Steeler Draft Questions Impacting Selections

[tapeANaspirin2it]

I've been trying to do mocks as many have and I am finding it very difficult this year. The reason is that there are several big questions that will impact the picks. Most years we have answers to many of them but not this year.

1. What do they actually think of the QBs on the team and in the draft?
If they think Trubisky and Rudolph are as good or better than the prospects in the draft then they may not draft one at all. The fact they brought in Trubisky at all suggest that at a bare minimum, they think any drafted QB will require significant time to learn. My gut feeling is that the steelers are Willis or none. If Willis drops to 20, I think they pull the trigger. If not then I'm not sure they take a QB at all.

2. Do they plan to sign Dionte Johnson to a new deal?
This seemed a no brainer a few months ago, but then the Jags paid Christian Kirk a ton of money for mediocre production. Now DJ is justified in asking for a huge deal. He's a good player but is he really worth that type of money?

My thought is No.

If DJ is not in the future plans then the WR needs is huge. Not only that but it means they need a route runner and RAC guy as the priority. That means that guys like Dotson and Olave should be high on the list.

If DJ is in the future plans, then WR is not a critical need. They can wait until later rounds and will be looking at bigger guys. I'd love David Bell of Purdue. He ran slow at the combine but he's a great possession guy who knows how to get open. I think he will be a Keenan Allen type player and could be a steal in a later round due to his poor combine numbers.


3. Are they signing Minkah to a long deal?
Similar to DJ, if they don't think they can keep Minkah then safety is a glaring need. I have a feeling that they do plan to keep Minkah and that will be part of why they don't keep DJ. With Minkah in the plans, they still need a Safety to play with him. Edmunds is just a band aid. He's not terrible but he doesn't add much either. He hampers Minkah's upside. Part of why Polamalu was able to freelance was because they always had a good 2nd safety with guys like Hope and Clark.

The game has changed and there's not that huge distinction of FS and SS. Teams want interchangeable safeties.

I love Jaquan Brisker in rd 2. He can play in the box or deep, has great instincts. Put a guy like him next to Minkah and they can swap roles to mix up defenses. I also like Pitre from Baylor.


4. Is Chukes the guy at OT?
He was not signed to a huge deal so he could be in the plans as a backup. But if they do still like him then it's possible the steelers are only looking for depth in the draft. The OL has been subpar for years and in doing mocks, I so badly want to take OT in rd 1 or 2. The pan last year was to move Chukes to LT and Banner at RT. Banner was injured and Moore had to play immediately so they left Moore at his more familiar LT. Will they move Chukes to LT and Moore to RT with a full camp?

My gut feeling is the steelers feel good about the OL as is. Meaning they may add depth later but not in the first few rounds.

5. Do they actually like their CBs?
Most feel that the steelers could use a top notch cover guy. They signed Levi Wallace to start outside. They seem to trust Sutton. How do they feel about Witherspoon? If they like Witherspoon, then the steelers may not see CB as a big need. They would have their starting 3 and they appear to like guys like Pierre and Maulet as depth.


6. How much do they want a #2 RB?
They have a big investment in Najee. They also seem to know that they can't keep up such a heavy workload for him. It appears they have soured on Snell. What do they think about Mcfarland? If it's true that they haven't really implemented Canada's offense yet, then maybe they still feel good about McFarland's upside in the scheme. If that's true then Snell would be adequate as a #3 back to spell Najee on run downs. This might mean they don't take any RB.

If they are unsure of McFarland and cold on Snell, then RB becomes a higher priority. Now maybe they take a RB as high as rd 2 with Breece Hall or Walker from Mich State. Sound crazy? Not if the steelers think the OL is good and they plan to run it a ton.



Those are the big questions running through my head when trying to do mocks and it's why i really have no idea where they will go. I think Edge is a big need. I see scenarios where they take an Edge in rd 1 or 2 based on some of the answers to above questions.

 

[Litos]

I've been trying to do mocks as many have and I am finding it very difficult this year. The reason is that there are several big questions that will impact the picks. Most years we have answers to many of them but not this year.

1. What do they actually think of the QBs on the team and in the draft?
If they think Trubisky and Rudolph are as good or better than the prospects in the draft then they may not draft one at all. The fact they brought in Trubisky at all suggest that at a bare minimum, they think any drafted QB will require significant time to learn. My gut feeling is that the steelers are Willis or none. If Willis drops to 20, I think they pull the trigger. If not then I'm not sure they take a QB at all.

2. Do they plan to sign Dionte Johnson to a new deal?
This seemed a no brainer a few months ago, but then the Jags paid Christian Kirk a ton of money for mediocre production. Now DJ is justified in asking for a huge deal. He's a good player but is he really worth that type of money?

My thought is No.

