Steelers select Dri Archer in Round 3
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I think the fumbling thing worries me more than his size does.
I am excited and can't wait for Latrobe!
I am excited and can't wait for Latrobe!
**** spike,,,, stop putting this **** up in here..
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Dri Archer
Pros-
1. Speed
2. Can fly free with parent
3. Eats free at some restaurants
4. Can be used as extra player on offense and cannot be flagged for 12 men on field.
5. On movie day, he gets in free with adult
Cons-
1. Fumbles
2. Durability
3. Inexperienced receiver.
4. Raw
5. Does not return punts
6. Cannot ride in front seat of car.
7. Not allowed on certain rides
8. Can take ice baths in 5 gallon bucket.
9. Can shop in kids section.
Pros-
1. Speed
2. Can fly free with parent
3. Eats free at some restaurants
4. Can be used as extra player on offense and cannot be flagged for 12 men on field.
5. On movie day, he gets in free with adult
Cons-
1. Fumbles
2. Durability
3. Inexperienced receiver.
4. Raw
5. Does not return punts
6. Cannot ride in front seat of car.
7. Not allowed on certain rides
8. Can take ice baths in 5 gallon bucket.
9. Can shop in kids section.
10.. used probably 2-3 plays per game. 3rd round pick.
I
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But if you're fast, you score on every touch.
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I'm thinking Rainey 2.0 ..... hope not.
http://www.kentstatesports.com/cumestats.aspx?path=football&year=2013
Just don't see any numbers that stand out. Maybe I'm missin' somethin'
http://www.kentstatesports.com/cumestats.aspx?path=football&year=2013
Just don't see any numbers that stand out. Maybe I'm missin' somethin'
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Are we still talking about football?
Dri Archer the ultimate X factor for Steelers
May, 14, 2014
MAY 14
8:00
AM ET
By Scott Brown | ESPN.com
RECOMMEND2TWEET1COMMENTS1EMAILPRINT
PITTSBURGH -- Kent State coach Paul Haynes and Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey shared a memory -- and a laugh -- recently when they recalled Dri Archer's 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last season in a game between the Mid-American Conference rivals.
"Dri went down his sideline and (Carey) said he was going so fast and he was just thinking, ‘We are so stupid for kicking to this guy,' " Haynes said. "They were the only team that kicked deep to us. Everybody else pooched."
That anecdote neatly distills why the Pittsburgh Steelers were enamored enough with Archer’s breathtaking speed and big-play ability to draft him in the third round -- yet also why taking him that high might be a luxury they couldn't afford after consecutive 8-8 seasons.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/G.M. Andrews
The Steelers hope Kent State's
Dri Archer can cause matchup problems for opposing defenses.
Archer already had been compared with former great kick returners such as Mel Gray and Gerald "Ice Cube" McNeil, and that is just in the Steelers' building.
But with kickers able to boom the ball out of the end zone with regularity since kickoffs were moved to the 35-yard line, how much of a weapon will Archer be if teams simply decide to play keep away from him?
That is what teams did last season when Archer managed just two kickoff returns for 128 yards and a touchdown. Haynes said Kent State didn’t even bother practicing kickoff returns once it became apparent that opposing teams weren’t going to let Archer beat them in that phase of the game.
Despite his limited opportunities last season, the Steelers placed a premium on Archer as a return man during their pre-draft evaluation of him.
"In my mind return guys are starters," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said. "His kick return ability is unique. It really is special. Whatever he can add to us offensively we see some value there."
Where exactly the 5-foot-8, 173-pound Archer fits into the offense remains to be seen. It already features Pro Bowl wide receiver Antonio Brown and has an emerging running back in Le'Veon Bell and a bruising back in newly signed LeGarrette Blount.
"This is a guy that is going to create some unique opportunities for us from a package standpoint in terms of him getting identified," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "Is he a running back? Is he a wideout? Regardless of position I think he’s a playmaker. He's a guy that gets yards in chunks and rings up the scoreboard."
Blount
Bell
Such talk sounds great in May, but how will it translate in actual games when there are a limited number of snaps and Archer is not a primary option at running back or wide receiver?
"We are all going to work together to make sure this guy is in the right place," Steelers running backs coach James Saxon said. "The kid is a special football player with the ball in his hands."
Indeed, Archer rushed for 1,429 and 16 touchdowns as a junior and led the country with 8.99 yards per carry. His rushing totals plummeted to 527 yards last season, but much of that can be attributed to Kent State also playing him extensively at wide receiver to showcase his versatility to NFL teams.
"I think one of the biggest mistakes we made here is flexing him out," Haynes said. "We needed to keep him at running back just because we could have gotten him more touches. He has great vision, he has great feet, he has great burst, all the things a good running back needs to be."
That includes strength and toughness.
