Poll: Rookie of the Year Favorite?

[Psycho Ward 86]

Who do you think it will be? I added undrafted free agents that have signed so far for good measure

[RunNGun]

Sean Davis has my vote

[Psycho Ward 86]

I have Sean Davis as well. I think Hargrave will be a better player, but I think Tuitt and Heyward will steal too many snaps from him to win it, while Davis will be a fringe starter

[hawaiiansteeler]

Who do you think it will be? I added undrafted free agents that have signed so far for good measure

I can honestly say that I have never heard of any of the UDFAs we have signed so far...:noidea:

[Shoes]

I can honestly say that I have never heard of any of the UDFAs we have signed so far...:noidea:

Nor have I, but after reading about this kid my gut tells me he'll make the roster.


http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z211/vestkap/TYLER_zpsnxyhh2y5.jpg (http://s190.photobucket.com/user/vestkap/media/TYLER_zpsnxyhh2y5.jpg.html)

[Cyphon25]

Voted for Hargrave because he has the easiest path to a starting job.

I think Golden is a good player and will keep Davis out.

Burns is a bit of a wildcard with our corners.

[Shoes]

Voted for Hargrave because he has the easiest path to a starting job.

I think Golden is a good player and will keep Davis out.

Burns is a bit of a wildcard with our corners.


Agreed on Hargrave.

[hawaiiansteeler]

Nor have I, but after reading about this kid my gut tells me he'll make the roster.


http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z211/vestkap/TYLER_zpsnxyhh2y5.jpg (http://s190.photobucket.com/user/vestkap/media/TYLER_zpsnxyhh2y5.jpg.html)

I do too, imo he'll make the team by being a monster on special teams...

[Shoes]

I do too, imo he'll make the team by being a monster on special teams...

Colbert on Tyler...."He's not the biggest. He's not the fastest. But he's a heckuva football player."

[steelreserve]

Hargrave, because he should be getting significant playing time from the opening whistle of Week 1. All the others maybe, maybe not.

My dark horse second candidate is Hawkins; if either of our tackles get hurt, he could be a key player, and he's got Munchak working in his favor.

[Psycho Ward 86]

Voted for Hargrave because he has the easiest path to a starting job.

I think Golden is a good player and will keep Davis out.

Burns is a bit of a wildcard with our corners.

cant remember exactly what he said at the press conference, but Lake said something that strongly insinuated that they'll put Artie Burns in a position to play how he is comfortable (bump and run) early on. im interested to see if we follow through

[RunNGun]

I have Sean Davis as well. I think Hargrave will be a better player, but I think Tuitt and Heyward will steal too many snaps from him to win it, while Davis will be a fringe starter

I guess I'm not sold on Hargrave. Very small to be playing the Nose which is why I believe they have other plans for him. Possibly in sub packages. I think Davis will deliver some crushing blows and cause some turnovers for us, likely on special teams. It would be great if he could do it on defense as well.

[Psycho Ward 86]

I guess I'm not sold on Hargrave. Very small to be playing the Nose which is why I believe they have other plans for him. Possibly in sub packages. I think Davis will deliver some crushing blows and cause some turnovers for us, likely on special teams. It would be great if he could do it on defense as well.

Players can always gain weight, particularly young ones. Mclendon was 280lb when he got here, went up to 325lb in a short amount of time. Villanueva gained like 80lb in an offseason, albeit he's taller so its easier to put weight on his frame.

I always get asmued when i see scouting reports talk about how "small" a player is when they're something along the lines of a 190lb cornerback or a 240lb ILB. Its like.....wtf? Thats not that small, and they're going to continue to grow in their early 20's?

[RunNGun]

Players can always gain weight, particularly young ones. Mclendon was 280lb when he got here, went up to 325lb in a short amount of time. Villanueva gained like 80lb in an offseason, albeit he's taller so its easier to put weight on his frame.

I always get asmued when i see scouting reports talk about how "small" a player is when they're something along the lines of a 190lb cornerback or a 240lb ILB. Its like.....wtf? Thats not that small, and they're going to continue to grow in their early 20's?

I agree, I believe he can put on some weight without much of a problem, but it may be difficult for him to produce until he does so. All the tools are there for him to be successful. However, I believe his chances at failing may be the same as him succeeding. Although, the same could be said about all of our picks. I just like Burns and Davis' chances better.

[Craic]

None.

All our picks suck. The coaches don't know what they're doing. The FO have their head buried. And the only reason we won six Lombardies is because of Bill Cowher.

Rookie of the Year? Seriously? :hippo:

[Iron Steeler]

Voted for Hargrave because he has the easiest path to a starting job.

I think Golden is a good player and will keep Davis out.

