Steelers Draft and Mel Kiper sucks thread!!

Yes they kept Ward and they likely will keep Brown (again). What I was pointing out that they are not likely to trade either Wheaton or Bryant they will use them to the end of their contracts and let them walk. They have also done a fantastic job of tabbing replacement wrs in the draft.

 

If the salary cap continues to climb as it has over the last three seasons I think it could change the way the Steelers do business.

Clearly the league has become a passing league with the majority of the teams running some version of the west coast offense. Prioritizing a 2nd WR is good business if the trend continues.

I do expect Wheaton to walk but I believe in addition to AB they will sign another WR to a second contract. Whether that is Bryant or Coates remains to be seen. That's assuming Coates develops into the WR I think he can become.

According to his teammates he's become more of a hands catcher / less of a body catcher over the course of the season. If true, the skies the limit for Sammy. Kid is a physical speciman. I've heard TO comparisons for his physicality and YAC ability.

 

Off-topic but not worthy of its own thread...

Does Arians suck again? That was quite the beat down. Clearly Bruce didn't incent to motivate his troops.

 

I think you do have to ask why did they get blown out in 2 of their last three games. They were outscored 105 to 47 in their last three games. Was the loss of Mathieu that big of a blow?

 

Two words...Carson Palmer.

You can take the player out of the Bungles but you can't take the Bungle out of the player.

 

Yeah but Palmer at least has 1 playoff win to his credit

 

True! But he almost Bungled that one too!

 

Palmer hadn't been the same since dislocating the index finger on his throwing hand. Might be he's a big game choke artist as well but he was having a really good season until the finger injury.

Arians has done a great job in Arizona. Palmer played like garbage but so did his O line.

Carolina jumped all over the Seahawks and Cardinals right out of the gate the past two weeks. I think the best thing Denver can do is try to establish the run and not force anything early. They have a defense that can keep them in the game as long as the offense doesn't turn the ball over or give up points.

 

Maybe but it looked to be more about decision making to me than poor throws. The INT before the half - which was really the back breaker - he stared down the receiver the entire time. That's not a veteran play. If he liked the matchup pre-snap, which he clearly did than why not move the safety with his eyes by looking to the left side of the field and then come back to it? Rookie throw and a killer considering they could have gotten the lead down to 10-14 points before the half and gone in with some momentum.

 

I do not disagree. He made some really bad decisions. It snowballed on him. Some of the ill advised deep throws reminded me of the Arians and Ben show.

 

Carson can't handle the big game IMO!

 

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2016/0...sts-both-have-steelers-going-cb-in-1st-round/

The NFL network has Apple as a top 10 pick

 

I know that A LOT of time and energy will be spent the next few months figuring out which cornerback we think the Steelers will take in the first round. However, what if that DOESN'T happen?

As it stands right now, arguably the biggest immediate needs will be at corner and safety, with safety being the biggest need if all. If a guy they like doesn't fall to them, I don't see the Steelers panicking and picking the next best corner. They truly have BPA options available.

Obviously, a lot of this will become clearer as the FA period begins, but the Steelers have some big decisions to make on the offensive line. Beachum, Foster, and DeCastro are all in line for new contracts, and I only see them signing AT MOST two of those guys. Beachum could be cheaper after the injury, but there is no way they are letting DeCastro walk. However, they will probably be down at least one guy and will need depth. Sure, Cody Wallace could probably jump inside at guard, but he was the most penalized member of the offensive line. AV was also good down the stretch, but I don't feel comfortable having only one guy I trust at tackle work injuries being super prevalent. Basically, I would not be surprised to see them invest in the offensive line.

Tight end is another realistic route, as Heath Miller is nearing the end of his career. Jesse James proved that he can be a consistent player, but he is still learning and having a 3 guys that can catch would continue to make this offense scarier and scarier. That being said, I value O-Line over this position, as Ben is the franchise and protecting him should be priority one.

Now, we are actually in pretty good shape along most positions. At this point, we are looking for a couple of upgrades, but mostly depth guys who may be stars a couple years from now. Our team next year could be downright unstoppable (pending the opposing team is above .500).

