Steelers 2013 Draft - Your INITIAL gut feeling?

[GBMelBlount]

It may take years to know how well we drafted.

However based on need and value I will give us a solid "B" to "B+" (at least for the first 4 picks).

[Mistah Q]

For the first 4 picks it's a solid A.

For the rest of the draft it's a C+.

[st33lersguy]

I give it a B, overall value was good and the needs were addressed

[Dwinsgames]

over all I give it a B , but clearly the opportunity to be much better was there but they shit the bed the last few picks leaving more talent on the board than what they took off of it

[Shoes]

I gave them a B+......the last few kinda sucked, but hopefully we can pickup some good UDFA's. Pleased overall.

[Count Steeler]

I think they picked well early on. I give them a B.

[steelreserve]

I put it at a B overall. I like the players we got in the early rounds, but we really, really, looked like we were drafting for immediate need for all of the first 4 rounds, which is risky. We'll see how they turn out.

I don't know what we were doing in the last couple of rounds. We got some rare opportunities with talented guys still on the board in rounds 6-7, in exactly the positions where we needed depth, and passed them up. Still scratching my head about those, but I guess we just weren't interested at all.

[Steelman]

For an obviously need-based draft, I think we hit early and missed late. Was actually OK with Landry Jones, but didn't really like any of the picks after, esp Justin Brown. I guess we'll see how it all pans out.

[zulater]

I like it. Like it a lot. Think we got some guys who can really help this team this year and into the future.

[Godfather]

B+

Solid draft but no game-changers.

[Chidi29]

Article I wrote on another site.

The 2013 NFL Draft is in the books and naturally, every fan wants to grade their team's selections. With me being no different, we'll take a look at the 2013 Steelers' Draft Class pick-by-pick.

Round One: Jarvis Jones/OLB Georgia: 6'2 245

Admittedly, when I was watching tape on him, I was originally at a crossroads. The production with the Bulldogs was off the charts with 44 TFL and 28 sacks in his two years, including seven forced fumbles his senior season. On the other end of the spectrum, he is a limited athlete with an average first step that was far behind the caliber of other rush 'backers Dion Jordan, Ziggy Ansah, and Barkevious Mingo.

But ultimately, Jones is an undeniable playmaker. He possesses a ton of upper body strength to the point where he attracted chips and even the occasional double-team. He not only held his own against the run but he excelled there, something that can't be said for most of the edge rushers who are pure speed ends. Jones has good closing speed, stunted and blitzed in the Bulldogs' relatively complex defense, and is a high-effort kid. He's overcome many obstacles in his life from the murder of his brother to a spinal stenosis diagnosis that could have ended his career (It is worth pointing out that the condition has been refuted by orthopedist Craig Birgham).

Jason Worilds has shown flashes as a pass rusher but he lacks the bulk and strength to ever be a force against the run, a prerequisite to be a linebacker for the Steelers. Jones is the opposite in that regard and just as good of a pass rusher.

Grade: B+

Round Two: Le'Veon Bell/RB Michigan St: 6'1/3 230

Aside from Giovani Bernard, every back was on the board for the Steelers at pick 48. But they surprised some, passing up Eddie Lacy to take the former Spartan. To be blunt, in the two games I've taken a close look at Bell, I am not impressed. He is blessed with quick feet for a big frame that will surely draw Jerome Bettis comparisons from some (though not me, for the record). Bell can run hard and shows flashes of power at moments and attempts to churn out extra yardage on nearly every carry. He possesses good vision and will sometimes make a downhill safety miss in the hole. In his sophomore and junior years, the Sparty product combined for 67 receptions.

However, as others have noted, Bell needs a compass; he's too much of a East/West runner for a back of his size. Dancing in the hole too much, he rarely gets his shoulders square and gets momentum going downhill. There are times where he tries too hard to bounce it when he should cut upfield and take what he can get. He isn't a home run threat either lacking a second gear and only a marginal burst who again, hurts himself by failing to run downhill. It's Juan Pierre thinking he's Adam Dunn.