Burns is a bit of a wildcard with our corners.

similar reason for my vote for Hargrave. He will be in rotation quickly and has success getting to the qb and TFL. I think he translate the quickest to the NFL

[Shoes]

Tomlin on Tyler Matakevich @ 6:50

http://www.steelers.com/videos/videos/Colbert-and-Tomlin-on-2016-Draft/153f443f-3817-41d3-99d5-437155352dc0

[JayC]

picked Hargrave but I just got a funny feeling Demarcus Ayers might be a diamond in the rough but we'll see

[Psycho Ward 86]

I agree, I believe he can put on some weight without much of a problem, but it may be difficult for him to produce until he does so. All the tools are there for him to be successful. However, I believe his chances at failing may be the same as him succeeding. Although, the same could be said about all of our picks. I just like Burns and Davis' chances better.

He's not the 1st undersized nose tackle out there. guys like Jay Ratliff and Randy Starks have had success in this league. A couple pounds and he's about the typical nose tackle size. And no nose tackle in the league can boast his kind of athleticism except maybe Poe

[RunNGun]

He's not the 1st undersized nose tackle out there. guys like Jay Ratliff and Randy Starks have had success in this league. A couple pounds and he's about the typical nose tackle size. And no nose tackle in the league can boast his kind of athleticism except maybe Poe

I've got him listed at 6'2 295 lbs, which is more than a couple of pounds shy of your typical nose tackle. I understand that there have been undersized NT who have succeeded, but I also don't believe they will utilize him as a NT. I believe McCullers is the nose and Hargrave will play as a situational pass rusher, at least in his rookie season. Just my 2 cents.

[Psycho Ward 86]

I've got him listed at 6'2 295 lbs, which is more than a couple of pounds shy of your typical nose tackle. I understand that there have been undersized NT who have succeeded, but I also don't believe they will utilize him as a NT. I believe McCullers is the nose and Hargrave will play as a situational pass rusher, at least in his rookie season. Just my 2 cents.

Official combine measurement has him at 309lb. He's not too far from solid nose tackle size. i agree with your sentiment though

[RunNGun]

That official weight definitely helps his case for being undersized. May be the perfect size for a NT/DT hybrid.

[Mojouw]

So the kid from Temple is basically Olsavsky reincarnated. Good thing that is his new position coach!

That made me laugh.

[Steeldude]

Only one person chose Burns so far. Even though some are shy to say it, they know Burns was not a good pick that early.

I chose Hargrave. I think Golden will keep Davis off the field. I can see Hargrave getting more playing time after the 4th week or so.

[fansince'76]

Voted for Hargrave because he has the easiest path to a starting job.

Same here. Shorter learning curve for a DL than a DB as well.

[fansince'76]

Only one person chose Burns so far. Even though some are shy to say it, they know Burns was not a good pick that early.

Outside of QB, CB is probably the most difficult position to learn that there is. Hell, even Mel Blount contemplated quitting when he got burned for 3 TDs in one game as a second-year player by Paul Warfield, and that was back when it was still primarily a running game.

That's really the only reason I picked Hargrave. But you could put a traffic cone back there and it would still be an upgrade over Blake.

IMO, Burns will be fine, but he will have some growing pains due to the nature of the position and he will catch flak early from the Nation because they tend to have zero patience in these matters. Many are going to demand that Burns perform like Rod Woodson in his 7th year right out of the gate and that's not going to happen.

[tube517]

Hargrave is going to have instant playing time since DL depth is so thin. That was my pick.

Sleeper pick is Feeney on special teams

[Vis]

I picked Artie. I liked him before the draft, I called the selection, so I'm in.

[ALLD]

Hopefully Artie gets a nickname more positively associated with his last name and wins the Steelers ROY. If he fails miserably he will own a list of them longer than the one of Cleveland QBs over the last ten years.

[fansince'76]

Hopefully Artie gets a nickname more positively associated with his last name and wins the Steelers ROY. If he fails miserably he will own a list of them longer than the one of Cleveland QBs over the last ten years.

And in Burns' case, "failing miserably" = "not looking the like the second coming of Rod Woodson right out of the gate" in many people's minds.

[LLT]

IMO, Burns will be fine, but he will have some growing pains due to the nature of the position and he will catch flak early from the Nation because they tend to have zero patience in these matters. Many are going to demand that Burns perform like Rod Woodson in his 7th year right out of the gate and that's not going to happen.

This.

[BigNastyDefense]

I picked Davis because I don't think there's going to be a ton of competition for him at SS, he might be starting before Burns. Heck, he might win the job in TC.

They said Burns is going to be put in a position to do what he is most comfortable with, bump & run/man coverage. I think he's going to see PT but he is not start right away.