If DJ is not in the future plans then the WR needs is huge. Not only that but it means they need a route runner and RAC guy as the priority. That means that guys like Dotson and Olave should be high on the list.

If DJ is in the future plans, then WR is not a critical need. They can wait until later rounds and will be looking at bigger guys. I'd love David Bell of Purdue. He ran slow at the combine but he's a great possession guy who knows how to get open. I think he will be a Keenan Allen type player and could be a steal in a later round due to his poor combine numbers.


3. Are they signing Minkah to a long deal?
Similar to DJ, if they don't think they can keep Minkah then safety is a glaring need. I have a feeling that they do plan to keep Minkah and that will be part of why they don't keep DJ. With Minkah in the plans, they still need a Safety to play with him. Edmunds is just a band aid. He's not terrible but he doesn't add much either. He hampers Minkah's upside. Part of why Polamalu was able to freelance was because they always had a good 2nd safety with guys like Hope and Clark.

The game has changed and there's not that huge distinction of FS and SS. Teams want interchangeable safeties.

I love Jaquan Brisker in rd 2. He can play in the box or deep, has great instincts. Put a guy like him next to Minkah and they can swap roles to mix up defenses. I also like Pitre from Baylor.


4. Is Chukes the guy at OT?
He was not signed to a huge deal so he could be in the plans as a backup. But if they do still like him then it's possible the steelers are only looking for depth in the draft. The OL has been subpar for years and in doing mocks, I so badly want to take OT in rd 1 or 2. The pan last year was to move Chukes to LT and Banner at RT. Banner was injured and Moore had to play immediately so they left Moore at his more familiar LT. Will they move Chukes to LT and Moore to RT with a full camp?

My gut feeling is the steelers feel good about the OL as is. Meaning they may add depth later but not in the first few rounds.

5. Do they actually like their CBs?
Most feel that the steelers could use a top notch cover guy. They signed Levi Wallace to start outside. They seem to trust Sutton. How do they feel about Witherspoon? If they like Witherspoon, then the steelers may not see CB as a big need. They would have their starting 3 and they appear to like guys like Pierre and Maulet as depth.


6. How much do they want a #2 RB?
They have a big investment in Najee. They also seem to know that they can't keep up such a heavy workload for him. It appears they have soured on Snell. What do they think about Mcfarland? If it's true that they haven't really implemented Canada's offense yet, then maybe they still feel good about McFarland's upside in the scheme. If that's true then Snell would be adequate as a #3 back to spell Najee on run downs. This might mean they don't take any RB.

If they are unsure of McFarland and cold on Snell, then RB becomes a higher priority. Now maybe they take a RB as high as rd 2 with Breece Hall or Walker from Mich State. Sound crazy? Not if the steelers think the OL is good and they plan to run it a ton.



Those are the big questions running through my head when trying to do mocks and it's why i really have no idea where they will go. I think Edge is a big need. I see scenarios where they take an Edge in rd 1 or 2 based on some of the answers to above questions.

A RB inound 2 would make me break my hand against the wall

 

[SteelerFan448]

It's a real tough draft to read for the entire NFL, especially the Steelers.

I could see just about any position in the first. QB, for sure, especially how they spent the entire offseason scouting them.

I doubt they go OL, but Linderbaum, Johnson, and Penning would all be upgrades.

The Steelers like three WR sets. Right now they only have two. Would anyone argue against Williams, Olave, or Dotson in the first?

Defensive line needs an injection of youth with high-end talent. Davis would be extremely tempting.

ILB has been a mess and there are a couple of guys in Lloyd and Dean who could fill the void.

There are numerous potential No. 1 cornerbacks in Booth or McDuffie and there are borderline late first-rounders at safety such as Hill and Cine.

RB, TE, EDGE, P, and K are the only positions I think they definitely won't take in the first.

 

[slashsteel]

I think if the Steelers address Oline Dline early they are helping solidify areas that were painful to watch last year. Some candy opportunities at other positions sure but would be nice to see those two areas not be problems.

 

[bermudasteel]

I've been trying to do mocks as many have and I am finding it very difficult this year. The reason is that there are several big questions that will impact the picks. Most years we have answers to many of them but not this year.

1. What do they actually think of the QBs on the team and in the draft?
If they think Trubisky and Rudolph are as good or better than the prospects in the draft then they may not draft one at all. The fact they brought in Trubisky at all suggest that at a bare minimum, they think any drafted QB will require significant time to learn. My gut feeling is that the steelers are Willis or none. If Willis drops to 20, I think they pull the trigger. If not then I'm not sure they take a QB at all.
QB is a bigger need than most expect since we only have TWO on the roster - we lost THREE this offseason. Think about that...
2. Do they plan to sign Dionte Johnson to a new deal?
This seemed a no brainer a few months ago, but then the Jags paid Christian Kirk a ton of money for mediocre production. Now DJ is justified in asking for a huge deal. He's a good player but is he really worth that type of money?

