Are we going CB #1 again?

We're looking for a different kind of corner......one who can catch the damn ball.

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/03/05/Steelers-NFL-combine-cornerbacks-Greedy-Williams-Deandre-Baker-Byron-Murphy/stories/201903050117

What we need is to make whatever pick @ #1 whether it's ILB, OLB or CB we need to hit pay dirt for a change.

personally i think ILB is and has been the biggest need since shazier went down. atually i thought it was a need even with shazier. i am not a fan of vince williams as a starter.and i certainly don't think bostic is any better. i doubt either would be a starter for any other team in the league unless they are desperate. they are both slow and terrible in coverage and NEVER give you that...WOW.. moment like Troy or shazier did.

but i agree with Dave ^ , they gotta go BPA at one of those positions , WITHOUT...A REACH LIKE THEY DID WITH BURNS AND EDMUNDS, which apparently only the steelers had graded that high. i believe most of the talking heads had them graded as late 2nd or 3rd round picks.
the proof that colbert and company are slipping lately , was colbert saying they had a first round grade on Rudolf, who nobody even wanted after 75 picks. who knows how long he would have lasted , but the fact that he couldn't even pass dobbs on the depth chart is telling.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

personally i think ILB is and has been the biggest need since shazier went down. atually i thought it was a need even with shazier. i am not a fan of vince williams as a starter.and i certainly don't think bostic is any better. i doubt either would be a starter for any other team in the league unless they are desperate. they are both slow and terrible in coverage and NEVER give you that...WOW.. moment like Troy or shazier did.

but i agree with Dave ^ , they gotta go BPA at one of those positions , WITHOUT...A REACH LIKE THEY DID WITH BURNS AND EDMUNDS, which apparently only the steelers had graded that high. i believe most of the talking heads had them graded as late 2nd or 3rd round picks.
the proof that colbert and company are slipping lately , was colbert saying they had a first round grade on Rudolf, who nobody even wanted after 75 picks. who knows how long he would have lasted , but the fact that he couldn't even pass dobbs on the depth chart is telling.

Jury is still out on Rudolph. Dobbs had more experience with the system, and we all knew Rudolph would be a little raw coming out of Oklahoma State playing so much Shotgun and almost never being under center. Patrick Mahomes didn't start his first season either. I expect Rudolph to compete with Dobbs for the #2 spot come training camp.

I'm looking forward to seeing Rudolph on the field with Washington at WR. They worked pretty good together in college. I also look forward to the competition between Dobbs and Rudolph for the #2 job.

solardave wrote:

I'm looking forward to seeing Rudolph on the field with Washington at WR. They worked pretty good together in college. I also look forward to the competition between Dobbs and Rudolph for the #2 job.

indeed. i wish tomlin would change the preseason format for 2nd and 3rd games and give them both a chance to play an entire game to get a good sample size as to their progression. playing a quarter or even a half and only getting a few possessions , where hand offs tell you nothing, isn't telling enough. i wanna see em both throw 30 times a game to different receivers, especially the starters.
only playing with and against guys who are not even going to make a roster is a waste of time. they need to run with the big dawgs , and play against the big dawgs.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

solardave wrote:

I'm looking forward to seeing Rudolph on the field with Washington at WR. They worked pretty good together in college. I also look forward to the competition between Dobbs and Rudolph for the #2 job.

indeed. i wish tomlin would change the preseason format for 2nd and 3rd games and give them both a chance to play an entire game to get a good sample size as to their progression. playing a quarter or even a half and only getting a few possessions , where hand offs tell you nothing, isn't telling enough. i wanna see em both throw 30 times a game to different receivers, especially the starters.
only playing with and against guys who are not even going to make a roster is a waste of time. they need to run with the big dawgs , and play against the big dawgs.

