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LLT
03-11-2011, 08:01 AM
Morning take: Tomlin scouting Hurricanes
March, 11, 2011
By James Walker

Here are the most interesting stories in the AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin attended the University of Miami's pro day Thursday, according to the school.

Miami cornerback Brandon Harris could be a player of interest with the No. 31 overall pick. The Steelers have a big need at cornerback, and Harris is projected to go late in the first round or early in the second round.

Read More: http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/25557/morning-take-tomlin-scouting-hurricanes

Texasteel
03-11-2011, 08:14 AM
OK, how tall is he really. I read he was 5'10', then he shrunk to 5'9", now he seems to be 5'10 again. Is this kid wearing adjustable tennies.

LLT
03-11-2011, 11:31 AM
I hope we take Dowling over Harris. I know I am in the minority but had Dowling not broke his ankle, he would be ranked as the third best CB this year.

Here is my thinking...In three years he had 8 interceptions and 27 PBU's...At 6'1 198 lbs, he has above average size....After breaking is ankle and essentially missing his senior year he has come back and ran a 4.40.

But here is what I really love. He has incredible instincts...one of the best read and react players in this draft. As a CB, hesitation or a false step will kill you. Dowling reads the play as good as any CB in this draft and his ten yard time was clocked at 1.47.

THAT IS THE #1 TEN YARD TIME POSTED THIS YEAR... AT ANY POSITION. That means his explosive first step is better than any reciever that ran in the 4.3 range.

I cant see him dropping past the middle of the second and on my personal draft board I have him at #35 overall.

st33lersguy
03-11-2011, 03:55 PM
I would like to have Brandon Harris, he was expected to be long gone by pick No. 31 until after the college season

Chidi29
03-11-2011, 04:36 PM
Don't forget that it just isn't to watch Brandon Harris. The U always has a ton of prospects, including a couple of other guys at CB. Sam Shields was a late round flier from Miami last year. Worked out well for Green Bay, if I say so myself.

Psycho Ward 86
03-11-2011, 04:36 PM
I tend to agree with LLT, I say Dowling is the better long term investment. That's not to say he won't be a major contributor his rookie year though. I'm not even sure if I like Harris better than Jimmy Smith.

SMR
03-11-2011, 05:15 PM
Good for Tomlin to be at Miami. The U's got a great rep at producing players that excel in the NFL.

Aussie_steeler
03-11-2011, 07:23 PM
Other reports indicate that the pro-day was washed out and will be rescheduled.

Apparently Harris jumped 1" less in his vertical and didnt run a 40 due to the weather

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NFL&id=6454&line=201671&spln=1

http://rob-rang.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/13682485/27837235?source=rss_blogs_NFL%20Draft

Maybe Tomlin was there to watch Marcus Van Dyke and his 4.25 speed at CB??????

Brandon Harris is definitely on the radar for Tomlin and Colbert. His resume checks almost all the boxes for the steelers.
The only uncertainties are:

1. His height ( he is a bit shy of the steelers expectation for a CB 6"0 plus)
2. The memories of him being torched by Michael Floyd

DeShea Townsend was one of the few shorter CB's that excelled in the steeler system. I personally think that Brandon Harris can be the new version of DeShea

The Duke
03-11-2011, 08:09 PM
I've never gotten too excited with Harris. Sure he's a playmaker, but his size scares me. I'm not againt small corners, but rather have that after round 1. I see a lot of good cbs available at the end of round 2 though. If Harris is there I'd take him


Maybe Tomlin was there to watch Marcus Van Dyke and his 4.25 speed at CB??????

Now that's a late prospect I've been hoping for :thumbsup:

Chidi29
03-11-2011, 08:33 PM
Yeah, I read it was rescheduled for the 25th.

Orlando Franklin could be another player we're eyeing in round two. Big body with a good amount of versatility.

Chidi29
03-11-2011, 08:36 PM
I didn't watch Harris play in game, other than remembering him getting killed in the bowl game like Aussie said, but he looked good in positional drills at the Combine. I don't care how big Harris is. If he plays big, then he can work in our scheme. But he flips his hips well and I really like his explosivness. Can plant and drive off his backfoot in his backpedal. Very important in our scheme, especially when we're in Cover 3 and the WR breaks his route off on either a curl or deep out/comeback. Have to be able to eliminate the YAC.

LLT
03-12-2011, 11:32 AM
I tend to agree with LLT, I say Dowling is the better long term investment. That's not to say he won't be a major contributor his rookie year though. I'm not even sure if I like Harris better than Jimmy Smith.

I was running Cornerback performance numbers last night (Tackles + PBU's + INT's divided by games started). Keep in mind that the "Performance Number" is only part of the draft evaluation...but it is still a critical indicator. I found this very interesting


Here are some of the top CB's and their performance numbers: (A first round pick should be at least a 5.5)

Curtis Brown............4.6
Brandon Harris.........5.1
Johnny Patrick..........5.1
Patrick Peterson.......5.5
Curtis Brown............5.5
Aaron Williams.........5.8
Brandon Hogan.........5.9
Prince Amukamara....6.2
Jimmy Smith.............6.7


Ras-I Dowling...........7.9!!!!!!!

Craic
03-12-2011, 04:34 PM
I hope we take Dowling over Harris. I know I am in the minority but had Dowling not broke his ankle, he would be ranked as the third best CB this year.

Here is my thinking...In three years he had 8 interceptions and 27 PBU's...At 6'1 198 lbs, he has above average size....After breaking is ankle and essentially missing his senior year he has come back and ran a 4.40.

But here is what I really love. He has incredible instincts...one of the best read and react players in this draft. As a CB, hesitation or a false step will kill you. Dowling reads the play as good as any CB in this draft and his ten yard time was clocked at 1.47.

THAT IS THE #1 TEN YARD TIME POSTED THIS YEAR... AT ANY POSITION. That means his explosive first step is better than any reciever that ran in the 4.3 range.

I cant see him dropping past the middle of the second and on my personal draft board I have him at #35 overall.

Maybe we trade up in the second to get him. I wouldn't mind having two CB's fighting it out for that position.

BigNastyDefense
03-12-2011, 06:56 PM
I like Dowling and I would love to trade up in the 2nd round to get him if possible.

86WARD
03-12-2011, 08:11 PM
like it.

Psycho Ward 86
03-12-2011, 08:43 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if we go with Ras-I Dowling in the 1st round either. I would be cool with it too! Whoever gets Ras is getting a steal.

steeldevil
03-12-2011, 09:25 PM
Good university to be scouting.