Steelers Select WR Sammie Coates With Their 3rd Round Pick (87) In 2015 NFL Draft

[Lady Steel]

I always thought Sammie was the spelling of a nickname for a girl named Samantha.

Welcome to Pittsburgh, Sammie!

[Mojouw]

I love the whole "panicked" concept. Does anyone really think this is how it goes:

Colbert - So Jalen Collins in round 2?
Draft Room - Yes. No doubt. That's the pick.
Colbert - So, no need to plan out other scenarios or a contingency? We're good betting it all on one guy, right?
Draft Room- Absolutely.
Colbert - SO.....our guy is gone. What now?
Draft Room - throw darts...pick a name out of a hat...Light the building on fire....

C'mon. These guys have this shit planned out six ways to Sunday. Just because we don't like the plan, doesn't mean that we can say there was NO plan.

[fansince'76]

I love the whole "panicked" concept. Does anyone really think this is how it goes:

Colbert - So Jalen Collins in round 2?
Draft Room - Yes. No doubt. That's the pick.
Colbert - So, no need to plan out other scenarios or a contingency? We're good betting it all on one guy, right?
Draft Room- Absolutely.
Colbert - SO.....our guy is gone. What now?
Draft Room - throw darts...pick a name out of a hat...Light the building on fire....

C'mon. These guys have this shit planned out six ways to Sunday. Just because we don't like the plan, doesn't mean that we can say there was NO plan.

I know - it kills me. These guys do this FOR A LIVING. They don't come to the war room to play with themselves and half-ass it.

[Steelman]

I love the whole "panicked" concept. Does anyone really think this is how it goes:

Colbert - So Jalen Collins in round 2?
Draft Room - Yes. No doubt. That's the pick.
Colbert - So, no need to plan out other scenarios or a contingency? We're good betting it all on one guy, right?
Draft Room- Absolutely.
Colbert - SO.....our guy is gone. What now?
Draft Room - throw darts...pick a name out of a hat...Light the building on fire....

C'mon. These guys have this shit planned out six ways to Sunday. Just because we don't like the plan, doesn't mean that we can say there was NO plan.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not. I'm sure they like Coates and was probably one of the highest remaining on their board. What gets my goat is out of all the presumed Day Two corners and other really good defensive players that were available, they come away with Senquez Golson and Sammie Coates. That's not a knock on Golson, I like him as I've detailed elsewhere, but a knock on the Steelers drafting strategy on Day Two in general.

I don't believe it's all draft position and shitty luck. BPA works extremely well in the 1st round. On Day Two, especially nearing the end of round 3, I think you gotta go get your guy. I don't believe Coates was their guy, just an upside guy after the last two good corners were taken.

[hawaiiansteeler]

3(87) Pittsburgh Steelers: Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn: A Grade

Man, I've correctly mocked all three positions to the Steelers, but I've had the wrong players. I love this pick though, as the Steelers are selecting another talented player who dropped into their lap. Sammie Coates easily could've gone in the second round, but dropped because he, well, drops a lot of passes. That's something that can be coached up. Coates' athleticism, on the other hand, cannot. He has major bust potential, but his ceiling is extremely high.

http://www.walterfootball.com/nfldra...Qisf48sB0CU.99

[fansince'76]

I've warmed up to the Coates pick, actually. I mean, look at the alternative...

[Mojouw]

Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not. I'm sure they like Coates and was probably one of the highest remaining on their board. What gets my goat is out of all the presumed Day Two corners and other really good defensive players that were available, they come away with Senquez Golson and Sammie Coates. That's not a knock on Golson, I like him as I've detailed elsewhere, but a knock on the Steelers drafting strategy on Day Two in general.

I don't believe it's all draft position and shitty luck. BPA works extremely well in the 1st round. On Day Two, especially nearing the end of round 3, I think you gotta go get your guy. I don't believe Coates was their guy, just an upside guy after the last two good corners were taken.

Totally being sarcastic. Like I said in another thread, under Cowher and Colbert, the Steelers took guys with a high # of starts and production from big time programs. Under Tomlin and Colbert they take guys with at least one "tool" that breaks the charts.