It's safe to assume the Steelers are drafting him to be a feature back but he'll fall short of that mark. At best, he's Jonathan Dwyer and like him, also has his fair share of weight concern. The Steelers' added no new dynamic and only a little bit of talent with this pick.

Grade: D

Round Three: Markus Wheaton/WR Oregon St: 5'11 189

A track star who reportedly once beat De'Anthony Thomas in the 100m, his wheels translate to the tape. A combination of a quick burst with long speed, Wheaton (unlike Bell) doesn't dance and gets upfield right after the catch. "Quick to the tuck" as former WRs coach Scottie Motgomery would say. An ultra-productive year for the Beavers with over 1200 yards and finding the end zone 11 times, Wheaton uses his speed to create separation on underneath routes. Cornerbacks will flip their hips early allowing for easy, natural separation for Wheaton on curls and out routes because of the concern of the deep ball. But make no mistake, he can burn defensive backs and seems to understand the nuances of route-running with shoulder and head fakes on double-moves. He also tracks the ball well and while he isn't the most physical player, is not afraid to get the ball at its high point.

He lacks much strength but is willing to stalk block. Minor concerns include a skinny frame and is a bit of a body catcher on intermediate routes leading to a slight issue with drops.

He's shown off versatility too, lining up in the slot and on the outside at receiver. Wheaton has 83 career carries including 20 his senior year on end-arounds and fly sweeps. Add in a dash of return work and as Coach Tomlin loves to say, Wheaton wears many hats. He is not identical to Chris Rainey with a much more refined role at WR than Rainey did at RB, but it stands to reason Wheaton will be used in a similar fashion in Year One.

Grade: B

Round Four: Shamarko Thomas/S Syracuse: 5'8/7 213

With the departure of Will Allen and Ryan Mundy, the Steelers had a major gap to fill behind Polamalu and Clark. Enter Shamarko Thomas. A head-hunter with excellent closing speed, Ryan Clark can start calling Thomas his mini-me. A 39 game starter for the Orange with 263 tackles to his name, the explosive safety got looks at free and strong and even the occasional snap at cornerback.

His willingness to get his nose dirty is admirable but Thomas is much too streaky right now and Carnell Lake must get him to become more consistent. He misses too many tackles and takes poor angles to the ball and it feels like bad plays stack each other. Thomas seems like more of an in-the-box type with only two career interceptions.

As Mundy and Allen did, Thomas will probably be a backup at both spots.

Grade: B-

Round Four: Landry Jones/QB Oklahoma: 6'4/1 225

Jones' story is well-known. Strong sophomore and junior campaigns made him one of the more coveted prospects coming into the year. But a down senior year caused his stock to tumble to 115 overall. I did not take much of a look on Jones before the draft but in general, teams should only be drafting quarterbacks in the first two rounds because they need a franchise one or taking a flier in the 6th or 7th round.

What is the plan for Jones? "Groom" him to be the backup, a sentence dripping in cliches and lack of practicality. How do you groom a player that may rarely see action in regular season games? I'd much rather sign veteran backups with game experience behind Big Ben as the team has done with Byron Leftwich and Bruce Gradkowski in this year's free agency. For that philosophical reason, I can't get behind the selection.

Grade: C

Round Five: Terry Hawthorne/CB Illinois: 5'11/6 195

With 26 starts and good triangle numbers (4.44 40 at the Combine) Hawthorne is an intriguing prospect on paper. But the tape does not match up. While he does seem to be a pretty fluid athlete that stays low in his backpedal, the cornerback is allergic to contact. An unreliable tackler who is as physical as a pillow, he'd rather have the action come to him than seek it out. That's a huge concern for a Dick LeBeau player who as mentioned, must be willing to mix it up to see playing time. It would not surprise me at all to have him pull a Terrence Frederick and be gone as quickly as he came.

