Steelers Draft and Mel Kiper sucks thread!!

That strong locker room was not able to Keep Bell and Bryant out of trouble and they were less of a risk than Spence. Yes he has a high ceiling and he may very well go on to become the Reggie White but I would prefer my team pass on him. There are other safer players who can help the Steelers. This is virtually the same stance I took on Randy Gregory last season. Maybe Spence is different maybe he really did learn but between history and poor interviews let some other team gamble with him. He is a perfect fit for the Browns Bungles, or Cowboys.

 

Thompson running a 4.69 was disappointing. Thought he fit the profile of what the Steelers are looking for at 25. Not sure if I'm on board w/ Apple or Jackson there. Don't want Henry in R1. Don't have a good read on the pick at all anymore.

 

I guess the reason people don't want Henry is they don't want another high dollar contract after his rookie 5 years are done. We don't have a legitimate TE and people want to avoid the best to come into the league since Gronk. We absolutely need a good TE to keep are offense at the top of the league. Henry would play a lot starting day one and be the starter maybe even day one. We have DBs coming in from last years draft that should help our defense.

 

I think the Steelers are extremely high on Jesse James. I'm pretty sure everyone was either scratching their heads or completely pissed off when he was drafted last year. Clearly there is something the Steelers love about him and feel confident moving forward to not try and convince Heath to give it one more year.

 

I don't know why anybody would object to a 5th Rd TE. Imagine if the TE was a prime weapon and not a safety valve. If we had a TE who was just as much of a weapon as Brown, Bryant, Wheaton, Coats, Bell & Williams our offense would be insane. Our defense will probably not make the top 5 anytime soon, but our offense could be on the 2007 Patriits level forcing teams to try harder on offense and commit lots of mistakes.

 

I'm not sure what the deal is with Floyd, I haven't heard any news. He has the measurables you want, although 6'6" might be a little tall for OLB. He didn't run the short shuttle at the combine so maybe there is a problem with change of direction?

I think these things are coachable issues, and weight/strength can be fixed with 2 years [del]on some good HGH[/del] in the weight room.

I agree with you on Billings, I'm not sure why I did not include him on the list.

I strongly disagree on Elliott, I think he is a game-changing player. The biggest issue with him that I can see is the number of touches he took at OSU. He is fast, maybe not explosive, but the kid is strong and doesn't have many weaknesses.

I think all those guys will be gone by 25 anyway, one of them will be in Baltimore, so I'm not pounding the table to draft them... just trying to identify the guys Pittsburgh may label with the special tag.

 

Someone ALWAYS slides. I am interested to see all the mocks this week just to see what the insiders are saying about stock.

2k

 

Half those guys aren't even special talents already. How about Ronnie Stanley? Jalen Ramsey? Mackensie Alexander? Shaq Lawson? I'd even put Andrew Billings, Darron Lee, and Robert Nkemdiche on that list ahead of a bum like Leonard Freaking Floyd, Ezekiel Elliot who has issues with catching passes and picking up blitzes, Jaylon "Bum Knee" Smith, and especially second-round talent Hunter Henry (THERE IS NO "SPECIAL TALENT" THERE, AT ALL).

I'm sorry for coming on strong, but this is wearing thin on me already. The simple fact that you're all talking about Hunter Henry like he'll be the second coming probably removes him from Colbert's mind already (he usually makes picks no one talks about in the first round), but I watched Henry and I know it's much ado nothing. Will he be there in the second round? He very well could be! If he is, let's take him, and then you all can have a big Hunter Henry orgy together under the Hunter Henry totem pole you've fashioned. There is no conceivable way in my mind that he'll be BPA in the first round unless the QBs are all ignored and nothing but DLs, OLs, and DBs are picked ahead of us.

And for Gid specifically, Gronk was a first-round talent with injury problems that pushed him into the second round. Henry is a second-round talent with the power to alter Earth's rotation on its axis. Comparing the two is unfair to Gronk, and for that I just puked a little in my mouth.

 

Ok, I am just starting to get into my own draft research and I think you guys as a group are very knowledgeable in college football so I want to ask. What are your opinions on William Jackson III out of Houston (question directed at any and everybody)? I've done some light research this morning and this kid seems like a steal.

 

I agree with everything Demo said. I read the Gronk comparison you wrote, and I see absolutely nothing, NOTHING, of the sort. I too, proceeded to puke in my mouth, twice. I saw a bunch of nice catches, he's got good hands there's no denying that. He is NOT going to be the best value at 25. Time to get off the saddle you strapped on Henry. Start looking at Austin Hooper in the 2nd round, or any other TE after the 1st round, because any TE the Steelers pick, won't be at 25.

 

First off, the phrase is "special player", not "special talent". Jarvis Jones was not overly talented, but he was a player they targeted as special during their evaluations.

Second, if you disagree with the list go ahead and list your specifics. Don't just rant about how stupid I am, give us the benefit of your superior wisdom! How is Floyd a bum? Does a bad knee disqualify a player as a special prospect? Is Darron Lee someone you think the Steelers will consider a special player?

What did you see in Henry's play that makes him only a 2nd round prospect? Be helpful and give specifics, maybe people will shut up if they are properly informed.

 

I'm not into college football much and I've never seen Jackson III play. But the only mock I've seen him getting picked by the Steelers over Apple in the 1st round is a mock by Pete Prisco......

 

I also ran across this article which asks if the Steelers will actually pick a CB in the first round. The last time the Steelers made such a selection was Chad Scott in 1997. The article speculates that Jackson III will be the choice.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/20160229/could_steelers_go_cb_for_first_time_since_1997

 

In the first collaborative draft, I traded up 5 picks to draft A'Shawn Robinson. It cost me the Steelers 3(89) for the trade up.

 

First, Henry doesn't pass my eye test as a special can't miss prospect. He's a really good blocker and catches everything, but I do not see him getting open vs NFL linebackers or safeties. Nothing "special" in the route running category. He could be a solid NFL TE for several years, but he should not be compared to Gronkowski. Not even a chance. Gronkowski is taller (1.5 inches), heavier (17 lbs.), stronger (see below), bigger hands (1.5 inches bigger, which is a significant amount), and I'll add in faster because I've seen them both run on a field and it's pretty clear to me (didn't see any official shuttle or 40 times). I didn't dig too deep into either of their combine stats, but one thing I found was the bench press stats for each of them:

Gronkowski: 23 reps
Henry: 13 reps

Not saying Henry is a bust, or won't be a viable NFL TE, I'm simply saying there's zero chance he's taken at 25 by the Steelers, and that the Gronk comparisons, to me, are blasphemous.

 

Do u really think DE is a need? I feel w Tuitt and Heyward they are real solid...get a quality backup in the 3rd or 4th round...I like Robinson a lot, but I dont think u trade up 4 him 2 b a backup

 

I had him at #7 on my board. At the moment, I don't see any reliable depth on the DL, and I feel he could play at all 3 positions efficiently.

 

If I was to compare Henry to someone, I would compare him to Zach Ertz. Very similar size and caught everything in sight. I do find it funny how we compare college kids with pro athletes once they're established. Zach Ertz was a second round pick as was Gronk albeit due to injury issues. I don't believe anyone thought Gronk would be who he has become, if that were so he would have been drafted in the top 5 of the draft. That being said, IMHO expecting Henry to be Gronk is quite the stretch. I would not be surprised if he was excellent as a pro.

 

I can agree as far as value...was Eli Apple available?

 

Apple was still available. I have him at #22 on my board. Robinson is my #1 DT. Far too much value imo not to go up and get.