They had Coates in for a visit - they have been on this guy from early in the process. He has always been on their board. Does anyone really doubt this team when it comes to WRs anymore? Sure. Go ahead. Say "SWEED". Fine. I'll take Wallace, Brown, Sanders, Bryant, Wheaton, and now Coates.

As to Maxx Williams. Who does he comp to in the NFL? Kyle Rudolph? Big deal. You can find guys like that later. Maybe they have it in Branchflower already, I don't know, i don't go to practice. But, me, I'll take the guy who has some physical tools that very few in the draft have. Look at Coates tape, look at his combine #'s. They comp to guys that went in the first round. He went in the third.

Maybe a CB that ends up being slightly above league average helps in 2015. But how does he help long-term? You build a roster by gambling on elite talents. Were any of the corners available anywhere near Coates potential?

[TD's & Beer]

'At 6'1 and 212 pounds, Coates is a big-bodied receiver who will prove a tough cover in the NFL. At the NFL Combine in February, Coates showed his tantalizing physical talent. He ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash before posting the top marks at his position on the bench press with 23 reps of 225 pounds, a 41-inch vertical jump, a 131-inch broad jump and a 4.06-second 20-yard shuttle.


So what are the drawbacks with Coates? His hands are made of granite. Coates often finds himself open and then inexplicably drops the football, leaving fans to groan.'


The range of outcomes on Coates is wide. A dominant physical talent with poor ball skills, Coates dropped 8-of-75 targets in 2014 and has a floor in the Cordarrelle Patterson-Stephen Hill range. Working in Coates' favor is a relentless work ethic and ability to outrun coverage. The 22-year-old is a boom-or-bust prospect.



Tie him to the jugs machine

[Lady Steel]

Transcript: Sammie Coates conference call

Steelers Third Round Pick, wide receiver Sammie Coates, spoke to reporters following his selection in the Third Round.



http://www.steelers.com/news/article...8-76216af05bf1

[Lady Steel]

Transcript: Richard Mann on WR Sammie Coates

Steelers wide receivers coach Richard Mann talks about Third Round pick, Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates




http://www.steelers.com/news/article...9-075c2810a6bd

[Craic]

Here's my thoughts . . .

He's strong. Very strong, it seems. That means he's not afraid of spending time in the gym . . . time = dedication. The balls into his body, he caught with his hands from what I could see of the previous video, not with his body. So, I think it just may be a situation where this kid gets sat in front of the Jugs machine for three hours a day and catches 500 or so balls each day for six months. Then really gets me, is that he's a kid that maybe'll do it. And if he is . . . wow.

[steelreserve]

Totally being sarcastic. Like I said in another thread, under Cowher and Colbert, the Steelers took guys with a high # of starts and production from big time programs. Under Tomlin and Colbert they take guys with at least one "tool" that breaks the charts.

They had Coates in for a visit - they have been on this guy from early in the process. He has always been on their board. Does anyone really doubt this team when it comes to WRs anymore? Sure. Go ahead. Say "SWEED". Fine. I'll take Wallace, Brown, Sanders, Bryant, Wheaton, and now Coates.

As to Maxx Williams. Who does he comp to in the NFL? Kyle Rudolph? Big deal. You can find guys like that later. Maybe they have it in Branchflower already, I don't know, i don't go to practice. But, me, I'll take the guy who has some physical tools that very few in the draft have. Look at Coates tape, look at his combine #'s. They comp to guys that went in the first round. He went in the third.

Maybe a CB that ends up being slightly above league average helps in 2015. But how does he help long-term? You build a roster by gambling on elite talents. Were any of the corners available anywhere near Coates potential?

These are all really good points, and I guess after drinking some beers and hearing it out, I've come down off the ledge. After all, we've taken who we've taken, and you can't go back and un-draft people, so the only thing to do is hope our guys turn out well.