It is easy to fixate on Archer’s size and speed and label him a gimmick player, but it doesn't fit. Though he ran the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.26 seconds) at the NFL scouting combine, Archer also benchpressed 225 pounds 20 times.
That is seven shy of what 6-7, 352-pound defensive tackle Daniel McCullers, a sixth-round draft pick by the Steelers, did in the benchpress at the combine.
Haynes said Archer is strong and thick enough to absorb a pounding at the next level, and Tomlin said, “He is not small. He is short.”
What remains to be answered is how many touches Archer will get in an offense that returns all but one starter from last season.
Bell averaged 17.2 carries per game in 2013, and he is a legitimate feature back because of his pass-catching abilities. The Steelers also have to find carries for Blount, who as recently as January bulled his way to 166 rushing yards and four touchdowns while leading the Patriots to a playoff victory.
That leaves Archer as a situational player albeit a unique one, and the Steelers didn’t get favorable results the last time they drafted a ridiculously fast player with the plans of using his speed to exploit mismatches.
Chris Rainey, even before he fell out of favor in Pittsburgh because of off-field incidents, didn’t make much of an impact on the offense. The former Florida speedster rushed for 102 yards on 26 carries in 2012, and caught 14 passes for a mere 60 yards in his only season with the Steelers.
There might turn out to be no comparison between Archer and Rainey aside from their sheer speed. And one thing Archer won’t have a problem with, Haynes said, is representing the Steelers -- on the field and away from it.
"You think of toughness, you think hard-nose, you think of discipline," Haynes said of the Steelers. "That’s why I think Dri is going to fit in so well there, because a lot of those things are how I would describe him. Besides the football, he’s going to be a great ambassador for that program.
"You don’t have to worry about him off the field. He’s going to work, he’ll study the game, he’ll surround himself with the great pros that are already there and teach him how to be a great pro himself."
May, 14, 2014
MAY 14
8:00
AM ET
By Scott Brown | ESPN.com
RECOMMEND2TWEET1COMMENTS1EMAILPRINT
PITTSBURGH -- Kent State coach Paul Haynes and Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey shared a memory -- and a laugh -- recently when they recalled Dri Archer's 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last season in a game between the Mid-American Conference rivals.
"Dri went down his sideline and (Carey) said he was going so fast and he was just thinking, ‘We are so stupid for kicking to this guy,' " Haynes said. "They were the only team that kicked deep to us. Everybody else pooched."
That anecdote neatly distills why the Pittsburgh Steelers were enamored enough with Archer’s breathtaking speed and big-play ability to draft him in the third round -- yet also why taking him that high might be a luxury they couldn't afford after consecutive 8-8 seasons.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/G.M. Andrews
The Steelers hope Kent State's
Dri Archer can cause matchup problems for opposing defenses.
Archer already had been compared with former great kick returners such as Mel Gray and Gerald "Ice Cube" McNeil, and that is just in the Steelers' building.
But with kickers able to boom the ball out of the end zone with regularity since kickoffs were moved to the 35-yard line, how much of a weapon will Archer be if teams simply decide to play keep away from him?
That is what teams did last season when Archer managed just two kickoff returns for 128 yards and a touchdown. Haynes said Kent State didn’t even bother practicing kickoff returns once it became apparent that opposing teams weren’t going to let Archer beat them in that phase of the game.
Despite his limited opportunities last season, the Steelers placed a premium on Archer as a return man during their pre-draft evaluation of him.
"In my mind return guys are starters," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said. "His kick return ability is unique. It really is special. Whatever he can add to us offensively we see some value there."
Where exactly the 5-foot-8, 173-pound Archer fits into the offense remains to be seen. It already features Pro Bowl wide receiver Antonio Brown and has an emerging running back in Le'Veon Bell and a bruising back in newly signed LeGarrette Blount.
"This is a guy that is going to create some unique opportunities for us from a package standpoint in terms of him getting identified," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "Is he a running back? Is he a wideout? Regardless of position I think he’s a playmaker. He's a guy that gets yards in chunks and rings up the scoreboard."
Blount
Bell
Such talk sounds great in May, but how will it translate in actual games when there are a limited number of snaps and Archer is not a primary option at running back or wide receiver?
"We are all going to work together to make sure this guy is in the right place," Steelers running backs coach James Saxon said. "The kid is a special football player with the ball in his hands."
Indeed, Archer rushed for 1,429 and 16 touchdowns as a junior and led the country with 8.99 yards per carry. His rushing totals plummeted to 527 yards last season, but much of that can be attributed to Kent State also playing him extensively at wide receiver to showcase his versatility to NFL teams.
"I think one of the biggest mistakes we made here is flexing him out," Haynes said. "We needed to keep him at running back just because we could have gotten him more touches. He has great vision, he has great feet, he has great burst, all the things a good running back needs to be."