Hargraves is going to be a backup for sure. He's going to get snaps, but Heyward and Tuitt are going to see a lot more snaps. I just don't think he will have enough big plays to be a consideration for team ROY.

[Steeldude]

Outside of QB, CB is probably the most difficult position to learn that there is. Hell, even Mel Blount contemplated quitting when he got burned for 3 TDs in one game as a second-year player by Paul Warfield, and that was back when it was still primarily a running game.

That's really the only reason I picked Hargrave. But you could put a traffic cone back there and it would still be an upgrade over Blake.

IMO, Burns will be fine, but he will have some growing pains due to the nature of the position and he will catch flak early from the Nation because they tend to have zero patience in these matters. Many are going to demand that Burns perform like Rod Woodson in his 7th year right out of the gate and that's not going to happen.

Hoping for the best or course. He has the physical tools I just hope he grabs the mental part and realizes you need to go 100% in the NFL. I worry when I hear words like cocky, raw and lazy when draft reports describe a player.

I don't expect Woodson, but I expect something positive by his second year.

[Vis]

And in Burns' case, "failing miserably" = "not looking the like the second coming of Rod Woodson right out of the gate" in many people's minds.

Remember that right out of the gate for Woodson was a year with 1 INT, 3 fumbles as a returner, 0 sacks, and 20 tackles. What a bust

[Shoes]

Hoping for the best or course. He has the physical tools I just hope he grabs the mental part and realizes you need to go 100% in the NFL. I worry when I hear words like cocky, raw and lazy when draft reports describe a player.

I don't expect Woodson, but I expect something positive by his second year.


The best thing to keep us all positive is remembering Blake!

[Dwinsgames]

Remember that right out of the gate for Woodson was a year with 1 INT, 3 fumbles as a returner, 0 sacks, and 20 tackles. What a bust


after a lengthy contract hold out if memory serves .

did he not threaten to just wait until after the Olympic trials before signing if he couldn't get the deal he wanted ( he was a world class 200 meter hurdler )

[zulater]

Remember that right out of the gate for Woodson was a year with 1 INT, 3 fumbles as a returner, 0 sacks, and 20 tackles. What a bust

Yeah and the 2nd round pick that year was fellow corner "Beltin" Delton Hall who was the runaway choice for Steelers ROY. If the internet had existed back then you can bet a whole lot of folks would have written off Woodson. :lol:

- - - Updated - - -


after a lengthy contract hold out if memory serves .

did he not threaten to just wait until after the Olympic trials before signing if he couldn't get the deal he wanted ( he was a world class 200 meter hurdler )

Yep. That he did.

[awe1028]

Hargrave is going to have instant playing time since DL depth is so thin. That was my pick.

Sleeper pick is Feeney on special teams

I am going off the beaten path and choosing Travis Feeney as the Steelers ROY. I am hoping, he can get stronger and be the OLB we need.

[teegre]

Cam Thomas & Steve McClendon logged upwards near 60% of the snaps (at both NT & DE). Hargrave will get those snaps... so, essentially he'll be starting.

Even if Hargrave merely stands his ground, he'll be an upgrade over Thomas.

But, beyond "just being better than Thomas", this kid is the perfect solution for what the Steelers need. Often Cam Heyward lined up as the NT, and Heyward played it well... and, more importantly, he played it differently that Casey Hampton did (NOTE: not better, just different... since it's a passing league now). Heyward got an interior pass rush, putting pressure in the QB's face/making it so the QB could not step up. That is what I expect to see from Hargrave.

Plus, Hargrave will be a part of the DE rotation.

My prediction: 6 sacks, 22 pressures/hurries.

[st33lersguy]

Remember that right out of the gate for Woodson was a year with 1 INT, 3 fumbles as a returner, 0 sacks, and 20 tackles. What a bust

A bust was a result of Woodson's career.......a bust in Canton that is

[hawaiiansteeler]

The best 2016 rookie for every NFL team

ESPN.com
NFL Nation reporters choose the rookie who will make the biggest immediate impact for every team:

Pittsburgh Steelers: Second-round pick Sean Davis projects as a strong safety, where competition is wide-open. Davis can take that job in training camp if he's ready. The Steelers feel the No. 58 overall pick can be their long-term answer at the position alongside veteran free safety Mike Mitchell. Davis is 6-foot-1, 203 pounds with elite athleticism and registered 300-plus tackles at Maryland as a combo corner/safety. First-round corner Artie Burns can make a similar impact, but he's considered raw for the nuances of the Steelers' zone-based pass defense. Burns can grow into that role, of course, and he has serious talent, but Davis has the inside track to get early playing time. -- Jeremy Fowler

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/32for32x160509/predicting-best-rookie-all-32-nfl-teams-2016-draft