Steelers: 30 Official Pre-Draft Visits Allowed

Report: Alabama CB Cyrus Jones To Visit Steelers

BY ALEX KOZORA APRIL 7, 2016

Another pre-draft visitor. Another defensive back. Aaron Wilson is reporting Alabama corner Cyrus Jones is being brought in for a visit this weekend.

That would make Jones the 16th prospect to visit, and the 12th defensive back. Standing under 5’10, 196 pounds, Jones started 34 total games for the Crimson Tide. In his career, he picked off seven passes and forced four fumbles while being an excellent punt returner.

to read rest of article:

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2016/04/report-alabama-cb-cyrus-jones-visit-steelers/

Alex Kozora ‏@Alex_Kozora

Steelers have now visited with 15 of their allotted 30 pre-draft visitors. 11 of them have been in the secondary. #Steelers

https://twitter.com/Alex_Kozora?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

The visit list just makes me think that they would not pick a DB in the first round but would pick whoever available in the second and third round.

Steelers Visit With Four More Defensive Players On Friday

BY DAVE BRYAN APRIL 8, 2016

The Pittsburgh Steelers were busy entertaining four more pre-draft visitors on Friday and today’s list included three defensive lineman and another defensive back.

Maryland defensive end Quinton Jefferson, South Carolina State defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, Northwestern defensive end Dean Lowry and Mississippi safety Trae Elston all visited with the Steelers on Friday.

Hargrave, who measures in at 6-1, 309-pounds, had 59 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks in 2015, along with 11 quarterback hits. Steelers defensive line coach John Mitchell was present for Hargrave’s March pro day as well.

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2016/04/steelers-visit-four-defensive-players-friday/

By Mark Kaboly  | Monday, April 11, 2016, 2:15 p.m.
The Steelers on Monday had their most productive day in terms of pre-draft visitors considering the amount and quality of players they hosted.

The Steelers brought in eight players, including potential first-rounders in West Virginia safety Karl Joseph and Mississippi defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche.

Also visiting were cornerbacks Cyrus Jones (Alabama) and Ken Crawley (Colorado); safeties Justin Simmons (Boston College) and Sean Davis (Maryland); linebacker Dadi Nicholas (Virginia Tech) and wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (South Carolina).

Read the rest of the article here:

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/10290505-74/steelers-joseph-draft

Two more defensive backs visit Steelers

Posted by Zac Jackson on April 19, 2016

The Steelers hosted three draft prospects Tuesday, and two of them have something in common with many of the team’s previous pre-draft visitors.

They’re defensive backs. The Steelers are taking a look at lots of them.

In Tuesday were Texas A&M cornerback Brandon Williams, Michigan safety Jarrod Wilson and Utah running back Devontae Booker. The Steelers had previously hosted some of the draft’s top defensive backs — both safeties and cornerbacks — including Ohio State’s Vonn Bell, Florida’s Keanu Neal, West Virginia’s Karl Joseph, Alabama’s Cyrus Jones and Boise State’s Darian Thompson.

Williams was one of the fastest players at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, posting a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash. He played both offense and defense and returned kicks in his college career.

Wilson is a late-round safety prospect who had his best college season last fall. Booker was a productive running back at Utah who’s battled some injury issues, and the Steelers figure to add a young back at some point in this draft to play behind Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams.

The Steelers have now hosted 29 of their 30 allotted pre-draft visitors.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/04/19/two-more-defensive-backs-visit-steelers/

Chris Adamski ‏@C_AdamskiTrib

Of the Steelers' 29 official pre-draft visitors:
24 on defense
17 in the secondary
11 safeties

https://twitter.com/C_AdamskiTrib?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

I have all 30 of the draft visitors neatly tucked into a free eBook, for those interested:
http://www.steelcityunderground.com/guides/steel-city-undergrounds-2016-draft-preview/

You can debate on some of these DB's being classified as CB or S, but here's my final counts:

Safety: 10
Cornerback: 8
Defensive Line: 6
Linebacker: 1
Offensive Line: 2
Wide Receiver: 2
Running Back: 1

Also have a collaboration with another blogger, and we both think KC is passing on CB in the first round, unless it's WJ3: http://www.steelcityunderground.com/2016/04/19/duel-opinions-who-do-the-steelers-choose-with-their-top-draft-pick/

My thoughts on the 30 visits:

1.  Very few of the 30 are even considered first round picks.  Nobody projected to go in the top 15 was brought in, and the only ones even being mocked in the first are Nkemdiche, A'Shawn Robinson, Jeremy Cash, Keanu Neal, Karl Joseph, and Von Bell.  Those six guys are all being mocked in the 2nd round just as often as the first, so the first pick is really looking like anybody's guess. We always fantasize as fans about trading back and gaining picks, but if these visits are any indication that may be under serious consideration.

2.  On the same note, ZERO early round CB's were brought in.  Not only were none of the first round guys visits, but none of the second round guys either.  Highest-regarded CB I see on that list is Cyrus Jones.

If the visits mean anything, which I'm not sure they do, what this indicates is that we will NOT be drafting CB before the third round and we will probably draft a safety that will be considered a "reach" by many at 25.

PhantomJB93 wrote:

My thoughts on the 30 visits:

1.  Very few of the 30 are even considered first round picks.  Nobody projected to go in the top 15 was brought in, and the only ones even being mocked in the first are Nkemdiche, A'Shawn Robinson, Jeremy Cash, Keanu Neal, Karl Joseph, and Von Bell.  Those six guys are all being mocked in the 2nd round just as often as the first, so the first pick is really looking like anybody's guess.  We always fantasize as fans about trading back and gaining picks, but if these visits are any indication that may be under serious consideration.