I do like that each one of the three so far really excels in at least one area. Better to have a team that's well-rounded as a whole than a bunch of well-rounded individual players. It's a bold move, but if last year's draft is any indicator, you really can knock it out of the park in some unexpected ways sometimes. Or you can also end up with Dri Archer.

The bolded part, though - I wonder. I think a guy who could help us in 2015 is super-valuable. We're a good team with two fatal problems, pressure and coverage. We were 11-5, but I don't consider it a "real" 11-5 (as in seriously competing for championships) unless we fix that. But in the grand scheme, it's not a lot to fix. We did some to address both of them, but there was still room for more improvement, especially at corner. Another slightly above league-average guy would really help a lot there. It's not unprecedented. The 49ers in 1981 went for broke and drafted three DBs in the first three rounds, and they all turned out to be starters and they won the Super Bowl that same year. Another way we could've improved those two fatal problems would have been NT; we had a chance. There's a tendency to be gun-shy about overloading on one position in one draft, but it DOES work, and rarely have we been in a situation (since we drafted Ben) where the need at one position was so obvious. Just my $0.02

[teegre]

Interesting fact #1:
When the Steelers go four-wide, AB will be the slowest of them.

Interesting fact #2:
NFL is comparing Coates to Bryant (fast, tall, poor hands).
Some talking head compared him to Wallce (fast, poor hands).

Should we nickname him Miktavis Wayant?... or, Martichael Bryce???

[Aussie_steeler]

Coates is a younger, stronger replacement for DHB.

He plays special teams, strong blocker and can rip them deep. Physically he looks like a young T.O. to me. (He really isn't that much different to Perriman who went in the first, except for a fast pro-day 40 time.)

Everyone rips him for drops. His College QB is trying to get drafted as a CB.

Let him have an elite QB throw to him and then you will see what his hands are like. I say his hands will look much better in the pros.

[ALLD]

Fortunately he does not need to grow 4 inches like our second round pick.

[86WARD]

Is there a rule against cloning? Why not just do that and save the third-round pick for something else.

Not if New England does it. If someone else does it there will be punishments from King Goofdell.

[cold-hard-steel]

Not happy with this pick. A WR with stone hands? Yay.

Dude.......are you or would you be happy with any pick we make . DAMN MAN .

[cold-hard-steel]

Where i came from we used a wide receiver as a corner in many circumstances .2 receivers going after the same ball. What is the harm? I was actually one of the wide receivers . I won many of battles for the ball.Now i'm just older and thinkin .Oh and i was only 5.8.

[salamander]

Dude.......are you or would you be happy with any pick we make . DAMN MAN .

Actually, if you read any of my posts regarding the other 2 picks so far, you would see that I was one of the few who were actually ok with those picks. So back off.

[cold-hard-steel]

Actually, if you read any of my posts regarding the other 2 picks so far, you would see that I was one of the few who were actually ok with those picks. So back off.

What you gettin pissed ?

[Steeldude]

Yep.
Yesterday, Mayock' said he'd be a R1 pick, but he has poor hands. Mike Walkace, part II.

So Wallace minus the speed. Sweet!

Just look at the negatives on his analysis...

I put the same traits Wallace displayed in bold font.

Won't be on quarterback's Christmas card list. Wasn't always on same page with Auburn QB Nick Marshall. Unreliable target. Inexplicable focus drops in all areas of the field. Doesn't play with extended catch radius. Had a drop rate of 19.1 percent. Vertical receiver without vertical feel. Inconsistent play speed. Will gear down too easily on deep routes, turning catchable touchdowns into "overthrows." Suspect ball tracking. Must improve at using body to ward off defenders. Inconsistent with contested catches. Stiff hips and limited route runner. Slow to gather and turn it upfield on catch-and-runs.

IMO, a WR in the 3rd round was a poor move.

[Mojouw]

So here is the thing with the drops. Read Mann's comments (Steelers WR coach). Basically said that Coates' hands are fine. He wins contested balls and makes the spectacular catch. He drops some easy ones. First, Mann indicated that most prospects do that. Second, he spoke about how Coates was shuffled in and out for an offense that didn't really throw the ball that much. He felt that this led to more drops than Coates would have in another situation.

