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View Full Version : Ranking of Steelers needs heading into the draft



st33lersguy
04-26-2015, 10:14 PM
Right before free agency I ranked the Steelers needs from most needed to least needed, now I am doing one 4 days away from the draft. To review my previous list click here http://www.steelersuniverse.com/forums/showthread.php/22458-Ranking-of-Steelers-needs-heading-into-free-agency?highlight=list+steelers+heading+free+agency Not a lot of change from my previous list since the steelers were not very active in free agency.

1. Cornerback: My last list combined cornerback and safety as needs for defensive back but upon further thinking about it I am separating them and putting cornerback 1st. Somehow the Steelers got worse at the cornerback position with Brice McCain going to the Dolphins. Ike Taylor leaving may be addition by subtraction but it is still one less cornerback on the depth chart. The Steelers best corner is William Gay and at his best he was never more than a solid no. 2. Talent is depleted at this position and the Steelers need to stop messing around in this area and draft one in the first 2 rounds.

2. Outside linebacker: James Harrison and Arthur Moats will both be back but all they have added to an OLB corp that was part of a pass rush that ranked in the bottom 10 in sacks was Shawn Lemon an unproven from the CFL. Jarvis Jones is looking more and more like a bust and the Steelers should draft one pretty high.

3. Safety: Troy Polamalu is gone, a sad sad day. That means the most notable safeties on the roster are Shamarko Thomas who is an unknown, Mike Mitchell who struggled and who some say is more fit to play strong safety anyway, and back-up Will Allen. At the very least depth is an issue, at most a talent upgrade is in order.

4. Defensive line depth: Cam Heyward is a stud, Stephon Tuitt showed a lot of promise, and Steve McClendon is serviceable and I would like to see what Dan McCullers can do. The run defense actually finished 6th so I would steer clear of this for the first round. However depth along the D-line (specifically D-end) is very scarce. The most notable D-lineman after those guys mentioned is useless Cam Thomas. Depth remains a priority

5. Offensive line depth:The first offensive position on this list. The o-line is as good as it has been since 2005, meaning drafting one early is not necessary, but adding depth in the later rounds would be a good idea

6. Tight end: This need continues to be overrated. Heath Miller isn't getting any younger but he contributes and with Miller and Spaeth as the top 2 tight ends and all the offensive weapons, it reduces the value of a tight end to this team

7. Wide receiver: I have no idea what all these visits for early round WR visits are about. The only questions about this position are at no. 4 and no. 5 wide receiver and neither position are going to get many balls thrown to them. Drafting a no. 4 wide out in the first 4 rounds shows poor position value

8. Running Back: The only real change from the free agency list is dropping down RB. DeAngelo Williams who has created a positive impression on me and I am sure other fans fills the need for a no. 2 RB. A no. 3 RB is not a valuable position on a football team so drafting one before round 7 is needless

9. Quarterback. Big Ben is locked up til 2019 and he is only getting better. Any rookie QB we pick up won't sniff the starting lineup. One might say that a QB would be useful to replace Landry Jones off the roster but you don't need the draft to do that

10. Inside Linebacker: Depth is pretty full here.

Steeldude
04-27-2015, 01:25 AM
Unless they have given up on Thomas, I think the safety won't be addressed until the 3rd round at the earliest.

cold-hard-steel
04-27-2015, 05:52 AM
We need to find that guy who can find the qb and end the story. Secondary is a concern, but come on man ,you give Bubby Brister the time even he could kill ya. to me this draft is about putting the qb on his back .We draft a guy that can make the qb lay down then your secondary becomes just what the name states......secondary.

Steelman
04-27-2015, 08:36 AM
We need to find that guy who can find the qb and end the story. Secondary is a concern, but come on man ,you give Bubby Brister the time even he could kill ya. to me this draft is about putting the qb on his back .We draft a guy that can make the qb lay down then your secondary becomes just what the name states......secondary.

Most years I would agree with you. But we have plenty of linebackers (albeit, not great ones, or very old ones) but basically no corners other than Willie Gay, Antwon Blake and whatever mental remnants remain of Cortez Allen. It's difficult to feel good about that position group and needs to be addressed early via the draft. If that takes a grabbing a first-round corner, then so be it, it's worth it. This is a passing league and we need corners who can keep up.

That being said, if for some reason Shane Ray or Bud Dupree slides to 22 I think the FO is gonna be in a pickle on who to take.

steelreserve
04-27-2015, 01:13 PM
That's a pretty well-reasoned list. I would've liked to see something done about NT because McCullers is still a big question mark - but we had our chance to do that very cheaply in free agency and didn't, so I have no reason to believe it's even on our radar at this point.

OLB is still a lot less of a concern to me than for most people, for two reasons ... one being that Jones played basically three games last year, so I have no idea how there is enough information available to label him a bust. Why do people do that, and then one sentence later turn around and say they have high hopes for Shamarko Thomas, who has had basically the same exact career track to this point? Ziggy Hood was a flat-out bust, and he gave off those signals early and often. I don't see that from Jones. Have a smidgen of patience, for chrissakes.

The other reason is Shazier is a sort of insurance policy at OLB if need be. Shazier was an OLB out of college and I don't see anything (body type, size, etc.) that would prohibit him from playing there if the other guys really turn out to suck. For some reason we looked at him and insisted that he was an ILB only. Spence has done well at ILB when called upon. Williams is OK as the backup. We have plenty of flexibility there. Get your best players on the field. We may have another good OLB on the roster already, and without giving up much to fill his previous spot.

ALLD
04-27-2015, 03:33 PM
If they drafted 2 OLBs and 2 CBs in the first four rounds it would be considered good strategy by many.

cold-hard-steel
04-27-2015, 03:44 PM
Most years I would agree with you. But we have plenty of linebackers (albeit, not great ones, or very old ones) but basically no corners other than Willie Gay, Antwon Blake and whatever mental remnants remain of Cortez Allen. It's difficult to feel good about that position group and needs to be addressed early via the draft. If that takes a grabbing a first-round corner, then so be it, it's worth it. This is a passing league and we need corners who can keep up.

That being said, if for some reason Shane Ray or Bud Dupree slides to 22 I think the FO is gonna be in a pickle on who to take.

i actually understand the cornerback concept .It does get complicated , but if i can consistantly find my way to your qb , i would have a lesser need for an expensive cb . Lessin i live off the corner blitz. We most need to put the qb on his back and realize a ok cb can become a greater player due to the applied pressure on the qb.

TD's & Beer
04-30-2015, 05:16 PM
Local press putting it bluntly


Steeler draft analysis: There's no excuse for no 1st-round cornerback

"And with the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select …"

Roger Goodell will step to the podium at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago at around 10:30 p.m. Thursday to reveal the Steelers' first-round pick.

It better be a cornerback.

However, it could be an edge rusher.

It could be a safety. Possibly.

The Steelers' needs in this draft have been defined for some time, and the people who make those decisions have been forthright about it for the better part of two months

They need a cornerback and probably more than one

(more)

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/8224646-74/steelers-draft-cornerback#axzz3YpiLQ3bz

ALLD
04-30-2015, 05:38 PM
They could go 3 CBs and 3 OLBs in the first six rounds and I would be cool with it as long as everybody is at least 6 feet tall.