Late draft picks matter

[Steeltime]

Dear Steelers:

No more trading later round picks, please. Later round picks matter - a lot. Take a look at the Chiefs starting line-up:

RG: Trey Smith 6th round Tennessee
CB: Jaylen Watson 7th round Washington State

Steelers passed on Smith in 2021 for Quincy Roche and passed on Watson for Chris Oladokun - who's now with the Chiefs.

 

[slashsteel]

Dear Steelers:

No more trading later round picks, please. Later round picks matter - a lot. Take a look at the Chiefs starting line-up:

RG: Trey Smith 6th round Tennessee
CB: Jaylen Watson 7th round Washington State

Steelers passed on Smith in 2021 for Quincy Roche and passed on Watson for Chris Oladokun - who's now with the Chiefs.

Both of those teams represented good drafting. Eagles even more so.

More importantly they made good decisions stocking their team in the draft as well as in free agency.

Chiefs rebuilt their struggling Oline, Philly stocked their trenches.

We will have to glue to this draft/free agency to see if the Steelers are buying a clue.

I have to say their lack of overall coaching movement/ movement isn't shining bright.

 

[topseed]

Oladokun notwithstanding, I think that the Steelers have done a pretty good job with late round draft picks over the last couple of years. Conner Heyward, Mark Robinson, and Tre Norwood have all been contributors as young players.

 

[slashsteel]

Oladokun notwithstanding, I think that the Steelers have done a pretty good job with late round draft picks over the last couple of years. Conner Heyward, Mark Robinson, and Tre Norwood have all been contributors as young players.

True but where they haven't done a good job at is improving in the trenches. They had to go outside of the draft on both sides of the ball for improvement. And even with that still came up short. Mediocre decisions at LT,RT,C,G, and NT is handcuffing this team.

 

[topseed]

True but where they haven't done a good job at is improving in the trenches. They had to go outside of the draft on both sides of the ball for improvement. And even with that still came up short. Mediocre decisions at LT,RT,C,G, and NT is handcuffing this team.

No doubt, but I blame that on the Steelers mismanaging earlier rounds. In fact (as has been discussed here ad nauseam), the Steelers could/should have taken KC's center, Creed Humphrey, who is now a Super Bowl champion in just his second season, and will be an all-pro for years to come.

 

[Steeltime]

No doubt, but I blame that on the Steelers mismanaging earlier rounds. In fact (as has been discussed here ad nauseam), the Steelers could/should have taken KC's center, Creed Humphrey, who is now a Super Bowl champion in just his second season, and will be an all-pro for years to come.

And that choice is becoming even more painful with the 2023 draft, incredibly deep at two positions - RB and TE.

 

[SteelerFan448]

They've done alright in the later rounds, but the players haven't shown sustained success. Buggs flashed the ability as a depth player, but faded. Carlos Davis has moments in preseason but hasn't taken the next step. Loudermilk and Norwood looked like quality depth players last year and were nobodies this year. Heyward looks like a player and Mark Robinson seems like he can at least be a good backup, so we'll see what they do moving foward.

Trey Smith will forever be a screw up. Day 1-2 talent at a position of need and the Steelers don't take him. I would've taken him in the fourth over a guy like Buddy Johnson.

 

[BLITZ]

you can cherry pick every draft like that though. Robinson ending up starting for us by years end.

31 teams passed on a starting ILB and we got him in the 7th

 

[MT~Forged]

Grave Digger is the one that chaps me. They had him and let him go, only to continue to refuse to replace him.

 

[Drink IRON City]

True but where they haven't done a good job at is improving in the trenches. They had to go outside of the draft on both sides of the ball for improvement. And even with that still came up short. Mediocre decisions at LT,RT,C,G, and NT is handcuffing this team.

EXCELLENT and TRUE statement.

Trench warfare hasn’t been a part of our drafting teams conscious for a long time. CRAZY long.

Last year investment of a 3rd and 4th, coupled in with current status as one didn’t dress all season shows the liability. The other shows very low in starter LT position But we are forced to live with due to nothing better.


Salute the nation