My thought is No.

If DJ is not in the future plans then the WR needs is huge. Not only that but it means they need a route runner and RAC guy as the priority. That means that guys like Dotson and Olave should be high on the list.

If DJ is in the future plans, then WR is not a critical need. They can wait until later rounds and will be looking at bigger guys. I'd love David Bell of Purdue. He ran slow at the combine but he's a great possession guy who knows how to get open. I think he will be a Keenan Allen type player and could be a steal in a later round due to his poor combine numbers.
We'd be absolutely crazy to let DJ walk. Again, we have two starters on the roster - the loss of Ben provides enough dividends. DJ isn't Tyreek so we don't have to spend that type of money.

3. Are they signing Minkah to a long deal?
Similar to DJ, if they don't think they can keep Minkah then safety is a glaring need. I have a feeling that they do plan to keep Minkah and that will be part of why they don't keep DJ. With Minkah in the plans, they still need a Safety to play with him. Edmunds is just a band aid. He's not terrible but he doesn't add much either. He hampers Minkah's upside. Part of why Polamalu was able to freelance was because they always had a good 2nd safety with guys like Hope and Clark.

The game has changed and there's not that huge distinction of FS and SS. Teams want interchangeable safeties.

I love Jaquan Brisker in rd 2. He can play in the box or deep, has great instincts. Put a guy like him next to Minkah and they can swap roles to mix up defenses. I also like Pitre from Baylor.
Bringing back Edmunds makes this position less important - I'd make it a priority next year though.

4. Is Chukes the guy at OT?
He was not signed to a huge deal so he could be in the plans as a backup. But if they do still like him then it's possible the steelers are only looking for depth in the draft. The OL has been subpar for years and in doing mocks, I so badly want to take OT in rd 1 or 2. The pan last year was to move Chukes to LT and Banner at RT. Banner was injured and Moore had to play immediately so they left Moore at his more familiar LT. Will they move Chukes to LT and Moore to RT with a full camp?

My gut feeling is the steelers feel good about the OL as is. Meaning they may add depth later but not in the first few rounds.
Based on the 'new QB and new OC' I agree w/ this assessment.

5. Do they actually like their CBs?
Most feel that the steelers could use a top notch cover guy. They signed Levi Wallace to start outside. They seem to trust Sutton. How do they feel about Witherspoon? If they like Witherspoon, then the steelers may not see CB as a big need. They would have their starting 3 and they appear to like guys like Pierre and Maulet as depth.
Levi Wallace gives us top tier skills at the DB position. This is not a position of need for at least 2 years...

6. How much do they want a #2 RB?
They have a big investment in Najee. They also seem to know that they can't keep up such a heavy workload for him. It appears they have soured on Snell. What do they think about Mcfarland? If it's true that they haven't really implemented Canada's offense yet, then maybe they still feel good about McFarland's upside in the scheme. If that's true then Snell would be adequate as a #3 back to spell Najee on run downs. This might mean they don't take any RB.

If they are unsure of McFarland and cold on Snell, then RB becomes a higher priority. Now maybe they take a RB as high as rd 2 with Breece Hall or Walker from Mich State. Sound crazy? Not if the steelers think the OL is good and they plan to run it a ton.

If you want to have on of the better backfields in league - upgrading the Snell/McFarland positions is key. I'd take a RB to spell Najee no later than Rd. 4.

Those are the big questions running through my head when trying to do mocks and it's why i really have no idea where they will go. I think Edge is a big need. I see scenarios where they take an Edge in rd 1 or 2 based on some of the answers to above questions.

See Berm's analysis in red font...

 

[slashsteel]

Steelers may have lost two QBs but they signed Mitch to be the starter. Rudolph is the backup. Sure a third will be added but that doesn't mean they have to force a pick high nor should they. Edmunds is a stop gap. The 1 year contract shows that as does the price of said contract. It doesn't make the position less important it just gives them flexibility if better value is there early. DJ will probably hit the free agent market and I would be surprised if the Steelers pay him what the market commands. With a new QB and that in mind look for the Steelers to draft a WR early.

Also Tuitt's situation is up in the air. Last year they dropped the ball on both sides of the trenches. There is no surprises they should treat it as such.

They can go BPA at need. And there is a lot of need. A lot more than some might think.

They need better coverage, better run defense, better pass catching.

Something to keep in mind if all things are equal.

Honestly the only way I go QB if the are clearly BPA over every position on the board. This class is weak I am not sure how that matches up.

Minkah will be resigned to a good sized contract. This is pretty much a lock to happen. Not a matter of if IMO just a matter of when.

Backup RB is on the list of things they could use if the value is there sure. If not plenty of other could uses will be present.