I know right. The way preseason is now they might as well do away with it altogether and go to an 18 game season.
A good example is a guy like Adeniyi. A lot of us thought he should have gotten more playing time based on preseason only to be reminded the Olineman he did good against were either 3rd stringers or watching on their couch when the season started. At least let each one start with the condition that they'll play one half but if they do well it could be the entire game. Then let them throw the ball all over the yard.
It's a given we're going to have new faces at WR and that would give these new WRs game experience with whoever wins the #2 QB competition. At Ben's age it's safe to say the likelihood of him missing time goes up. Then there's the fact that Munch is gone so there's a big question mark there. Give both Dobbs and Rudolph a fair chance to play with the "big dawgs"!

solardave wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

solardave wrote:

I'm looking forward to seeing Rudolph on the field with Washington at WR. They worked pretty good together in college. I also look forward to the competition between Dobbs and Rudolph for the #2 job.

indeed. i wish tomlin would change the preseason format for 2nd and 3rd games and give them both a chance to play an entire game to get a good sample size as to their progression. playing a quarter or even a half and only getting a few possessions , where hand offs tell you nothing, isn't telling enough. i wanna see em both throw 30 times a game to different receivers, especially the starters.
only playing with and against guys who are not even going to make a roster is a waste of time. they need to run with the big dawgs , and play against the big dawgs.

I know right. The way preseason is now they might as well do away with it altogether and go to an 18 game season.
A good example is a guy like Adeniyi. A lot of us thought he should have gotten more playing time based on preseason only to be reminded the Olineman he did good against were either 3rd stringers or watching on their couch when the season started. At least let each one start with the condition that they'll play one half but if they do well it could be the entire game. Then let them throw the ball all over the yard.
It's a given we're going to have new faces at WR and that would give these new WRs game experience with whoever wins the #2 QB competition. At Ben's age it's safe to say the likelihood of him missing time goes up. Then there's the fact that Munch is gone so there's a big question mark there. Give both Dobbs and Rudolph a fair chance to play with the "big dawgs"!

the knock on small school players is always they play against inferior competition. then they go to preseason and still only line them up against inferior competition ... ...they have an idea coming from camp on who looks to have potential and who doesn't. if you got guys who look like men playing against boys, like they do in small schools , then give them a shot in preseason to line up against men instead of camp bodies. its common sense i'd think.

and in other news, reports are AB ruined a trade deal they had worked out with buffalo ...

CB or LB is a safe bet.

Wallace108 wrote:

CB or LB is a safe bet.

seems like we've been saying that for 7 or 8 years...

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

CB or LB is a safe bet.

seems like we've been saying that for 7 or 8 years...

A safe bet only if neither is ranked 2 rounds below where we pick them and yeah it seems like we've been saying this for ever.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

CB or LB is a safe bet.

seems like we've been saying that for 7 or 8 years...

Yep. I wish the Steelers could judge cornerbacks the way they do receivers. Every year they draft a good receiver in late rounds, yet they haven't drafted ONE good cornerback since Ike. You and I could scout CBs for them and literally couldn't do any worse. And I don't even watch much college football.

Wallace108 wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

CB or LB is a safe bet.

seems like we've been saying that for 7 or 8 years...

Yep. I wish the Steelers could judge cornerbacks the way they do receivers. Every year they draft a good receiver in late rounds, yet they haven't drafted ONE good cornerback since Ike. You and I could scout CBs for them and literally couldn't do any worse. And I don't even watch much college football.

Agreed, although I'm hopeful the secondary is making a comeback under Bradley. I've questioned our secondary coaching for a few years, because at some point, you'd accidentally land a decent corner. Seemed that for quite some time they were grinding through DBs while other teams would get a no-name off the street who would wind up in the Pro Bowl. Bradley comes in and in 1 year the secondary improved ... and wouldn't you know it, Coty-no-name-Sensabaugh is a starting CB. I'm hoping/thinking things may be a-changin' for that group.

Oh, back on topic, they may very well go CB in the first. There will be a decent CB at the 20th spot.

My favorite for this draft is still Germaine Pratt ILB. Unfortunately, he's probably not a 20th pick but most likely will not be there for the Steelers in the 2nd. He's a former Safety and very good in coverage. He also would have led the ACC in tackles last year had he not sat out the last game of the season with an ankle injury. He's played at 240 lbs, but I'd take him and get him down to 230 lbs.  Watch film on that kid. It's amazing that almost every time he makes a hit, the ball carrier goes backwards. There are a few plays it literally looks like the running back hits a brick wall. He gives no ground.

kirklandrules wrote:

Oh, back on topic, they may very well go CB in the first. There will be a decent CB at the 20th spot.