Grade: D+

Round Six: Justin Brown/WR Oklahoma: 6'3/1 207

A Penn St transfer after the Joe Paterno scandal Brown had a fairly productive senior season, falling just shy of 900 yards to go with five trips to the end zone leading him to getting Honorable Mention Honors in the Big-12.. This included a monster 15/146 statline against Oklahoma St. A punt returner in addition to being a receiver, he's a big body with only Plaxico Burress looking down at him. But he is slow (4.6 40) and questions about his ability to get separation at that size/speed remain.

Still, it's a worthwhile pick after losing multiple skill position players to free agency or injury.

Grade: C+

Round Six: Vince Williams/ILB Florida St: 6'0/6 233

Williams is undersized but has bulk to his frame and broad shoulders. With some short-area quickness, good closing speed, and the ability to pack a punch, it's likely he'll get a trial run at ILB. The former Seminole has shown the ability to get his arms extended to get off blocks and overall, takes good angles. However, he is a limited athlete and his 4.76 40 and just 32 1/2 inch vertical shows up on tape.

Unless the team knows that Sean Spence is well ahead of schedule and has a good chance to regain pre-injury form, ILB is still a concern for the Steelers. Larry Foote is a stopgap at best and the team may have waited too long to address the position. Hopefully Williams turns out better than Mike Humpal.

Grade: C+

Round Seven: Nick Williams/DT Samford: 6'4/4 309

I'll be the first to admit I don't have much on the Samford product. He lit up the Combine with a 4.94 40 and had a better 10 yard split than Sam Monthomery and Bjoern Werner. A two-year starter, Williams had a monster senior season with 8 TFL and six sacks. He'll likely kick out to five technique for the team to add depth behind Heyward, Hood, and Keisel. I haven't listened to much of the conference call but John Mitchell was reportedly a big advocate for Williams. Getting a glowing endorsement for one of the best non head-coaches the team has ever had is certainly something nice to have in your corner.

Grade: B-

Overall, this year's draft was up-and-down. The team got the most important pick, their first rounder, right but the rest of the class is spotty. Truthfully, the Tomlin/Colbert duo have not produced the greatest draft classes the last few years and it would be refreshing to see that change.

Overall Grade: B-

[Steeldude]

The two worst picks, IMO, were Bell and Jones. Both of them weren't worthy of the number in which they were selected.

Bell is the same type of RB as Dwyer. He isn't elite by any means. His vision is average and he has a habit of running upright. The defense will love that. He does get yards after first contact, but so does Redman. He needs to spend more time running north rather than east/west and spinning like a top. Again, he really offers nothing more than what Dwyer and Redman offer. They shouldn't have even bothered drafting a RB. No one RB really stood out much more than any other that was available. It would have been different if the Steelers had a group of small RBs, but that wasn't the case. There was better value(Arthur Brown) at other positions in the second.

As for Jones, he simply wasn't that valuable to pick in the 4th. He will be another St. Pierre.

[Aussie_steeler]

I know we all have two eyes.

But when linked to our memories, our desires and needs the same information is processed differently. I strongly disagree to some opinions based on the interpretations of my observations. I respect your opinions and I wonder what I am missing.

1. I loved the Jarvis Jones pick. I just didnt think it was ever going to happen. The steelers usually dont pick OLB's in the first. Premium pass rushers are usually snapped up by teams. Very happy that a top 5 pick fell into our laps.

2. I love the LeVeon Bell pick. His tape doesnt lie. He is the workhorse of the spartans. Coaches gameplanned to stop him knowing that they had no other weapons. He run through spaces that never appeared to be opened ( if you ever watched Bama games you know how big running lanes can be). He is a true every down back. And he still got yards. He gets knocked because he runs east - west. What a load of crap. You run straight and you get hit then you either go down or bounce it out and keep running depending on your abiility. Good stiff arm and a knack of staying on your feet will often lead to being bounced out side. Watch a players bad games and then you will see what they are really made of. LeVeon Bell is a first round lock if he plays for Bama. Dwyer must be crapping his pants now, after reading that he was immediately put on the trade block once Bell was drafted. Bell, Redman, Larod Howling sound OK to me.


