The Steelers select T.J Watt

[polamalubeast]

857798994247901184

[Steelheart]

No TE!!!!!!!

Well, a former TE but still....


A+

[st33lersguy]

Love it!

[Born2Steel]

HOMERUN!!!!!!!!!!

Cam Sutton next and then Rivers. Let's GO!

[Hawkman]

I like it a lot!!

[BlackAndGold]

Didn't think he'd be there with Dallas, and GB ahead of us.

[Steelheart]

HOMERUN!!!!!!!!!!

Cam Sutton next and then Rivers. Let's GO!

I think you have them flipped. Unless there is a surprise Sutton has been viewed as a 3rd round guy and Rivers from 2-3.

[Hound]

Two young and athletic OLB'S!

[st33lersguy]

I must add, that was a great tribute to Dan Rooney by Franco and the Bus.

[86WARD]

I'm not sure he was worth 30, there was a lot of other talent there, but I am excited for the pick. I like it. Thank God they didn't get McKinley...what a mess...

[Shoes]

I like!

[st33lersguy]

Glad the Steelers decided to blow smoke and not tip their hand with who they were drafting when they said they were concerned about Kizer not falling to pick 30 and claiming they weren't interested in TJ

[st33lersguy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egOm4X7AYvA

Now JJ's brother will have 2 opportunities a year to make Howdy Doody look like a red ryder bb gun

[Shoes]

http://www.steelers.com/videos/videos/Tomlins-call-to-Watt/2b8270bd-d87d-4b1c-b05e-26c8a5701988

[Steelheart]

Glad the Steelers decided to blow smoke and not tip their hand with who they were drafting when they said they were concerned about Kizer not falling to pick 30 and claiming they weren't interested in TJ

Anyone who followed what the Steelers did before the draft would have seen right through that. They had dinner with Watt, talked to him, and were at his pro day. It was a given he was one of their top choices. Same goes for Derek Rivers although I am not sure they would have taken him in the first. I think they might have tried to wait for him in the 2nd or try and trade out of the first to get an extra pick or 2 and then selected Rivers early in the 2nd and used their late 2nd on someone else.

[ALLD]

Worth a gamble.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[Six Rings]

Great pick. I went to bed a happy man.

[BigNastyDefense]

I like the pick. Watt doesn't have a lot of time at the position (moved from TE) but being a Watt he's got the work ethic to get there. Even if he's only half as good as JJ is, we would have a Pro Bow OLB.

And as for the "should have moved back a few spots into the second round if you're gonna select Watt" people:

First, it's not as easy as it seems. You need a team wanting to move up into that spot. Maybe the only teams willing wanted Watt. Or didn't want to say who they were after, but with pass rusher high on their needs list, they decided to stay and take Watt there.

Second, the Steelers very well might have felt Watt was a value pick at 30, while you don't. If that's the case, there's no way they trade out of the pick.

Third, the Steelers new draft philosophy seems to be to pick the BPA at a position of need (at least in the first two rounds). With that philosophy, you may reach a little bit for a player, but your also not drafting a player at a position where he will sit for years (like if they took a QB there).

[SteelerCountry58]

Love the pick,he'll transition well into our schemes. You can't teach heart and soul, TJ will bring it!

[Mojouw]

I'll post this again from my post in the draft TJ Watt Thread:

Articles this morning are saying that the Steelers like Watt, but not in the 1st round and view him as more of a second round prospect but don't think he will be there when they pick in the 2nd.

1. That might just all be smokescreen BS and doesn't matter.
2. Assume it does for a second. These kind of statements by teams, GMs, talking heads, and fans drive me batty. Don't overthink the draft process. Do you need a pass rusher? Does the player fit your system? Is the player your highest rated prospect at the position still available? Will he be drafted before you pick again? If the answer to all those questions is "Yes" then just draft the dude and move on.

I don't know why NFL teams insist on slavishly sticking to these draft round grades like they are the revealed word of truth. Maybe internal NFL scouting reports are better than the write ups we can see on the internet, but they are all goofy anyways. Something like 2-3 times the guys that can go in a given round get that round grade.

If the Steelers go pass rusher in the first round, I think their available choices will be McKinnley, Watt, and Lawson. Me, I go Watt about 18 seconds into my pick time and sleep very well at night.

The only point I want to make, is that the same reaction that went on pre-draft is happening post-draft. Oh man, that guy has a second round grade for me. Well, thanks Mr. Random Draft Analyst! Why a 2nd round grade? Then everyone mumbles something about measurables and twitchiness. Okay. What about the production? What about the lack of questions about his ability to be a complete LB, not just a flashy first step? I just think that the draft gets over-thought a ton. Did the Steelers need an edge rusher? Lord, yes. Did they get one of the consensus 4 best edge rushers in the class? Yup. Well despite that fact that in other classes Watt may not have been rated that highly, in this one he is - so that's a first round pick. This stuff gets waaaaaaaayyyyyyy overthought.