My favorite for this draft is still Germaine Pratt ILB. Unfortunately, he's probably not a 20th pick but most likely will not be there for the Steelers in the 2nd. He's a former Safety and very good in coverage. He also would have led the ACC in tackles last year had he not sat out the last game of the season with an ankle injury. He's played at 240 lbs, but I'd take him and get him down to 230 lbs.  Watch film on that kid. It's amazing that almost every time he makes a hit, the ball carrier goes backwards. There are a few plays it literally looks like the running back hits a brick wall. He gives no ground.

good chance devin bush may be there at #20.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Oh, back on topic, they may very well go CB in the first. There will be a decent CB at the 20th spot.

My favorite for this draft is still Germaine Pratt ILB. Unfortunately, he's probably not a 20th pick but most likely will not be there for the Steelers in the 2nd. He's a former Safety and very good in coverage. He also would have led the ACC in tackles last year had he not sat out the last game of the season with an ankle injury. He's played at 240 lbs, but I'd take him and get him down to 230 lbs.  Watch film on that kid. It's amazing that almost every time he makes a hit, the ball carrier goes backwards. There are a few plays it literally looks like the running back hits a brick wall. He gives no ground.

good chance devin bush may be there at #20.

I'd like to see a trade up to the top 10. Get ONE GREAT player. Devin White (not a fan of Devin Bush), or Greedy Williams.

nine vegetable wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Oh, back on topic, they may very well go CB in the first. There will be a decent CB at the 20th spot.

My favorite for this draft is still Germaine Pratt ILB. Unfortunately, he's probably not a 20th pick but most likely will not be there for the Steelers in the 2nd. He's a former Safety and very good in coverage. He also would have led the ACC in tackles last year had he not sat out the last game of the season with an ankle injury. He's played at 240 lbs, but I'd take him and get him down to 230 lbs.  Watch film on that kid. It's amazing that almost every time he makes a hit, the ball carrier goes backwards. There are a few plays it literally looks like the running back hits a brick wall. He gives no ground.

good chance devin bush may be there at #20.

I'd like to see a trade up to the top 10.  Get ONE GREAT player.  Devin White (not a fan of Devin Bush), or Greedy Williams.

I agree about White and Williams. I'm curious what your thoughts are on Bush. I know he's undersized and that's a knock on him. Here is highlights of Germaine Pratt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8RGHWjMCc0

Pretty impressive kid.

To hell with it, let's go
RB - WR - QB in the first three rounds


Just kidding, we need defense!

stlrtruck wrote:

To hell with it, let's go
RB - WR - QB in the first three rounds


Just kidding, we need defense!

you joke but it wouldn't surprise me if we made a punter our #1 at this point.

solardave wrote:

nine vegetable wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Oh, back on topic, they may very well go CB in the first. There will be a decent CB at the 20th spot.

My favorite for this draft is still Germaine Pratt ILB. Unfortunately, he's probably not a 20th pick but most likely will not be there for the Steelers in the 2nd. He's a former Safety and very good in coverage. He also would have led the ACC in tackles last year had he not sat out the last game of the season with an ankle injury. He's played at 240 lbs, but I'd take him and get him down to 230 lbs.  Watch film on that kid. It's amazing that almost every time he makes a hit, the ball carrier goes backwards. There are a few plays it literally looks like the running back hits a brick wall. He gives no ground.

good chance devin bush may be there at #20.

I'd like to see a trade up to the top 10.  Get ONE GREAT player.  Devin White (not a fan of Devin Bush), or Greedy Williams.

I agree about White and Williams. I'm curious what your thoughts are on Bush. I know he's undersized and that's a knock on him. Here is highlights of Germaine Pratt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8RGHWjMCc0

Pretty impressive kid.

I'm certainly no draft expert but I'm afraid he's going to get blocked too much at the NFL level. Not great at shedding blocks. Again I'm not an expert.

Pratt looks good on tape, its looks like he's good at finding the seam on blitzes, I was looking to see him shed blocks as well but didn't see it. I might've missed it though. I like what I see on tape though.

