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LLT
02-19-2016, 09:25 AM
Steelers Draft: Cornerback prospects in every round
by Perry Biggerstaff
www.stillcurtain.com
021916


The vast majority of the Steelers fan base sits with fingers crossed, in hopeful anticipation that the front office will finally fix the achilles heel of this team; the defensive secondary.

Conventional wisdom is that the Steelers organization will address the need for cornerbacks early in the 2016 NFL draft. I have gone on record as saying that I believe Pittsburgh may bring in a free agent cornerback at the right price, but also draft for the future at the position.

Over the past few weeks, I spent a good deal of time…actually WAY too much time reading reviews and breakdowns of college prospects. More importantly, I spent time to look at the game tape of college cornerbacks who have declared for the draft. All this, in order to compile a list of 7 cornerbacks (one per round) that the Steelers could target.

Now, before I get started, let’s be clear on something. As with all drafts, the real talent lies primarily in the first two rounds. It’s there, that the Steelers will probably look for a future starter. Can talent be found in the latter rounds? Yes…but statistically it’s almost as rare to have first round busts like Ryan Leaf and Johnny Manziel then it is to find those rare gems in the later rounds such as Marques Colston and Antonio Brown. Talent tends to rise to the top, and with the proper diligence, most teams can weed out busts or avoid players with red flags. Consequently, teams will take a flyer on players in the last half of the draft who either played against lesser talent then their big school counterparts or who may need a few years to develop.


1st Round: Eli Apple of Ohio State. 6’1 200 pounds.

No surprise here. Apple has been mentioned as a possible draft pick for several weeks now and for good reason. He is a physical corner with above average instincts and has both the size and athleticism that the Steelers desperately need. Game tape shows very good footwork and a fluid back pedal. He will need to be coached up on technique and hand placement but overall seems to put himself in good position to defend the pass. The one flaw that I noticed was a tendency to be off on his timing in run support. As any coach who teaches fundamentals will tell you, one late step can mean a missed tackle. Apple is a two year starter and plays both man and zone coverage equally well



2nd Round: Artie Burns Of Miami. 6’0 193 pounds

After watching a few games of Artie Burns, I have to admit that I would absolutely love to see Artie Burns in the black and gold. Though not as aggressive as Eli Apple, he appears to have more versatility and better instincts in run support. I think Burns has the higher ceiling for a team that can give him a year or two to come into his own. He has played cornerback and safety and possesses a straight line speed that could make him a terror coming off the edge as a blitzer. The Miami prospect has all the tools that the Steelers should be looking for when drafting a defensive back including both attitude and aptitude. Probably my favorite cornerback prospect in this draft. Don’t be surprised if Burns rises on draft charts or is snatched earlier by a team coveting his potential

read more at http://stillcurtain.com/2016/02/19/steelers-draft-cornerback-prospects-in-every-round/

steelreserve
02-19-2016, 11:00 AM
1st Round: Eli Apple of Ohio State. 6’1 200 pounds.

No surprise here. Apple has been mentioned as a possible draft pick for several weeks now and for good reason. He is a physical corner with above average instincts and has both the size and athleticism that the Steelers desperately need. Game tape shows very good footwork and a fluid back pedal. He will need to be coached up on technique and hand placement but overall seems to put himself in good position to defend the pass. The one flaw that I noticed was a tendency to be off on his timing in run support. As any coach who teaches fundamentals will tell you, one late step can mean a missed tackle. Apple is a two year starter and plays both man and zone coverage equally well


Apple is mentioned as the go-to pick for us because hey, he might not be an NFL-ready player, but he'll be available. I hate that. One thing I have noticed about our defensive backs is that very few of them tend to get better as the years pass - if they need coaching, it doesn't work; if they need to "develop," they don't develop. They all stay the same as they were when we got them. This has been going on for roughly a decade.

That says to me it's probably a coaching thing, but if we didn't fire Carnell Lake during the first week of the offseason, that probably means we're sticking with him again. Sigh. But the point is, drafting an incomplete player means he's going to stay an incomplete player until we get our heads out of our asses. I would rather not see us draft a guy whose pre-draft breakdown is not "great athleticism but has holes in his game and needs work." We need "doesn't have flashy speed but is a complete player with solid fundamentals and good football instincts." Which brings us to ...


2nd Round: Artie Burns Of Miami. 6’0 193 pounds
The Miami prospect has all the tools that the Steelers should be looking for when drafting a defensive back including both attitude and aptitude.


3rd Round: Deiondre’ Hall of Northern Iowa. 6’2 192 pounds
If the draft breaks in such a way that the Steelers don’t pick up a cornerback in the first two rounds, Hall is a player that fans can still be excited about. Hall has excellent size and is both competitive and physical.