[fansince'76]

I'll post this again from my post in the draft TJ Watt Thread:

Articles this morning are saying that the Steelers like Watt, but not in the 1st round and view him as more of a second round prospect but don't think he will be there when they pick in the 2nd.

1. That might just all be smokescreen BS and doesn't matter.
2. Assume it does for a second. These kind of statements by teams, GMs, talking heads, and fans drive me batty. Don't overthink the draft process. Do you need a pass rusher? Does the player fit your system? Is the player your highest rated prospect at the position still available? Will he be drafted before you pick again? If the answer to all those questions is "Yes" then just draft the dude and move on.

I don't know why NFL teams insist on slavishly sticking to these draft round grades like they are the revealed word of truth. Maybe internal NFL scouting reports are better than the write ups we can see on the internet, but they are all goofy anyways. Something like 2-3 times the guys that can go in a given round get that round grade.

If the Steelers go pass rusher in the first round, I think their available choices will be McKinnley, Watt, and Lawson. Me, I go Watt about 18 seconds into my pick time and sleep very well at night.

The only point I want to make, is that the same reaction that went on pre-draft is happening post-draft. Oh man, that guy has a second round grade for me. Well, thanks Mr. Random Draft Analyst! Why a 2nd round grade? Then everyone mumbles something about measurables and twitchiness. Okay. What about the production? What about the lack of questions about his ability to be a complete LB, not just a flashy first step? I just think that the draft gets over-thought a ton. Did the Steelers need an edge rusher? Lord, yes. Did they get one of the consensus 4 best edge rushers in the class? Yup. Well despite that fact that in other classes Watt may not have been rated that highly, in this one he is - so that's a first round pick. This stuff gets waaaaaaaayyyyyyy overthought.


https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-c0bc9a522fdfa046bc57153336bcb148-c

:chuckle:

[Butch]

I'll post this again from my post in the draft TJ Watt Thread:

Articles this morning are saying that the Steelers like Watt, but not in the 1st round and view him as more of a second round prospect but don't think he will be there when they pick in the 2nd.

1. That might just all be smokescreen BS and doesn't matter.
2. Assume it does for a second. These kind of statements by teams, GMs, talking heads, and fans drive me batty. Don't overthink the draft process. Do you need a pass rusher? Does the player fit your system? Is the player your highest rated prospect at the position still available? Will he be drafted before you pick again? If the answer to all those questions is "Yes" then just draft the dude and move on.

I don't know why NFL teams insist on slavishly sticking to these draft round grades like they are the revealed word of truth. Maybe internal NFL scouting reports are better than the write ups we can see on the internet, but they are all goofy anyways. Something like 2-3 times the guys that can go in a given round get that round grade.

If the Steelers go pass rusher in the first round, I think their available choices will be McKinnley, Watt, and Lawson. Me, I go Watt about 18 seconds into my pick time and sleep very well at night.

The only point I want to make, is that the same reaction that went on pre-draft is happening post-draft. Oh man, that guy has a second round grade for me. Well, thanks Mr. Random Draft Analyst! Why a 2nd round grade? Then everyone mumbles something about measurables and twitchiness. Okay. What about the production? What about the lack of questions about his ability to be a complete LB, not just a flashy first step? I just think that the draft gets over-thought a ton. Did the Steelers need an edge rusher? Lord, yes. Did they get one of the consensus 4 best edge rushers in the class? Yup. Well despite that fact that in other classes Watt may not have been rated that highly, in this one he is - so that's a first round pick. This stuff gets waaaaaaaayyyyyyy overthought.


THIS!!!

And that being said isn't this the NFL way. Look at the NFL network where they bring in a so called experts to make a list of the top 10 (you name it) of all time, or the other one that made me laugh "cold hard facts" that was nothing but a couple of sports casters spewing their opinions and presented a fact.

The draft is interesting and I will argue with anyone is a complete crap shoot. Players like Limas Sweed who has all the heart in the world, but just couldn't catch getting drafted, and guys like James Harrison and Donnie Shell who didn't get drafted at all. I follow the draft on this board because it's a taste of Steelers football and it's fun, but I take everything with a grain of salt. Hope it all works out in our favor, let's let them play and see how it all shakes out.

[86WARD]

Anyone remember how the Seahawks "screwed up" their 2012 draft by taking Bruce Irvin at 15 or whatever it was and he was a "high second/third round talent"? He worked out pretty well for being second/third round talent and was one of the better first round picks in 2012 and probably better than at least 11 of the players that followed him.

