience to predict draft picks ... your guess is as good as Mel Kiper's.  

Throwing darts is as accurate as Mel Kiper.   

I'm assuming the dart thrower is blindfolded?  

kirklandrules wrote:

I'm assuming the dart thrower is blindfolded?  

  

Yep. And never watched a football game.

Well, I've been saying all during the offseason that we need a CB in the first round. Nothing has happened to change my mind. But we know the Steelers will jump on a player at another position if he falls to them. So barring an unexpected player falling into their lap, I'm expecting CB in Round 1.

Steelers select OSU line backer Ryan Shazier. Well, I didn't see that one coming.

Wallace108 wrote:

Steelers select OSU line backer Ryan Shazier. Well, I didn't see that one coming.

And neither did 99.9% of the football world. Don't you love the complete silence for 3 seconds after the pick when the panel didn't know what to say. It's the case of best available player that suites some type of need for them ... can never get enough LBs on this defense.

This guy is incredibly fast and loves contact.

The Steelers sure do like OSU players. Shazier is the third OSU player we've taken in the first round in the past 8 years.

Could Shazier be the next Carnell Lake ... convert to safety? I don't know his exact size, but he looks undersized for an NFL linebacker.

He's 238 lbs, so he's not too small. It will be interesting to see where they line him up. He could play ILB or OLB. Not sure if they want him at safety. He's a play maker in the middle of the field that can rush the QB.

How many times did you see a defender just an inch away from tipping a pass or sacking the QB. This guy has the speed to make those plays.

I was half joking about converting him to safety (although the thought did legitimately cross my mine). I've seen Shazier play in a handful of games, and I do like him. I just didn't like him at 15 when we had more immediate needs. But the more I think about it, I'm liking the pick a little more. My guess is that they would have taken Fuller if he was still available. When the Bears took Fuller, the Steelers went with what they felt was the best player available rather than immediate need (which is the way they always draft). Having Shazier play alongside Timmons would eliminate the need to have Troy constantly play near the line like another linebacker. Shazier can do what Troy does at the line (well, no one can do what Troy does, but you know what I mean). So in a way, this pick might actually help our pass rush, run defense, and our secondary by allowing Troy to play more like a safety than a linebacker.

stlrtruck wrote:

Steeltown beatdown wrote:

I really want a WR, but CB is most likely.

Just curious why WR over CB?

The thinking was that one of these top notch receivers would still be available at 15 and we could get a corner through FA or we'd go cb if Watkins and Evans were gone. We went LB. Do not like the pick. We have more pressing needs than a LB.

Steeltown beatdown wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

Steeltown beatdown wrote:

I really want a WR, but CB is most likely.

Just curious why WR over CB?

The thinking was that one of these top notch receivers would still be available at 15 and we could get a corner through FA or we'd go cb if Watkins and Evans were gone. We went LB. Do not like the pick. We have more pressing needs than a LB.

I agree that we certainly had more pressing needs than LB.

I don't love the pick, but I also don't hate it. I'm optimistic about Shazier. The one thing I don't like is that we took him at 15. We could have traded down. As for not taking a CB, my guess is that they felt the remaining CBs were a reach at 15, and they can get comparable talent later.

When we drafted Heyward, I was ready to throw my remote through the TV. Now I'm loving the Heyward pick.   

At the end of the day, the Steelers' front office knows a hell of a lot more than we do, and it's hard to argue with their success. Yeah, we still need a CB. And we'll get one.

Saw a report that the Cowboys were on the phone with Shazier's agent telling him they planned to take him at 16. The Steelers clocked him at 4.4 and other teams had him at 4.35 in the 40. As more teams try to spread the field and beat you with their fast offenses, you need guys on defense that can cover a lot of ground.

This pick feels like an upgrade of the Sean Spence pick. What did we like about Spence? He was fast and explosive. Shazier is bigger and faster than Spence and is the difference between a 3rd round pick (Spence) and a 1st round pick (Shazier).

kirklandrules wrote:

Saw a report that the Cowboys were on the phone with Shazier's agent telling him they planned to take him at 16.

If that's true, then it's a good thing they didn't trade down like I suggested.  

I thought he was a late first round or early second round pick. But as I've stated many times, my knowledge of college players isn't very reliable.