Steelers Draft Grade

[steelhurt]

I just cannot grade a draft until I see what unfolds the next few seasons.
1974 draft had five that’s right five HOF players so that’s an A ++ but if you had asked me to grade it a few days after that draft, no way I would have been that kind. So point being you just do not know.
I will add that I like every pick Omar,Andy, and Shades made, I really do.
Positions we needed to upgrade and I think we did that. The picks seem to be high character guys, tough mentally and physically and I’m excited to see them play.
This guy Payton Wilson has that Jack Lambert attitude and toughness I like. Now if he can stay healthy could be an absolute steal.
I like this draft, now on to FA to fill a few more holes.

 

[SteelerFan448]

Good breakdown of the picks, though, you're the first I've seen say the Steelers reached (outside of the 6th round picks). I saw two or three other evaluators that had the Steelers as a top-5 value draft with at least one outlet having the Steelers with the best value.

 

[SteelerFan448]

I would be extremely surprised if he beats Jones out. I mean almost as surprised as if I would bang Jessica Alba. Fautanu played LT but Penix is left handed. Changes a little of the dynamic of what you do with your personnel. I think Fautanu has a chance to play RT. He does have long arms, he does have agility, and he’s aggressive. He might need to add some weight though to be a reset the LOS kind of guy though. If he ends up LT then he’d be an A and my A draft grade for Jones goes to a C-.

Do you really think they're going to put Jones vs. Fautanu at LT and the loser plays RT? They need to find a spot for these players and get them settled in early on.

 

[Greg Lloyd]

I give this draft a solid A. Have no idea where you get a B on the Troy pick. None.

I do, right after the pick one of my more-informed football fan buddies texted me: "He's not an OT, he's purely an OG at NFL level." I thought "to hell with that." And then I looked into Troy; I'll be damned if a lot of other knowledgeable football people didn't feel the same way. Not ANOTHER gad danged "tweener" with this team. "But he'll be a good OG." I don't care, we needed a gad darned OT. NOT a damn G. We are still fielding the single worst LT starting in the NFL last I looked. Moore is dog crap. TF must be our RT or the pick stinks. I'm praying he is capable of being a quality RT starter and Jones moves over to LT.

2. Frazier. Not physically the most gifted but I'll go along with his grinder mentality, wrestling background and hard worker aura, so I'm OK here. He's not Dirt Dawsen level but he could do.

3. Roman Wilson. Limited slot guy who can't make contested grabs. I guess this ends the Austin experiment, who I always quested his diminutive size right at the jump (How many 170 LB players make it as WRs in the NFL?) This guy has a better chance of making it than tiny boy. But this move makes me think a trade is coming for a legit #2 WR, because he ain't it, no way, no how.

3B. Payton Roman. IF he stays healthy, good pick, but that's a BIG IF. No ACL in the one knee, Hines and Elway played without 1. But durability is a fairly big risk here. Crossing fingers.

4. McCormick, OG. A little puzzled what the team was thinking with the holes at CB/WR with taking an OG at this point. But I'll see what develops. Guy seems like a keeper at G.

6A. Lee, DE. Throwback to Aaron Smith and Keisel. I hardly see him dropping weight and turning into a OLB, I see the opposite: Adding weight and turning into a 3-4 DL. They will give him a year or 2 to develope. I like his motor and I like that the team is suddenly remembering it runs a 3-4 D and not a half @ssed Tampa D that Tomlin keeps trying to force on us.

6B. Watts. Another "physical" DB who can't cover worth a s--t. Well, some things just don't change. Day 3 pick, most don't cut it.

Did Kahn and company hit a grand slam with this draft? Of course only time will tell. I'm not fully behind the 1st pick, not if he ends up a G, we clearly needed a RT. They left the CB position oddly bare. And WR not much better: Our supposed #1 WR sure doesn't act like one and we have no #2 WR to speak of. Wilson has a shot of being our slot, but in college they had to put him in motion because he absolutely couldn't beat press. We took a flier on an oft-injured ILB, OK you need to take a chance here and there. But you better hit on some of them. They didn't hit on Trice last year, but he was later than a 3rd rounder.

Even if some of the picks don't pan out it's hard to imagine this draft being as bad as the vast majority of Colbert's/Tomlin's last 10.

 

[SteelerFan448]

3. Roman Wilson. Limited slot guy who can't make contested grabs. I guess this ends the Austin experiment, who I always quested his diminutive size right at the jump (How many 170 LB players make it as WRs in the NFL?) This guy has a better chance of making it than tiny boy. But this move makes me think a trade is coming for a legit #2 WR, because he ain't it, no way, no how.

Wilson measured 185 at the combine. The contested catch projection is only because of his size. Avoid this by getting open--a novel concept for a receiver--or a QB not just tossing the ball up. I like his toughness. The Steelers have had a lot of talented, but soft receivers both physically and mentally lately. Wilson is a football player.

 

[FordFairLane]

Given the better run blocking ability of Broderick I'd assume he's the better suited to play RT, also, Fautanu seems more polished as a pass protector. Either way, having bookend tackles for at least 5 years is a huge win and well worth mid 1st round picks for me

Jones is light years better than Fautanu at pass blocking though.