2.  On the same note, ZERO early round CB's were brought in.  Not only were none of the first round guys visits, but none of the second round guys either.  Highest-regarded CB I see on that list is Cyrus Jones.

If the visits mean anything, which I'm not sure they do, what this indicates is that we will NOT be drafting CB before the third round and we will probably draft a safety that will be considered a "reach" by many at 25.

I don't think a guy has to have visited the facility to be drafted. Steelers had meetings, went to dinner with William Jackson and Mackensie Alexander at their pro days, so they had some time. That being said, those visits might have revealed something that made them take those kids off their draft board, or they could have been satisfied and not needed to bring in for an official visit.

They have a few glaring needs, so I think they will go BPA at 25, and if that happens to be a pass rusher at OLB instead of a CB, so be it. I still think we see a Safety in the first 3 rounds.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

PhantomJB93 wrote:

My thoughts on the 30 visits:

1.  Very few of the 30 are even considered first round picks.  Nobody projected to go in the top 15 was brought in, and the only ones even being mocked in the first are Nkemdiche, A'Shawn Robinson, Jeremy Cash, Keanu Neal, Karl Joseph, and Von Bell.  Those six guys are all being mocked in the 2nd round just as often as the first, so the first pick is really looking like anybody's guess.  We always fantasize as fans about trading back and gaining picks, but if these visits are any indication that may be under serious consideration.

2.  On the same note, ZERO early round CB's were brought in.  Not only were none of the first round guys visits, but none of the second round guys either.  Highest-regarded CB I see on that list is Cyrus Jones.

If the visits mean anything, which I'm not sure they do, what this indicates is that we will NOT be drafting CB before the third round and we will probably draft a safety that will be considered a "reach" by many at 25.

I don't think a guy has to have visited the facility to be drafted.  Steelers had meetings, went to dinner with William Jackson and Mackensie Alexander at their pro days, so they had some time.  That being said, those visits might have revealed something that made them take those kids off their draft board, or they could have been satisfied and not needed to bring in for an official visit.

Exactly ... Dupree didn't visit last year, although I think the Steelers felt there was no way in hell he would drop to them. Of the names on Phantom's list, Robinson is the only one that I think they would target at 25.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

[They have a few glaring needs, so I think they will go BPA at 25, and if that happens to be a pass rusher at OLB instead of a CB, so be it.  I still think we see a Safety in the first 3 rounds.  

Funny how there usually is someone who fills a position of need that drops to them.

kirklandrules wrote:

Funny how there usually is someone who fills a position of need that drops to them.

When guys like Shamarko Thomas, Jarvis Jones, Cortez Allen don't work out, you will have positions of need.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Funny how there usually is someone who fills a position of need that drops to them.

When guys like Shamarko Thomas, Jarvis Jones, Cortez Allen don't work out, you will have positions of need.  

That's the part that sucks. They draft someone they think will hold that position for years to come, only to find out they whiffed and still have that need. The Steelers had several years of success, not because they hit on every round of every draft. But because they hit enough picks and kept that core group together that they didn't have more than one need a year. And sometimes they filled that need in FA.

But I'm with you Gonz, I'm far more optimistic for this year than I've been in the past 4 years. As bad as I thought their secondary was last season, they still didn't give up a ton of points. And I don't think they're going to get worse. And as much as their OLBs didn't wrack up a ton of sacks, the overall defense did. Somehow the coaches got their guys to win.

kirklandrules wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Funny how there usually is someone who fills a position of need that drops to them.

When guys like Shamarko Thomas, Jarvis Jones, Cortez Allen don't work out, you will have positions of need.  

That's the part that sucks. They draft someone they think will hold that position for years to come, only to find out they whiffed and still have that need. The Steelers had several years of success, not because they hit on every round of every draft. But because they hit enough picks and kept that core group together that they didn't have more than one need a year. And sometimes they filled that need in FA.

But I'm with you Gonz, I'm far more optimistic for this year than I've been in the past 4 years. As bad as I thought their secondary was last season, they still didn't give up a ton of points. And I don't think they're going to get worse. And as much as their OLBs didn't wrack up a ton of sacks, the overall defense did. Somehow the coaches got their guys to win.

The secondary just needed a few stops and the Seattle game should have been a W. So too with a couple others. I think we will see that Boykin plays nickel in Carolina well and should have seen more field here last season. That is on the coaches for not playing him and it costing the team.

Bring on Golson, Cockrell in year 2 with the Steelers, plus an upgrade in the safety spot hopefully and we will see what Grant or another Rookie brings as well. Upgrade the positions of Blake and Will Allen and the secondary is improved quickly IMO.

They need to come out of this draft with a Starting CB and Safety, or Drafting LB's all day is useless because the ball will be gone before they can get in there for a sack

BKAnthem wrote:

They need to come out of this draft with a Starting CB and Safety, or Drafting LB's all day is useless because the ball will be gone before they can get in there for a sack

They need guys in the front 7 who can put pressure on the QB or it won't matter who the corners are.

As for the draft board, yes, Bud Dupree was a very last minute look last year. I think it became apparent he could slide and they went for the Pro Day and dinner deal. I want to say it was about 10 days out.

The 30 guys the did visit, none of the corners project high. Conversely, they looked at every top rated corner.

They also looked at some of the top DT's too. Billings was another dinner guy like Dupree was. He and Robinson can play DE too and could spell Heyward/Tuitt and give them an option where the sub package guy doesn't come off the field just because it's a passing down, giving Heyward/Tuitt a breather. That would be huge and Colbert said as much in his press conference today.