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

[Butch]

Not trying to prove you wrong Butch, just trying to be optimistic...lol

Not at all, I just want to feel better about the pick too

[vrabinec]

This dude is fucking HUGE. He looks like an OLB. Man, if he can catch, put him on the goal line with Heath, Bryant, and AB, and you've got a nice red-zone array. Asa thick as he is, he could maul some of these smaller DB's or out-jump them. This is a red-zone move.

[SteelerFanInStl]

This dude is fucking HUGE. He looks like an OLB. Man, if he can catch, put him on the goal line with Heath, Bryant, and AB, and you've got a nice red-zone array. Asa thick as he is, he could maul some of these smaller DB's or out-jump them. This is a red-zone move.

Yea, his build reminds me of Boldin. I expect him to turn into a very good blocker and a guy who can go up and get the ball in a crowd.

[GBMelBlount]

This dude is fucking HUGE. He looks like an OLB. Man, if he can catch, put him on the goal line with Heath, Bryant, and AB, and you've got a nice red-zone array. Asa thick as he is, he could maul some of these smaller DB's or out-jump them. This is a red-zone move.

It would be nice if he was effective in the red zone.

However I read his his strength is deep routes and short routes are his weakness.

[cold-hard-steel]

This dude is fucking HUGE. He looks like an OLB. Man, if he can catch, put him on the goal line with Heath, Bryant, and AB, and you've got a nice red-zone array. Asa thick as he is, he could maul some of these smaller DB's or out-jump them. This is a red-zone move.

It would be nice if he was effective in the red zone.

However I read his his strength is deep routes and short routes are his weakness.

Thats the way he was used in my opinion. You can more than likely mold someone so to speak into what you have in mind for a "player" .

[stillers4me]

[cold-hard-steel]

She said yes !!!!!!!

[vrabinec]

Now that's what I call a good weekend!

[cold-hard-steel]

She said yes !!!!!!!

Should be readin Coates with his first round pick .

[LLT]

It would be nice if he was effective in the red zone.

However I read his his strength is deep routes and short routes are his weakness.

This is the only problem I have with the pick. I was under the impression that we needed a quick slot receiver to compliment the talent that we already have. Coates abilities seem to be that of a X receiver and not a Y receiver.

[hawaiiansteeler]

This is the only problem I have with the pick. I was under the impression that we needed a quick slot receiver to compliment the talent that we already have. Coates abilities seem to be that of a X receiver and not a Y receiver.

I read the Steelers are going to start him off at the slot WR spot which would cause some serious mismatches against smaller slot CBs...

[LLT]

I read the Steelers are going to start him off at the slot WR spot which would cause some serious mismatches against smaller slot CBs...

That's what has me a bit puzzled at this pick. There were pure slot receivers..with great hands...still on the board. As a X receiver he is a 2nd round prospect. As a Y receiver...I think there was better value.

I know I straddling the fence here....but in a nutshell...I think the "pick" was a value pick. But I think the player doesn't fit the need we have at slot.

[GBMelBlount]

Perhaps they took him because if he doesn't work out at slot he may still contribute.

and if he does he is a double threat.

...or perhaps the need at slot is not as great as people think?

FWIW, here is the steelers slot performance last year:

Though the latter four were all starters with specific roles, that did not preclude them from working in the slot.

Of Antonio Brown's 138 receptions (including playoffs) 57 of his catches and 631 of his yards came from between the numbers in the zero-to-19 yard range.

Wheaton had 22 receptions in the slot, for 233 yards.

Miller had 52 catches for 627 yards,

and Bell had 466 yards and 39 receptions, along with another 29 catches for 213 yards between the numbers behind the line of scrimmage.

In contrast, Justin Brown had 11 catches for 92 yards in the slot,

and Moore had eight for 78 yards.

Pittsburgh simply did not need a singularly designated slot receiver in order to be productive between the numbers. They already had a core group on offense that could handle these duties when asked. Moore and Justin Brown were more rotational, situational players who didn't need to see the field that often given how well their teammates were performing.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...-slot-receiver

[LLT]

Perhaps they took him because if he doesn't work out as slot he may still contribute.

and if he does he is a double threat.




http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...-slot-receiver

I totally agree that we need a player that is versatile....that's been the philopshy of the WR corps for awhile. But its easier to teach a good route running Y receiver with good hands to play X or Z (especially if they have speed)...then it is to teach a X receiver to play across the middle if his hands are suspect.

Which brings us back to your statement....we can always have him play X if he cant play slot. (Though we know what Tomlin thinks of a "one trick pony")

[hawaiiansteeler]

That's what has me a bit puzzled at this pick. There were pure slot receivers..with great hands...still on the board. As a X receiver he is a 2nd round prospect. As a Y receiver...I think there was better value.

I know I straddling the fence here....but in a nutshell...I think the "pick" was a value pick. But I think the player doesn't fit the need we have at slot.

perhaps the Steelers truly are concerned about a future holdout by AB or aren't completely sold on Wheaton...

[vrabinec]

That's what has me a bit puzzled at this pick. There were pure slot receivers..with great hands...still on the board. As a X receiver he is a 2nd round prospect. As a Y receiver...I think there was better value.

I know I straddling the fence here....but in a nutshell...I think the "pick" was a value pick. But I think the player doesn't fit the need we have at slot.

Unless the ultimate plan is to make AB the slot guy so that he's freed up inside and have Bryant and Coates as the wides...

[Mojouw]

I think the Steelers have shown that their WR philosophy is to not worry so much about positional roles (X/Y, etc) during the talent acquisition portion of the off-season. They then will sort roles out in camp and pre-season.

Why can you only play the slot if you are under 6 feet tall? As long as you run good routes and don't care about getting hit, it will be fine. Most slot guys are "smaller" WRs not because that is a requirement for playing there, but because they can not "win" outside against boundary corners so they have to play inside against nickel corners to be (more) successful. AB is one of the exceptions to that "rule".

Personally I don't care too much about the roles of each player. But imagine a formation with AB lined up inside, and Coates and Bryant on the edges. Now you are the deep safety -- what do you do? The Steelers actually put teams in this position several times last season with Brown/Wheaton/Bryant. Now if Coates is viewed as Bryant 2.0 at worst with a potentially higher ceiling...I just can't talk myself into finding a reason to not like this pick.

Now if it turns out that Coates has hands somewhere on the Dwight Stone, DHB, Sweed end of the spectrum -- that will be bad.

[Lady Steel]