Point is, there's not a lot of "first round" talent out there and that "first round" talent could actually come at anytime. Example closer to home: Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Brett Keisel. All first round talent, all taken at later rounds. Opposite direction: Limas Sweed. First round talent, not worth second round pick or any pick for that matter...

Kinda the same page as what Butch posted...lol.

[BlackAndGold]

They'll be introducing him to the media at 5 pm ET

858018325317775363

[Steelheart]

2. Assume it does for a second. These kind of statements by teams, GMs, talking heads, and fans drive me batty. Don't overthink the draft process. Do you need a pass rusher? Does the player fit your system? Is the player your highest rated prospect at the position still available? Will he be drafted before you pick again? If the answer to all those questions is "Yes" then just draft the dude and move on.

I don't know why NFL teams insist on slavishly sticking to these draft round grades like they are the revealed word of truth. Maybe internal NFL scouting reports are better than the write ups we can see on the internet, but they are all goofy anyways. Something like 2-3 times the guys that can go in a given round get that round grade.

A agree with your sentiment on the whole but I do want to talk about one point and that would be why teams would stick to their grades. If there is a guy you really like but has a 2nd round grade and you think there is a good shot you can get him there, you don't "reach" into the first because you lose value that way. If you really need an OLB and only kind of need safety help and Troy Polamalu is there in the first and you think you will get James Harrison in the 2nd, you don't reach for Harrison there even if you really love him.

Of course you do have the caveat of "will he be gone before your next pick" but I think that is usually a sort of hard question to answer. Like I said though, I agree with your overall sentiment. I don't see much difference between a really late first round guy and a mid 2nd round guy. I wouldn't consider it a huge reach.

[tube517]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19265189/jj-watt-tells-antonio-brown-haze-brother-tj-pittsburgh?sf74489796=1

J.J. Watt tells Steelers' Antonio Brown to treat brother T.J. like rookie :lol:

[BlackAndGold]

859441775160811521

His jersey number will #90. Of course this can change.

[Born2Steel]

I understand round projections to analyze what players may go when, if outside a team warroom perspective. That's what we did this entire draft season. But, for the team itself, those rankings don't work at all. The 'experts' say a guy is a 2nd round talent and a reach in the 1st. If he fits exactly what you need, why would you listen to the 'experts'? You take him in the 1st round instead of taking the chance he won't be there in the 2nd. Teams won't tell you what they really think of a player leading up to the draft. TJ Watt fits exactly what the Steelers look for in an OLB, and in a 1st round Draft pick. They weren't listening to any 'expert' opinion. He's who they wanted and that's why they drafted him at 30. I honestly didn't think he would be there at 30, and it was him or someone from a different position. Not the 2nd best OLB available on the list. In fact, I think if Watt had not been there at 30, we probably would have taken one of the big safeties instead.

[Method28]

859441775160811521

His jersey number will #90. Of course this can change.
Yuck lol hoping he'll get 42 by end of camp, 42+48= 90.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

[Steeldude]

I hope Watt is able to disengage tackles in the NFL. He got locked up a lot in college. It seems a lot of plays came when unblocked or against a TE or RB. He has more upside than Jones, but that isn't saying much.

Tomlin's track record for finding pass rushing OLBs is not good.

We have to wait to see how he pans out, but I do not have a good feeling about Watt being able to produce on the NFL level.

[86WARD]

He will have a chance at 42 if he wants it. Hagen has it now...

[DesertSteel]

I'm glad that professional evaluators know a stunt when they see one!!

[st33lersguy]

Anyone remember how the Seahawks "screwed up" their 2012 draft by taking Bruce Irvin at 15 or whatever it was and he was a "high second/third round talent"? He worked out pretty well for being second/third round talent and was one of the better first round picks in 2012 and probably better than at least 11 of the players that followed him.

Point is, there's not a lot of "first round" talent out there and that "first round" talent could actually come at anytime. Example closer to home: Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Brett Keisel. All first round talent, all taken at later rounds. Opposite direction: Limas Sweed. First round talent, not worth second round pick or any pick for that matter...

Kinda the same page as what Butch posted...lol.

Heck I'd argue Irvin turned about better than about half the players selected before him

- - - Updated - - -


I'll post this again from my post in the draft TJ Watt Thread:

Articles this morning are saying that the Steelers like Watt, but not in the 1st round and view him as more of a second round prospect but don't think he will be there when they pick in the 2nd.

1. That might just all be smokescreen BS and doesn't matter.
2. Assume it does for a second. These kind of statements by teams, GMs, talking heads, and fans drive me batty. Don't overthink the draft process. Do you need a pass rusher? Does the player fit your system? Is the player your highest rated prospect at the position still available? Will he be drafted before you pick again? If the answer to all those questions is "Yes" then just draft the dude and move on.