 

It won't. I can almost guarantee that. Ross Cockrell signed an extension and they'll retain William Gay. They'll want to develop the guys they picked last year too.

Agree except for the first sentence. On the surface, it would seem they have a huge need at corner. For my money, bigger needs lie at QB and along the trenches on both sides of the ball. They may not pick a QB, but expect them to invest heavily in big uglies.

Bye, Beachum. Foster won't be expensive to retain. You don't feel comfortable with only one tackle you trust? That's exactly what we were looking at last year at this time.

Tight end won't be looked at at all. For one thing, we aren't that kind of offense. For another, Jesse James looks like he needs time, but he could very likely become a viable option in the near future.

 

Put Southern Utah safety Miles Killebrew into consideration as a possible mid-round pick, but if he doesn't rise considerably between now and the draft, I'll eat my shoes.

 

I'm with Demo. I don't think the Steelers see their secondary the same was the fans do for a couple of reasons (some already mentioned):

1. Gay and Blake should be back. Cockrell, Golson and Grant under contract.
2. Every member of the secondary improved over the year and played well in the playoffs.
3. Our pass defense woes were never just about the secondary. Our LBs were lost early in the year. They didn't understand their responsibilities, were thinking not playing.
4. Blake will be healthy. Tackling should improve.
5. I think Robert Golden (former CB) has a future at SS.

That's not to say if a guy they have really high on their board drops to them they won't pull the trigger. They will draft BPA and if that's a DB nobody will complain. But if they have a pass rusher, olinemen, DL higher on their board they're not going to reach. History has shown us that.

There's no financial reason they can't sign all three o-linemen. DeCastro is a no-brainer. He will become the highest paid OG in the NFL. And he deserves it. Foster will not attract much attention on the FA market. Financially... piece of cake. Beachum is the wild card. He won't just want a contract. He'll want to play and I just don't see a scenario where Villanueva isn't our LT next year. The guy was too good with minimal preparation. He has a chance to become the best LT in Steelers history.

Jim Wexell has a theory that they will pay Beachum and sell him on being the starting LG. I normally agree with Wex but not sure I like that move. His size and weight deficiencies can be masked at LT because more often than not he's going against guys smaller than him. At OG he's going to be competing against guys that are bigger, faster and stronger. All the technique in the world won't help him inside. The obvious upside is his ability in the zone blocking scheme but I don't like the trade off.

Only time will tell but I think they let Beach walk. Never fun to see guys of his character leave but the LT job is not his any longer. He's too expensive to be a back up and it appears they have a swing tackle in Mike Adams for another year. What could Mike Adams with Munchak's tutelage become? And don't forget about Byron Stingily. Munchak hand-picked him out of Tennessee.

Also agree with Demo on TE. I want to see Jesse James another season before I invest a high pick on a TE. James' ceiling is really high in my opinion. You can't teach 6'7", 260lbs, 4.69 40 with hands. He's a willing blocker and a year in the weight room will help him. And Heath has at least one more year in him.

Another guy that got rave reviews this year as a member of the practice squad was Xavier Grimble. Don't buy into his combine and pro day measurables. He tested with a bad hamstring and it probably kept him from being drafted. Then tore his hamstring his second day in training camp with the 49ers. He's had a tough road but the Steelers really like his playmaking ability.

 

Nothing is certain in life but death and taxes....oh yeah and the Steelers taking BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE in the first round.

With them drafting at #25 odds are the "can't miss" defensive backs will likely be gone. They aren't going to reach and take a defensive back they have rated as a second round talent in the first round because they need help in the secondary.

This draft is loaded with defensive talent.

 

I normally root for a CB to be taken but would rather see a NT or Safety then a LG.
Some one to return punts and kickoffs.
Special teams were BAD!!!! IMO

 

Question for all: If a Tuitt/Heyward level dlineman were available at #25 would anyone have a problem with taking a guy that would rotate in and help keep all of our dlinemen fresh in the 1st round?

 

At this point a 4-3 would be beneficial so if that type of DL is BPA