Here's where I'm slow to critique the Steelers' scouts: I know they are far more knowledgeable than me. I liked the Shazier pick for instance but I had no idea how good he was going to be. That was a phenomenal pick at 20. On the other hand, there's Burns. Not a good value. Jury still out on Edmunds, I think he's got a shot at being good. All scouts miss on some picks. I stumbled on a Patriots* site one time (believe me, it was a total accident) and the chat was all about how poorly the Pats* draft. Yup, you heard that right. They had to rely on trades because they miss so often on the draft board. all of them miss - there's no way not to.

nine vegetable wrote:

solardave wrote:

nine vegetable wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Oh, back on topic, they may very well go CB in the first. There will be a decent CB at the 20th spot.

My favorite for this draft is still Germaine Pratt ILB. Unfortunately, he's probably not a 20th pick but most likely will not be there for the Steelers in the 2nd. He's a former Safety and very good in coverage. He also would have led the ACC in tackles last year had he not sat out the last game of the season with an ankle injury. He's played at 240 lbs, but I'd take him and get him down to 230 lbs.  Watch film on that kid. It's amazing that almost every time he makes a hit, the ball carrier goes backwards. There are a few plays it literally looks like the running back hits a brick wall. He gives no ground.

good chance devin bush may be there at #20. [smiley]https://2img.net/u/3315/14/51/45/smiles/677999948.gif[/smiley]

I'd like to see a trade up to the top 10.  Get ONE GREAT player.  Devin White (not a fan of Devin Bush), or Greedy Williams.

I agree about White and Williams. I'm curious what your thoughts are on Bush. I know he's undersized and that's a knock on him. Here is highlights of Germaine Pratt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8RGHWjMCc0

Pretty impressive kid.

I'm certainly no draft expert but I'm afraid he's going to get blocked too much at the NFL level. Not great at shedding blocks. Again I'm not an expert.

Pratt looks good on tape, its looks like he's good at finding the seam on blitzes, I was looking to see him shed blocks as well but didn't see it. I might've missed it though. I like what I see on tape though.

Here's where I'm slow to critique the Steelers' scouts: I know they are far more knowledgeable than me. I liked the Shazier pick for instance but I had no idea how good he was going to be. That was a phenomenal pick at 20. On the other hand, there's Burns. Not a good value. Jury still out on Edmunds, I think he's got a shot at being good. All scouts miss on some picks. I stumbled on a Patriots** site one time (believe me, it was a total accident) and the chat was all about how poorly the Pats** draft. Yup, you heard that right. They had to rely on trades because they miss so often on the draft board. all of them miss - there's no way not to.

You hit it on the head. One flaw in Pratt's game is his inability to get off blocks quick enough. However, I see this as a technique issue as he's plenty strong enough. Also, keep in mind, he started 2 season at ILB. He was redshirted his sophomore season to transition from Safety to ILB. So what you see on film is raw talent. Another thing I would say he needs to improve is his read/reaction time ... at times he was slow to read the play quickly. Again, he'll get better the more he plays the position.

I wouldn't go CB, nor ILB 1. WR all the way, unless we have to reach.

We're starting to get far too many holes in both O and D to address in one season. We have limited cap room this year to even bring in an impact player.

As much as I hate to say it, it is starting to feel like a rebuild.

nine vegetable wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Oh, back on topic, they may very well go CB in the first. There will be a decent CB at the 20th spot.

My favorite for this draft is still Germaine Pratt ILB. Unfortunately, he's probably not a 20th pick but most likely will not be there for the Steelers in the 2nd. He's a former Safety and very good in coverage. He also would have led the ACC in tackles last year had he not sat out the last game of the season with an ankle injury. He's played at 240 lbs, but I'd take him and get him down to 230 lbs.  Watch film on that kid. It's amazing that almost every time he makes a hit, the ball carrier goes backwards. There are a few plays it literally looks like the running back hits a brick wall. He gives no ground.

good chance devin bush may be there at #20.

I'd like to see a trade up to the top 10.  Get ONE GREAT player.  Devin White (not a fan of Devin Bush), or Greedy Williams.

are you serious ? the ONLY thing Bush is lacking is 2 inches of height. the guy has the speed and athleticism that shazier had (4.3 forty ). he is good in pass coverage and is faster than any tight end and most running backs. whats not to like ? if devin white was not in this draft , he would be getting all the attention.
i wouldn't be against them drafting bush in the 1st and pratt in the second if he is still there.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

nine vegetable wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Oh, back on topic, they may very well go CB in the first. There will be a decent CB at the 20th spot.