I don't know why NFL teams insist on slavishly sticking to these draft round grades like they are the revealed word of truth. Maybe internal NFL scouting reports are better than the write ups we can see on the internet, but they are all goofy anyways. Something like 2-3 times the guys that can go in a given round get that round grade.

If the Steelers go pass rusher in the first round, I think their available choices will be McKinnley, Watt, and Lawson. Me, I go Watt about 18 seconds into my pick time and sleep very well at night.

The only point I want to make, is that the same reaction that went on pre-draft is happening post-draft. Oh man, that guy has a second round grade for me. Well, thanks Mr. Random Draft Analyst! Why a 2nd round grade? Then everyone mumbles something about measurables and twitchiness. Okay. What about the production? What about the lack of questions about his ability to be a complete LB, not just a flashy first step? I just think that the draft gets over-thought a ton. Did the Steelers need an edge rusher? Lord, yes. Did they get one of the consensus 4 best edge rushers in the class? Yup. Well despite that fact that in other classes Watt may not have been rated that highly, in this one he is - so that's a first round pick. This stuff gets waaaaaaaayyyyyyy overthought.


And remember when the Steelers were trying to gauge whether or not Kizer would be available? Or when Davis Webb was a supposed option in round 1? Good times

[Born2Steel]

http://www.nfl.com/labs/rr/pathtothedraft/watt

[pczach]

http://www.nfl.com/labs/rr/pathtothedraft/watt

That's a good link with a lot of info on Watt and videos on other subjects.

Thanks!

[GBMelBlount]

Mojouw

1. That might just all be smokescreen...


Nothing like dizzying intellect...:wink02:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_eZmEiyTo0

[86WARD]

Watched the replay of the PSU/Wisconsin Big Ten Championship game and Watt was pretty much non-existent. At times he was getting manhandled. After seeing that, I kinda have a bit of concern...hoping it was just a bad game...

[GBMelBlount]

Watched the replay of the PSU/Wisconsin Big Ten Championship game and Watt was pretty much non-existent. At times he was getting manhandled. After seeing that, I kinda have a bit of concern...hoping it was just a bad game...

This is likely why some had him graded around 60 as a prospect.

Hopefully he is simply green and his knees, high motor and strong work ethic / goals carry him to a successful career.

[86WARD]

It wouldn't shock me if JuJu Connor and Halabalu wind up being more productive than Watt. I hope not though...really want him to be 3/4 of JJ...

[teegre]

Watched the replay of the PSU/Wisconsin Big Ten Championship game and Watt was pretty much non-existent. At times he was getting manhandled. After seeing that, I kinda have a bit of concern...hoping it was just a bad game...

I remember this same concern about BB's game against Iowa (or, was it against Nebraska?... or, both???).

[st33lersguy]

I remember this same concern about BB's game against Iowa (or, was it against Nebraska?... or, both???).

It was Iowa

[GBMelBlount]

Looks like he had some nice grabs at OTA's

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/nfl-pittsburgh-steelers-news/2017/5/25/15693600/steelers-top-draft-pick-t-j-watt-flashes-ridiculous-ball-skills-at-otas-2017-nfl-draft-wisconsin

[86WARD]

TE

[teegre]

TE

Joking aside, I could see him playing on offense for a snap or two (a la Mike Vrabel).

[Mojouw]

Joking aside, I could see him playing on offense for a snap or two (a la Mike Vrabel).

Absolutely. I think this guy is going to end up being a mutant cross between Clay Matthews, Chad Brown, and his older brother.

IF Watt and Dupree stay healthy and hit their ceilings by the end of 2017 - looking at the best OLB duo in the league. And they will be 23 and 25 in 2018.

[polamalubeast]

Joking aside, I could see him playing on offense for a snap or two (a la Mike Vrabel).



I hope Haley will not do that.

The last time Haley put a linebacker on offense, it was a disaster.(Harrison vs Jets in 2014).

[Shoes]

Got to love Watt's drive, He's going to be a good one!




Staying focused: Number one draft pick T.J. Watthttp://www.steelers.com/assets/nflimg/icon-article-link.gif (http://www.steelers.com/team/roster/tj-watt/d2e2d598-4996-48fe-b65f-82cea17a0d84/) already has a good handle on what it’s going to take for him to be successful in the NFL, and it’s not much of a deviation of what he did all through college. It’s all about hard work, but keeping a balance as well.

“You don’t want to get overloaded with information yet,” said Watt, who is about as focused a rookie as you will ever see. “You want to absorb as much as you can, but not get overwhelmed.

“You have to be smart about your studies. You have to take study breaks, it’s just like school. I will go back to the hotel, study my plays, take a break, and do it again. This is my job now. So it’s my job to get that playbook down. There’s no excuse not having it down.”

http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Smith-Schuster-adapting-Watt-is-focused/7b4819b4-c808-4481-8184-8e1fbc7e3585