 

[FordFairLane]

Do you really think they're going to put Jones vs. Fautanu at LT and the loser plays RT? They need to find a spot for these players and get them settled in early on.

Yes. Fautanu won’t compete for LT. My guess is either A. They let Jones and Moore fight it out for LT and Fautanu and Cook/Spencer fight for RT. Or B. Which unfortunately is the most likely scenario, they have Fautanu and Jones fight for RT and hand Moore the LT spot.

 

[Greg Lloyd]

Wilson measured 185 at the combine. The contested catch projection is only because of his size. Avoid this by getting open--a novel concept for a receiver--or a QB not just tossing the ball up. I like his toughness. The Steelers have had a lot of talented, but soft receivers both physically and mentally lately. Wilson is a football player.

Well, I sure hope you're right. But watching some tape, it did look like he had a tough time getting open when pressed. But I agree he is a football player and not like many of the WRs we've had lately.

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

I do, right after the pick one of my more-informed football fan buddies texted me: "He's not an OT, he's purely an OG at NFL level." I thought "to hell with that." And then I looked into Troy; I'll be damned if a lot of other knowledgeable football people didn't feel the same way. Not ANOTHER gad danged "tweener" with this team. "But he'll be a good OG." I don't care, we needed a gad darned OT. NOT a damn G. We are still fielding the single worst LT starting in the NFL last I looked. Moore is dog crap. TF must be our RT or the pick stinks. I'm praying he is capable of being a quality RT starter and Jones moves over to LT.

Wow a friend. Funny how most experts are not agreeing with you.

2. Frazier. Not physically the most gifted but I'll go along with his grinder mentality, wrestling background and hard worker aura, so I'm OK here. He's not Dirt Dawsen level but he could do.

I will take a seasoned center with decent enough athleticism and a wrestlers background. Particularly at 51.

3. Roman Wilson. Limited slot guy who can't make contested grabs. I guess this ends the Austin experiment, who I always quested his diminutive size right at the jump (How many 170 LB players make it as WRs in the NFL?) This guy has a better chance of making it than tiny boy. But this move makes me think a trade is coming for a legit #2 WR, because he ain't it, no way, no how.

His contested catch rate ws not terrible and we already have that guy. Wilson is here to fill a totally different role. My only issue with him is he has to learn to get off the line. So what if he isn't the 2 we need a good 3 as well. I am betting they have someone lined up to fill that role.

3B. Payton Roman. IF he stays healthy, good pick, but that's a BIG IF. No ACL in the one knee, Hines and Elway played without 1. But durability is a fairly big risk here. Crossing fingers.

Worth the risk for a high reward

4. McCormick, OG. A little puzzled what the team was thinking with the holes at CB/WR with taking an OG at this point. But I'll see what develops. Guy seems like a keeper at G.

Not puzzling one bit. We have two guys on the last year of their contracts and we needed a guy in line to take one of those spots. He also has center potential should plan a fail or get hurt. I was hoping for this.

6A. Lee, DE. Throwback to Aaron Smith and Keisel. I hardly see him dropping weight and turning into a OLB, I see the opposite: Adding weight and turning into a 3-4 DL. They will give him a year or 2 to develope. I like his motor and I like that the team is suddenly remembering it runs a 3-4 D and not a half @ssed Tampa D that Tomlin keeps trying to force on us.

I don' know enough about him to have an informed opinion.

6B. Watts. Another "physical" DB who can't cover worth a s--t. Well, some things just don't change. Day 3 pick, most don't cut it.

This is a run-down slot/safety guy and more importantly the type of guy we need with the new kick off rule. I bet he was drafted with that in mind. we no longer need guys who can fly down the field on kickoffs we need bigger stronger guys who can get off blocks better.

Did Kahn and company hit a grand slam with this draft? Of course only time will tell. I'm not fully behind the 1st pick, not if he ends up a G, we clearly needed a RT. They left the CB position oddly bare. And WR not much better: Our supposed #1 WR sure doesn't act like one and we have no #2 WR to speak of. Wilson has a shot of being our slot, but in college they had to put him in motion because he absolutely couldn't beat press. We took a flier on an oft-injured ILB, OK you need to take a chance here and there. But you better hit on some of them. They didn't hit on Trice last year, but he was later than a 3rd rounder.

Even if some of the picks don't pan out it's hard to imagine this draft being as bad as the vast majority of Colbert's/Tomlin's last 10.

 

[Litos]

Jones is light years better than Fautanu at pass blocking though.

Allow me to disagree, but good discussion

 

[slashsteel]

Do you really think they're going to put Jones vs. Fautanu at LT and the loser plays RT? They need to find a spot for these players and get them settled in early on.

Yeah I think they take a quick look and then settle the two in at where they want them. For me there is no reason to move Broderick who is already liking where he is playing. Then he has to get comfy on the left and Faut comfy on the opposite side? When it looks like Troy would be more comfy on the left?

Nah I let Broderick stand pat and let Dan and Troy battle it out to start.