My favorite for this draft is still Germaine Pratt ILB. Unfortunately, he's probably not a 20th pick but most likely will not be there for the Steelers in the 2nd. He's a former Safety and very good in coverage. He also would have led the ACC in tackles last year had he not sat out the last game of the season with an ankle injury. He's played at 240 lbs, but I'd take him and get him down to 230 lbs.  Watch film on that kid. It's amazing that almost every time he makes a hit, the ball carrier goes backwards. There are a few plays it literally looks like the running back hits a brick wall. He gives no ground.

good chance devin bush may be there at #20.

I'd like to see a trade up to the top 10.  Get ONE GREAT player.  Devin White (not a fan of Devin Bush), or Greedy Williams.

are you serious ? the ONLY thing Bush is lacking is 2 inches of height. the guy has the speed and athleticism that shazier had (4.3 forty ).   he is good in pass coverage and is faster than any tight end and most running backs. whats not to like ?  if devin white was not in this draft , he would be getting all the attention.
i wouldn't be against them drafting bush in the 1st and pratt in the second if he is still there.

Here is a Bush highlight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqSAZAARGqI

Some of you might remember Sam Mills. He was short and stout but had attitude and heart. Bush reminds me of Mills. Tenacious,quick and a sure tackler. If we straighten out our secondary problems where we don't have to rely on our ILBs to constantly be covering the TE and they can play close to the line that'll go a long way I think. We can get sack and harass the QB all day but if we can't stop the run on play action because our ILBs are out in coverage we'll never be able to slow the better offenses down. Especially if we have slow cumbersome ILBs. If you believe the mocks out there Bush will be there at #20 and I think he'll be a bargain.
It would be great if we could package our extra picks to get Roby.

solardave wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

nine vegetable wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Oh, back on topic, they may very well go CB in the first. There will be a decent CB at the 20th spot.

My favorite for this draft is still Germaine Pratt ILB. Unfortunately, he's probably not a 20th pick but most likely will not be there for the Steelers in the 2nd. He's a former Safety and very good in coverage. He also would have led the ACC in tackles last year had he not sat out the last game of the season with an ankle injury. He's played at 240 lbs, but I'd take him and get him down to 230 lbs.  Watch film on that kid. It's amazing that almost every time he makes a hit, the ball carrier goes backwards. There are a few plays it literally looks like the running back hits a brick wall. He gives no ground.

good chance devin bush may be there at #20.

I'd like to see a trade up to the top 10.  Get ONE GREAT player.  Devin White (not a fan of Devin Bush), or Greedy Williams.

are you serious ? the ONLY thing Bush is lacking is 2 inches of height. the guy has the speed and athleticism that shazier had (4.3 forty ).   he is good in pass coverage and is faster than any tight end and most running backs. whats not to like ?  if devin white was not in this draft , he would be getting all the attention.
i wouldn't be against them drafting bush in the 1st and pratt in the second if he is still there.

Here is a Bush highlight
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqSAZAARGqI

Some of you might remember Sam Mills. He was short and stout but had attitude and heart. Bush reminds me of Mills. Tenacious,quick and a sure tackler. If we straighten out our secondary problems where we don't have to rely on our ILBs to constantly be covering the TE and they can play close to the line that'll go a long way I think. We can get sack and harass the QB all day but if we can't stop the run on play action because our ILBs are out in coverage we'll never be able to slow the better offenses down. Especially if we have slow cumbersome ILBs. If you believe the mocks out there Bush will be there at #20 and I think he'll be a bargain.
It would be great if we could package our extra picks to get Roby.  

who is this Roby you speak of ?

as someone else pointed out , minnesota at 18 may be a spoiler for Bush just as Dallas scooped up vander esch before our pick last year. oh and i just seen the ratbirds who pick 22 lost their ILB to the jets, so they may try to move ahead of us to get bush....

with all of our new holes added to the old holes this year, i don't think they'll want to spend half their draft capital to move up. a first and a few late rd picks aren't going to move them to far. they'd have to give up most of their top half of picks just to get to 10. remember we don't even have a 4th rd pick.