Been a strange year on the draft front this year.
I have watched more tape than ever, however I have posted almost nothing.
The advent of social media has really messed with my brain this year. The draft geek of yester year (Me) appears to now be a redundant dinosaur being superseded by the aspiring NFL scout / media analyst. The new digital social medias are wonderful tools being creatively used by the new generation.
I think it is a wonderful development and as a result so much more information is available to consume.
Unfortunately for me and my obsessive personality it has created more confusion in my decision making.
For me it is time for me to turn off twitter, disregard continuous ESPN and NFL.com feeds and go back to old school scouting and mocking.
Old School, what my aging eyes see and my expanding gut tells me
Corner Backs
Marcus Peters - best CB in draft. ( haven't named him in my mock draft contest entry -- the old jinx rule)
Eric Rowe - 2nd best CB in my eyes. At worst he is Sean Smith 2.0 ( Miami Dolphins & Chiefs CB)
Jalen Collins - very raw piece of clay that could be moulded into something special. Steelers coaching track record doesn't inspire me.
Doran Grant - Guaranteed 3rd round pick if Dick LeBeau was still here. Watch were he gets drafted. Titans???
Pass Rushers
Bud Dupree - if this man is given one position to master he will be a stud. Joey Porter could do wonders with Bud but he will be long gone.
Pass Reefers / rushers are off my round 1 board but in play in the second round. Mizzouri pass rushers totally scare me.
Lorenzo Mauldin - I like what I see on the field but he tested poorly. I think he has a quick football brain.
Frank Clark ( Michigan) - Red flags have devalued his actual football worth. Control him and he will be a beast
No traditional steelers OLB in this draft. you know the 6'1 250" wrecking ball. Keith Butler is going to have to draft OLB's more his height ( 6'3 - 6'4)
James Vaughters - my ultimately PIMP pick of this years draft. Loved him long before SPARQ scores became the go to metric.
Running Backs
Jeremy Langford is your best LeVeon Bell clone.The Michigan State system uses Langford in the exact same way they used Bell. We know it translates well into Haleys system.
David Johnson could also be a Bell clone, however he will not work hard between the tackles. He is Bell on the outside.
Safety
Eric Rowe is my top Free safety. This team doesn't need a SS. It needs safeties who can play both in the box and out in the open.
James Sample is the hidden safety in this class. He is a classic do it all safety. He is the reason why Gerod Holliman could free lance so much. He and Mitchell could interchange between both safeties and give Steelers multiple safety options.
O Line
Didn't scout much but guys that I saw potential in. Tried to scout SEC linemen that had experience playing across the line but only found two.
Mitch Morse looks like a NFL guard who could play RT if needed. I am surprised to find him a Round 3 project, considering he was a UDFA range when I first saw him.
Cameron Erving has long been a board favourite here but round 1 is too rich for this team.
Max Garcia is the only other option I see, however he only covers the three interior O line positions.
D Line
Saw nothing that made me think Steeler 5 tech or 2 gap NT
Tight End
Ben Koyack has always passed the film test for me. He looks to block first and slide out second. All the other TE's seem to shy away from blocking and struggle to stay on their feet when attempting it. In my opinion, the best type of TE for the steelers is the one you forget or sleep on as a pass catcher because you always expect him to block first. The other TE's are passing targets first and much easier to account for.
Jesse James potentially will be the pick much in the mould of Matt Spaeth. However Spaeth maxed out as a blocker. Jesse James ceiling my be more catches than Spaeth but much lesser blocking.
Nick O'Leary will outplay his underwear Olympic measurable. He may be smaller and slower than most but he is lights out blocking and has sweet hands.
Wide Receivers
Mikey T would dearly love to draft Tre McBride just to get a William & Mary alum on the squad. He can play but Round 3 is too rich
Devin Smith - he will be the player that the steelers hoped Markus Wheaton could have been. Big Ben would love him more than Mike Wallace.
1. Eric Rowe CB / FS
2. Devin Smith WR
3. Jeremy Langford RB
4. James Sample SS
5. Frank Clark DE / OLB
6. Nick OLeary TE
6C. Max Garcia OC / OG
7. James Vaughters OLB
May your drafts be prosperous, may you curse Goodell everytime he appears in round 1 and here's to Mel Blount announcing a round 2 stud for the steelers on Friday.
Damn glad I have more than 140 characters at my discretion.
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