3.Wheaton WR I was keyed in on steadman bailey as the slot guy. I missed the boat on Wheaton because I thought a sub 4.40 WR would be taken later in the draft. He appears to be able to do both. Haley referred to him as their speed man outside. They have that know. If Sanders walks at the end of his RFA tender then I see a guy with similar skill set to replace him. The Pats attempted raid has got the FO thinking about potentially losing sanders.

4. SS Thomas - I love the aggressive nature of this pick. You know you have a least one 3rd round comp pick next year for Wallace. WHo knows what you get for Lewis, Mendenhall and others. Colbert indicated that he had a 3rd round grade on Thomas and was close to taking him on day two. This was a great decision. I thought they go free safety, but Thomas is one of the few SS that could half fill troy's shoes when he leaves.

4b. Landry Jones - Before the draft I had QB as maybe a 7th round option. but after watching day 1 and 2 transpire the true draft fan would have started considering options like:::: What if Matt Barkely, Ryan Nassib, Tyler Bray and Landry Jones are still there. Do you take one for the future??

You know the future that has many unwritten pathways.
The one where your #3 QB is called into action.
The one where you get a team who looks at the draft and says, I dont see a 1st round talent starting QB. Hell, I think I will trade for Kevin Kolb, Matt Cassell, Charlie Whitehurts....you know that ones that always seem to make you scratch your head.

This was a very smart front office decision. It may well bear fruit, like a #2 QB for not much money in 2015. It might well get you a 2nd round pick in 2015, 2106.

I defer to Bill Polian. Read his views predraft on Landry Jones .


5. Hawthorne - I am going to beat my chest. I pimped him hard all draft season. Thats because the film I watched showed a steeler CB draft pick. A guy who has prototypical size and speed. A guy who can press and a guy who loves to come up an hit. I dont know what film you guys are watching but his tape shows that he loves to hit and he will step up and take on the run. Then again, I am old and I wear glasses. Carnell like called him "Ike Taylor like" who needs to work on his technique because he is very raw. In 2011 he was the defensive MVP of the Kraft Hunger bowl. Tape dont lie.

6. a.Justin Brown b. Vince Williams c. Nick Williams - had A. and B. pegged as guaranteed UDFA pick ups.Thought Vince Williams was going to be a 7th round candidate due to his early pre draft visit, 3rd visit I believe.

Went with Boyce over Brown thinking they would go speed over height at WR in the late rounds. Once Wheaton was drafted Brown was the only tall WR on the visit list

Nick Williams is the late round version of my other pimp, Jesse Williams. Tall 5 tech that will work hard for his spot.

All three hit the practice squad.

IMO these days a 6th or 7th round pick turns a prospective UDFA condidate into a draftee because all the guys on your draft board have gone and you dont want to lose them in the post draft crap shoot.

I walk away from this draft like every draft.

1. Impressed with the majority of the picks.
2. Defending all players because they are know Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Excited for the future of these players
4. Excited for the next draft because it is a drug for me.
5. Glad that the FO got back to drafting high character players. This team is taking back the locker room and sweeping all the ME, MYSELF and I players out the door.

[jb500ex]

Hated both jones picks and will go on record that Jarvis wil be a huge bust

[Dwinsgames]

Hated both jones picks and will go on record that Jarvis wil be a huge bust


will quote this to make sure that record stays in tact ....

[Shoes]

will quote this to make sure that record stays in tact ....