That includes strength and toughness.
It is easy to fixate on Archer’s size and speed and label him a gimmick player, but it doesn't fit. Though he ran the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.26 seconds) at the NFL scouting combine, Archer also benchpressed 225 pounds 20 times.
That is seven shy of what 6-7, 352-pound defensive tackle Daniel McCullers, a sixth-round draft pick by the Steelers, did in the benchpress at the combine.
Haynes said Archer is strong and thick enough to absorb a pounding at the next level, and Tomlin said, “He is not small. He is short.”
What remains to be answered is how many touches Archer will get in an offense that returns all but one starter from last season.
Bell averaged 17.2 carries per game in 2013, and he is a legitimate feature back because of his pass-catching abilities. The Steelers also have to find carries for Blount, who as recently as January bulled his way to 166 rushing yards and four touchdowns while leading the Patriots to a playoff victory.
That leaves Archer as a situational player albeit a unique one, and the Steelers didn’t get favorable results the last time they drafted a ridiculously fast player with the plans of using his speed to exploit mismatches.
Chris Rainey, even before he fell out of favor in Pittsburgh because of off-field incidents, didn’t make much of an impact on the offense. The former Florida speedster rushed for 102 yards on 26 carries in 2012, and caught 14 passes for a mere 60 yards in his only season with the Steelers.
There might turn out to be no comparison between Archer and Rainey aside from their sheer speed. And one thing Archer won’t have a problem with, Haynes said, is representing the Steelers -- on the field and away from it.
"You think of toughness, you think hard-nose, you think of discipline," Haynes said of the Steelers. "That’s why I think Dri is going to fit in so well there, because a lot of those things are how I would describe him. Besides the football, he’s going to be a great ambassador for that program.
"You don’t have to worry about him off the field. He’s going to work, he’ll study the game, he’ll surround himself with the great pros that are already there and teach him how to be a great pro himself."
not really. he considers special teams players as "starters" for the special teams.
a backup LB can be a special teams "starter"
his terminology just sucks
a backup LB can be a special teams "starter"
his terminology just sucks
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Curious how you know this.
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Why doesn't the article include an answer to this question?
I
Idioteque
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Like you've ever seen a tit
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Because it makes Colbert look like a moron for saying KRs are starters in his mind.
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If you get a good enough one, it can change the entire special teams play. How many teams to do you think were kicking away from Felix Jones last year?
do we have backup kick returners? or even back up back up kick returners?
or does someone/anyone just run out there to return the kick?
or does someone/anyone just run out there to return the kick?
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The NFL average number of kickoffs per team per game is 5.22 with just over half that number being touchbacks. The Steelers have been one of the worst kickoff teams in the NFL, averaging about 1 touchback a game. When they moved it from the 30 to the 35, touchbacks went from about 16% to 50% (if I read the numbers correctly, little foggy this am).
Why not spend the 3rd round pick on a kicker that would stop teams from returning it? If the Steelers had a guy that could kick it through the endzone, forget FGs and stuff, a kickoff specialist, he would raise their average touchbacks per game from @1 to the average kickoff number of 5. That would eliminate 50+ returns against them per year. The Steelers kickoff defense allowed a return average last season of 22.3 on 55 kickoffs. A specialist would save 126.5 yards per season.
Before you flip out, Archer averaged 26 yards per kickoff return in college. The Steelers averaged 22.4. That is a difference of 3.6 yards per return. They had 43 returns and the grand difference would be 154.8 over the season.
So, why not draft a kickoff specialist in the 3rd round? Just saying, if special teams carries that type of value, why not load up.
Why not spend the 3rd round pick on a kicker that would stop teams from returning it? If the Steelers had a guy that could kick it through the endzone, forget FGs and stuff, a kickoff specialist, he would raise their average touchbacks per game from @1 to the average kickoff number of 5. That would eliminate 50+ returns against them per year. The Steelers kickoff defense allowed a return average last season of 22.3 on 55 kickoffs. A specialist would save 126.5 yards per season.
Before you flip out, Archer averaged 26 yards per kickoff return in college. The Steelers averaged 22.4. That is a difference of 3.6 yards per return. They had 43 returns and the grand difference would be 154.8 over the season.
So, why not draft a kickoff specialist in the 3rd round? Just saying, if special teams carries that type of value, why not load up.
I think most of us can agree that this was not our best pick, but what we're trying to do is find the peanut in this loaf.
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No, but they still put it in the end zone which is why most teams do these days. Well except the Steelers because we don't have anyone that can kick that far.
They have starters and backup at other positions to play special teams. I don't recall anyone every saying "here are the starting special teams players". Most people don't even know who is on STs. Also they don't like to use "starters" on STs because they don't want them to get hurt.
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