Typical scenario: Burns is gone in the middle of the second round. Do we take the next guy? Of course we don't; we're more concerned about protecting the value of the pick and never "reaching" than about getting an actual player that matches the position we need. People will heap praise on the pick of an offensive lineman or linebacker, saying "BPA! BPA!" This is not a BPA type of draft. We have basically two needs to put us in contention for a championship NOW, and everything else is treading water.

Then when the third round rolls around, guess what? Hall isn't there either, so we skip the position entirely. Maybe we take a guy in the fourth round because by that point, there are simply so many mediocre cornerbacks with Round 4-6 talent that you can't even tell them apart and some are bound to be available. The way we get into that situation every year.

Well, that or, a guy like Burns actually is available in Round 2 and practically begging to be picked by us, but "welp, he wasn't on our board, ba-durr." The other way we box ourselves in.

In summary: Unless the draft is so top-heavy that the first and second rounds are absolutely overflowing with defensive backs, we'll find any excuse to psych ourselves out and we won't take one. Get ready for more linebackers.

hawaiiansteeler
02-19-2016, 12:34 PM
Apple is mentioned as the go-to pick for us because hey, he might not be an NFL-ready player, but he'll be available.

don't underestimate the fact he's from Ohio State also...

steelreserve
02-19-2016, 12:46 PM
don't underestimate the fact he's from Ohio State also...


Do you mean that in a good way or a bad way?

hawaiiansteeler
02-19-2016, 01:31 PM
Do you mean that in a good way or a bad way?

I meant the Steelers have an Ohio State connection and seem very comfortable in drafting players from Ohio State such as: (Cameron Heyward, Ryan Shazier, Mike Adams and Doran Grant).

Psycho Ward 86
02-19-2016, 04:04 PM
I meant the Steelers have an Ohio State connection and seem very comfortable in drafting players from Ohio State such as: (Cameron Heyward, Ryan Shazier, Mike Adams and Doran Grant).

i thought this was more of a Dick Lebeau thing though?

Texasteel
02-20-2016, 03:39 PM
Glad to see that more people are take a serious look and Burns. I do think he will be there when we pick in the 2nd, but this will depend a lot on the combines.

hawaiiansteeler
02-20-2016, 04:00 PM
Glad to see that more people are take a serious look and Burns. I do think he will be there when we pick in the 2nd, but this will depend a lot on the combines.

Breaking Down CB Artie Burns

by Greg Gabriel

Burns is a third year junior and a two year starter at corner for Miami. Usually plays to the boundary side of the field. He had an exception year in 2013 with 36 total tackles, five broken up passes and six interceptions. He was a four star recruit coming out of high school with offers from schools such as Alabama, LSU and USC. He was also a top hurdler in high school with a personal best of 13.36. While at Miami he ran the 60 meter indoor hurdles with a personal best of 7.74.

Size – Speed

6000 – 193 – 4.48

Strong Points –

Height, long arms, exceptional body control, good speed with quick feet and loose hips. Strong jam, turn and run, man and zone coverage, ball skills and hands. Willing run support player with good tackling ability.

Weak Points –

Not a burner, needs to add some bulk and strength. Can get loose in coverage at times.

Summation –

Burns has all the natural tools to be a very good corner in the NFL. The only thing he lacks is elite speed. While he was a top hurdler in high school he is not a burner. Will probably run in the high 4.4’s. He has a strong jam and can mirror receivers in press coverage. Keeps good position in zone and he has excellent hands and ball skills. He reacts quickly to the run and is willing to come up and make plays. Good tackler but needs to add some bulk and strength to be more effective at the next level. Where he gets drafted will be determined by how well he times in the 40, but he won’t get out of the second round and could go higher.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/breaking-down-dc-artie-burns-and-dt-maliek-collins/

Dwinsgames
02-20-2016, 04:02 PM
if the " Ohio State connection " falls into play lets HOPE its Bell one of the best SS prospects in this draft

hawaiiansteeler
02-20-2016, 04:26 PM
if the " Ohio State connection " falls into play lets HOPE its Bell one of the best SS prospects in this draft

Mike Mayock agrees with you:

Mike Mayock's 2016 NFL Draft position rankings

By Mike Mayock
NFL Media draft analyst
Feb. 11, 2016

Safeties

1. Karl Joseph, West Virginia
2. Vonn Bell, Ohio State
3. Darien Thompson, Boise State
4. Miles Killebrew, Southern Utah
5. Jeremy Cash, Duke

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000635418/article/mike-mayocks-2016-nfl-draft-position-rankings?sf20694830=1