 

[SteelBuckeye]

Yeah I think they take a quick look and then settle the two in at where they want them. For me there is no reason to move Broderick who is already liking where he is playing. Then he has to get comfy on the left and Faut comfy on the opposite side? When it looks like Troy would be more comfy on the left?

Nah I let Broderick stand pat and let Dan and Troy battle it out to start.

Slash, have you seen something new where Broderick said he was liking playing on the right side? I vaguely remember articles at the end of the season where he said he was OK with being on the right, but preferred moving back to LT. I think Brod goes back to LT and Troy beats out Moore for the RT job before week 3 (I would say coming out of camp, but I just know they're going to do the thing where they say the Rookie had to "earn it". Like they couldn't have earned it coming out of camp. smh).

 

[slashsteel]

Slash, have you seen something new where Broderick said he was liking playing on the right side? I vaguely remember articles at the end of the season where he said he was OK with being on the right, but preferred moving back to LT. I think Brod goes back to LT and Troy beats out Moore for the RT job before week 3 (I would say coming out of camp, but I just know they're going to do the thing where they say the Rookie had to "earn it". Like they couldn't have earned it coming out of camp. smh).

I tried to go back to see if I was a little off in my memory. I read one clip where he said the more reps he gets a RT the more comfy he will be. You are right I shouldn’t confuse comfort with preference. So maybe he gets his LT look. Regardless they should do it quickly. The longer they are settled in the better.

 

[SteveA]

I give this review a C+

Just TURRRRRIBBBBLE.....

 

[topseed]

3B. Payton Roman. IF he stays healthy, good pick, but that's a BIG IF. No ACL in the one knee, Hines and Elway played without 1. But durability is a fairly big risk here. Crossing fingers.

Who is Payton Roman?

 

[Drink IRON City]

Funny thing. EVERY other post-draft write up mentions Troy has the attributes to play any position on the line (5 position flexibility). So, there’s no way the same guy can play RT?
I smell “they didn’t do what I wanted them to do” bias.

You are a wise one you are.!!!!

Both him and Broderick will be the two OTs, it’s just which position each will get, that appears to be the question


Salute the nation

 

[BLITZ]

Or....just go with me here. We could use troy as our backup rt tackle. Keep Moore and Jones as last year.
We could say we have the BEST back up tackle in the entire league

 

[Drink IRON City]

Do you really think they're going to put Jones vs. Fautanu at LT and the loser plays RT? They need to find a spot for these players and get them settled in early on.

Day one starters, not this last second BS stuff, then take 1/2 season to gel.

Start them day one or two, because after OTAs and voluntary workouts, they should have a pretty good feel.
This OL gel thingy needs to start A.S.A.P. To get that gel-Jo going.


Salute the nation

 

[slashsteel]

Who is Payton Roman?

Wilber Williams brother from his mother’s side.

 

[Troglodyte]

If Wilson is a starting WR, I hope he has more than 400 yards. That’s 23 yards/game.

 

[slashsteel]

If Wilson is a starting WR, I hope he has more than 400 yards. That’s 23 yards/game.

I believe he was heavy reps in the slot last season. I think he can possibly play outside but I would think he would be more comfy inside. I am hoping this team still has a plan in place to bring in a WR to play opposite of Pickens.

 

[Confluence]

Lets say Fautanu cannot beat Moore and becomes a G. The Steelers will have drafted 4 of 5 OL within the past 370 days if McCormick can also start. That means an inexpensive OL for 3+ years, above recent quality, and the ability keep 2/3 for second contracts based on results.

The potential of a trade for a top WR like Sutton now makes more sense because the O looks to be "under budget" for the next couple years, depending on Fields deal.

I would have liked another CB/WR/DL in the 4th, but really like the idea of a young, talented OL augmented with a few vets....really wish Big Dot stayed and Moore left.

Time will tell....

 

[IndySteel]

I give this draft an A- and the head coaching a solid F.

 

[slashsteel]

Lets say Fautanu cannot beat Moore and becomes a G. The Steelers will have drafted 4 of 5 OL within the past 370 days if McCormick can also start. That means an inexpensive OL for 3+ years, above recent quality, and the ability keep 2/3 for second contracts based on results.

The potential of a trade for a top WR like Sutton now makes more sense because the O looks to be "under budget" for the next couple years, depending on Fields deal.

I would have liked another CB/WR/DL in the 4th, but really like the idea of a young, talented OL augmented with a few vets....really wish Big Dot stayed and Moore left.

Time will tell....

Speaking of McCormick here is a very interesting statistic that he meets the criteria.

 

[Troglodyte]

Lets say Fautanu cannot beat Moore and becomes a G. The Steelers will have drafted 4 of 5 OL within the past 370 days if McCormick can also start. That means an inexpensive OL for 3+ years, above recent quality, and the ability keep 2/3 for second contracts based on results.

The potential of a trade for a top WR like Sutton now makes more sense because the O looks to be "under budget" for the next couple years, depending on Fields deal.

I would have liked another CB/WR/DL in the 4th, but really like the idea of a young, talented OL augmented with a few vets....really wish Big Dot stayed and Moore left.

Time will tell....

Beat out Moore for LT or RT? I’d be surprised and disappointed either way. I’m wondering if they keep Jones at RT.