He's back, Dwins!!!!!!!!


http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z211/vestkap/troll_zps3377dde9.jpg (http://s190.photobucket.com/user/vestkap/media/troll_zps3377dde9.jpg.html)

[TomlinSteelTribe]

After reading/watching what the positional coaches had to say about the draftees, I've come around. Still think Bell is the most likely bust (and the 2nd round woes continue...), but I don't watch much college football so I'm hardly an expert. The one good point the coaches made about Bell was that other teams keyed in and exclusively focused their gameplans around stopping him last year and he still produced.

[Austin87]

A- for me. Will probably take 5 years or more to evaluate a draft.

[oneforthetoe]

I'm just going to give it a B+ for what it is worth. I'm pretty sure the last two draft classes will have more to do with our success this year than this draft class.

[GBMelBlount]

I have been reading the draftniks reviews and it seems that the general consensus for the Steelers is favorable.

Most of the picks made sense based on both value and need.

[Texasteel]

We got a kid that early in the year was figured to be a top 5 pick, and from what I saw, did nothing on the field to cause him to slide.
We got a RB that looked to be climbing in the draft, and had the look of a Steelers RB.
We got a WR that has the speed to replace the one we lost, even could be considered a better route runner.
We got a SS with we badly needed, and was thought by many to be gone a round or two earlier than we got him.
We got a QB that I think could at least develop into a good back up.
We got a speedy CB that could become a starter in a couple of years.

This is way I gave it a grade of an A-

[Psycho Ward 86]

i think jones, wheaton, and thomas will be the only ones to pan out. With landry jones becoming a serviceable journey man. i see really high bust value with leveon bell but i hope he proves me wrong. For such a big dude, he doesnt embrace his inner "fatback" when he needs to. He runs way too tall, and he's a taller back already (6'1'') so that just isnt helpful. I think too many people try to force themselves to see the positive in everything freakin pick, which just isnt realistic. Saw a lot of poor tackling on his film so im not impressed by his "quick for a big guy" agility, especially when he plays so soft for a big guy. The only thing that keeps me optimistic about him is his youth, so i hope kirby really gets on his ass. He's got his work cut out for him.

Every draft pretty much always provides 2-4 guys that pan out. Look at our draft history and try your darndest to find the last one that provided more. Itll take a while, thats all i gotta say.

[steeldawg]

I graded the draft a C+ which is a neutral grade because i dont feel any better or worse about the team than i did before the draft.

[BigNastyDefense]

I give it a B+.

Worilds will get a chance to compete for the starting job at ROLB. But, he really needs to impress the coaching staff in camp to win it, because I think Jarvis Jones is going to be gunning to be the starter, and he's got the talent to win it. Worilds is no James Harrison. He didn't really impress me last season.

LeVeon Bell is going to end up being the feature back for the Steelers this year. Last year we had no feature back, just a collection of backs with some good qualities but none you would call a feature back. This fact reared it's ugly head in the loss against Cleveland when all of the active backs on the roster put the ball on the ground. Bell has the build to take the pounding, has decent speed, can break arm tackles, and hits the hole hard.

Markus Wheaton is fast. He's also strong, with the best showing of the bench press for wideouts at the combine. He's going to compete for the slot receiver position. Pittsburgh has had good luck with third round receivers...has lightning struck thrice?

Shamarko Thomas is projected as the eventual replacement for Troy Polamalu...and he could start as a rookie if Polamalu has injury issues once again. He's currently the immediate backup to the future Hall of Fame safety. He's a heavy hitter with okay ball skills.

Landry Jones comes from a spotlight program where he put up good stats through his college career. He's a big QB with a strong arm, but not very mobile. He's going to need some grooming, but at worst should become a solid #2 who can win a few games for you if Roethlisberger misses time, which he often has throughout his career. This pick was made with an eye towards the future.

As for the rest, I don't know much about them, but it gives us some depth, some guys who can contribute on special teams (along with the guys I just listed other than Landry Jones), and might be able to develop into decent starters.

[SteelerFanInStl]

I'm not sold on Bell. I like most of the rest of the draft but I would rather have had Arthur Brown in the 2nd and taken a RB later. I really hope that Bell proves me wrong.