The safety was the day's highlight

[stillers4me]

The pick of the quarterback will draw the most attention, both favorable and negative. Quarterbacks carry that kind of panache, especially at the NFL level, and especially when the team in question is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But in the final analysis of what the Steelers accomplished on this third day of the 2013 NFL Draft in terms of the potential impact on their immediate future, the move the team made in the fourth round to add Shamarko Thomas, a safety from Syracuse, will be the defining one. The Steelers added six players over the final four rounds of this draft, and Thomas is the one among those half-dozen who right now looks to have the best chance to impact the team.......

read more @ http://www.steelers.com/news/article...2-73aac48afb68

[st33lersguy]

I watched his highlights on NFL Network, reminded me of Troy

[stillers4me]

I watched his highlights on NFL Network, reminded me of Troy

Oh dear lord, I hope so.

[TomlinSteelTribe]

Not sure what to think. Carnell Lake seemed happy when talking about him and said if he were 2" taller he'd have been a 1st/2nd round pick. Also mentioned Thomas's ability to cover, not only in the slot but outside. I doubt he'll get thrown out wide for the Steelers, but the ability to effectively play man on the slot wr is a very nice bonus, imo, for a safety.

The flip side of that is (think I read it somewhere else on this board but can't remember who to attribute the comment to) the last safety we drafted out of Syracuse, Anthony Smith, was compared to Ronnie Lott and that comparison didn't exactly come to fruition.

[Moose]

I watched his highlights on NFL Network, reminded me of Troy

Another Troy ? OMG, I didn't think that would happen in our lifetime. I do hope it's true.

[Texasteel]

I watched his highlights on NFL Network, reminded me of Troy

In the last 3 months I had come to think that Thomas was taylor made for us. He is very quick, and hit a ton. Needs to develop Troys head, no not the hair. He will sometimes get a little too aggresive with his hits, and could draw a few flags. Just plain a great pick for the Steelers.

He may be a little short, but his 40.5" vertical should help with that.

[Nadroj 20]

I love this pick. Sky is the limit playing behind Troy for a guy that is similar to Troy.

- - - Updated - - -

In the last 3 months I had come to think that Thomas was taylor made for us. He is very quick, and hit a ton. Needs to develop Troys head, no not the hair. He will sometimes get a little too aggresive with his hits, and could draw a few flags. Just plain a great pick for the Steelers.

He may be a little short, but his 40.5" vertical should help with that.

I saw some of his hits on highlights and thought great! Another guys for roger to fine

[stillers4me]

And how lucky is he that he gets to learn from the master! He has Troy and at least one year with Dick LeBeau...he must feel like he died and went to football heaven!

[Steeltreal]

Draft a hard hitter in the pansie like flag football era, this guy might be a special teamer and nothing more. You would think if trading away one of next years picks were a plan all along why not make a move 2spots to 15 and take Vacarro. The cost about the same maybe a 2nd. But the difference in skill set, substantial.

[Texasteel]

And how lucky is he that he gets to learn from the master! He has Troy and at least one year with Dick LeBeau...he must feel like he died and went to football heaven!

Can you imagine walking into TC, and going up to your coaches, LeBeau and Lake, then having them point to Troy and say, " OK, your backing up that guy."

Thomas has every tools to be a great SS, and we have the coaching to make him a great SS. I am very excited about this pick.

[Psycho Ward 86]

for all of his reputation of being such a thumper, he honestly looks darn good in coverage to me, better than against the run. against the run is where he seems to overpursue so much. looks like something the Lake effect could fix, but time will tell

[zulater]

Unusual move in NFL draft lands a hard-hitting safety for the Steelers

In Shamarko Thomas, the Steelers hope they have found the next Bob Sanders, a compact, powerfully built safety who delivers torpedo-style hits. They hope he is not the next Anthony Smith.
Thomas is a 5-foot-9, 213-pound bundle of speed and unbridled power, and the Steelers thought enough of him to do something they rarely do -- trade away a future draft choice.
And the decision, strangely enough, was based on draft choices they don't have. At least, not right now.
"He's not the biggest kid, but he certainly doesn't play that way," general manager Kevin Colbert said. "He leaves it on the field."
The Steelers needed a safety because they have little depth behind Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark after backups Will Allen and Ryan Mundy signed elsewhere in free agency.
In addition, Clark is 34 and Polamalu could be facing the same situation in 2014 that James Harrison did this year if he doesn't have a more significant impact on the defense. Polamalu missed nine games last season because of injuries and finished with just one interception and no forced fumbles or fumble recoveries.
So the Steelers traded their third-round choice in 2014 to the Cleveland Browns to draft Thomas with the 111th overall selection -- four spots ahead of their own fourth-round choice. It was the first time since 1973 the Steelers traded a future draft choice, but they did it because they expect to get third- and fourth-round compensatory picks in 2014 for Mike Wallace, Rashard Mendenhall and Keenan Lewis.
"We viewed him as valuable as a third-round pick would be," Colbert said.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/...#ixzz2SE96qOxq

[fansince'76]

In Shamarko Thomas, the Steelers hope they have found the next Bob Sanders, a compact, powerfully built safety who delivers torpedo-style hits.

[43Hitman]

[Mojouw]

I like the Bob Sanders comparisons. Sanders was a tremendously gifted player who made a major impact when he was on the field. There is the rub. Sanders was never on the field. Dude was hurt more than Polamalu. Seems to be a pattern with these hard hitting safeties who play flat out with willful disregard for their bodies. It takes a massive physical toll. Sanders' career was cut far short by injuries. Polamalu should have a full career except he will likely end up missing almost 2 full seasons of games over the course of it.

Bottom line, like the pick, have concerns about the potential for injury. But hell, if he plays even half as good as Polamalu or Sanders it will be a great pick-up.