Basically, the same things that were said about Bryant. How are his hands? If you are going to get a guy with the height-size-speed #'s that Coates has outside of the first round, you are going to have to take some drawbacks.

I have to agree with Steelreserve. Coates has Archer/Sweed bust potential -- but his ceiling is Pro Bowl WR.

[teegre]

So Wallace minus the speed. Sweet!

Just look at the negatives on his analysis...

I put the same traits Wallace displayed in bold font.



IMO, a WR in the 3rd round was a poor move.

I hear your concerns. That said...

He's actually almost as fast as Wallace; speed is Coates' main asset.

I'm not sure if he has an attitude (like Wallace); I think his QB was awful (think Kordell on his worst day). Hence, they never really clicked, which is why they weren't on the same page.

I wanted Carl Davis or Steve Nelson. But, that's what "I" wanted. Simply, they got a WR to move up the depth chart past DHB... and possibly past Wheaton.

[st33lersguy]

In all honesty though, will a no. 4 WR provide value during the course of the season? On top of the top 3 wide receivers, one of whom will receive enough targets to keep his 5 catches for 50 yards streak alive, you have Heath Miller who who was still used as a safety valve last year, LeVeon Bell who accounts for a large chunk of touches in the offense, and recently added DeAngelo Williams who will likely earn some carries himself for his hard work. Keep in mind that last year's no. 4 wideout Lance Moore requested to be released for being used so little and had room in the offense for only 14 catches.

[polamalubeast]

In all honesty though, will a no. 4 WR provide value during the course of the season? On top of the top 3 wide receivers, one of whom will receive enough targets to keep his 5 catches for 50 yards streak alive, you have Heath Miller who who was still used as a safety valve last year, LeVeon Bell who accounts for a large chunk of touches in the offense, and recently added DeAngelo Williams who will likely earn some carries himself for his hard work. Keep in mind that last year's no. 4 wideout Lance Moore requested to be released for being used so little and had room in the offense for only 14 catches.

If he has an injury or Bryant or Wheaton disappoint next year, this pick can be useful

[teegre]

In all honesty though, will a no. 4 WR provide value during the course of the season? On top of the top 3 wide receivers, one of whom will receive enough targets to keep his 5 catches for 50 yards streak alive, you have Heath Miller who who was still used as a safety valve last year, LeVeon Bell who accounts for a large chunk of touches in the offense, and recently added DeAngelo Williams who will likely earn some carries himself for his hard work. Keep in mind that last year's no. 4 wideout Lance Moore requested to be released for being used so little and had room in the offense for only 14 catches.

That is a valid question.

My answer goes like this:
When AB and Sanders were drafted, they competed every single week for a game-day jersey. That competition forged them in steel. Likewise, if Bryant, Wheaton, & Coates are jostling for the #2 spot, it makes all three better.

Better yet:
Four wide, send Bryant & Coates deep; Wheaton & AB underneath. Where does the FS go???

[polamalubeast]

So when the last time the Steelers made a mistake for a receiver drafted in early / mid round?

It was Sweed in 2008

[ETL]

Our defense is gonna suck this year

Really? A third round rookie defensive player was going to make or break this defense for this year?

[Steeldude]

I hear your concerns. That said...

He's actually almost as fast as Wallace; speed is Coates' main asset.

I'm not sure if he has an attitude (like Wallace); I think his QB was awful (think Kordell on his worst day). Hence, they never really clicked, which is why they weren't on the same page.

I wanted Carl Davis or Steve Nelson. But, that's what "I" wanted. Simply, they got a WR to move up the depth chart past DHB... and possibly past Wheaton.

Good points.

The one negative that stuck out the most to me is the "Doesn't play with extended catch radius." I hate seeing WRs who can only catch with their body ala Wallace. Which, if true, negates his height.

As always, I hope for the best.

[ETL]

Fortunately he does not need to grow 4 inches like our second round pick.

darrell green - hall of fame CB played 2 decades in the NFL .... Without growing 4 inches. (He was 5'8" tall)