Steelers Woes Of Evaluating Secondary Continues
Steelers Depot | September 6, 2015
The Pittsburgh Steelers have released a rookie defensive back.
Stop me if you’ve heard that one before.
In an all too familiar pattern, rookie cornerback Doran Grant and safety Gerod Holliman join a long list of recent defensive backs drafted only to fail to make the initial Week One roster...
to read rest of article:
http://www.steelersdepot.com/2015/09...ary-continues/
Last edited by hawaiiansteeler; 09-07-2015 at 10:34 PM.
It's OK - he's back
Steelers sign Doran Grant, Anthony Chickillo to practice squad
After failing to make the team's 53-man roster on Saturday, Grant and Chickillo were signed to Pittsburgh's practice squad on Monday.
http://pit.247sports.com/Bolt/Steele...squad-39250283
Pittsburgh Steelers struggle to draft reliable talent at cornerback
By Dani Bostick on Sep 7, 2015, 12:01p 145
While the Steelers have no difficulties acquiring talent at wide receiver, the same cannot be said for the situation at cornerback.
The Steelers have drafted very well for certain positions, mining talent in later rounds and developing dark horse candidates for NFL playing time into veritable superstars. Unfortunately, their knack for identifying and developing talent has not extended to cornerback. 2015 marks the third year in a row that a cornerback drafted in the fourth or fifth rounds will not see playing time.
The Steelers have found cornerback talent in the draft before. After all, recently-retired Ike Taylor was picked up in round four of the 2003 draft and had a long, productive career with the Steelers. In the wake of his retirement, however, the Steelers are finding themselves in a bit of a personnel crisis.
This year, the Steelers second-round draft pick Senquez Golson never even got to play football-in-pads at training camp, having arrived with a lingering shoulder injury that required surgery and placed him on IR. He never had the chance to prove naysayers wrong who had been perseverating on his small size.
Fourth-round pick Doran Grant out of perennial powerhouse Ohio State was drafted to address needs at cornerback, hailed as a well-rounded player adept at both intercepting the ball and tackling opponents. He did not pan out either, recently cut by the Steelers as they whittled down their roster to the final 53.
In the 2014 draft, the Steelers only picked up one cornerback, Shaquille Richardson out of UCLA, described in very positively in his scouting report: "Quick and agile and is aggressive jumping routes when he sees it. Can make spectacular plays look easy." Though tall, Richardson was a bit scrawny and underdeveloped. He did not make the final 53, instead bouncing around the NFL on various teams' offseason/practice squad units.
In 2013 the Steelers first three picks were Jarvis Jones, Le'Veon Bell and Markus Wheaton. Safety Shamarko Thomas was picked up in the fourth round, along with the controversial Landry Jones. The Steelers did not go for a cornerback until the fifth round, selecting Terry Hawthorn who ended up released at the end of the preseason the same year he has drafted.
Cornerback was not a priority in 2012, as the Steelers used their last draft pick in the seventh round, acquiring Terrence Frederick out of Texas A & M. Frederick is still active in the NFl, though not with the Steelers. He plays for the New Orelans Saints. Not a major contributor, he still was able to start in three games in 2014, totaling 17 tackles.
2011 was the last time before using a second-round pick on Senquez Golson that the Steelers acquired a cornerback in the first three rounds. That year, their choice was Curtis Brown out of Texas. This was the same year they picked up Cortez Allen in the fourth round. Allen is still a Pittsburgh Steeler. Brown, however, only started seven games, during which he tallied only seven tackles, before he tore his ACL and was subsequently released in 2014. He was just waived by the New York Jets.
The Steelers inability to find cornerback talent in the draft is troublesome. Sure, they've acquired talent from other sources. Most recently, they picked up former Philadelphia Eagle Brandon Boykin. Still, in the wake of Ike Taylor's retirement, cornerback is one of the weakest and most worrisome positions on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster.
After cutting a few promising prospects at cornerback, including Kevin Fogg, the Steelers are left with an assortment of players who have had limited success at the position, a few of whom have been heavily criticized over the years. As things stand, William Gay and Cortez Allen will be starting with Antwon Blake, Brandon Boykin, and Ross Cockrell serving as back ups.
to read rest of article:
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com...cornerback-NFL
Originally Posted by TD's & Beer
It's OK as long as nobody else has any interest in them. Being on the practice squad is exactly the same as being an unrestricted free agent.
So even though this little maneuver worked - or more like didn't backfire - in the immediate short term, it was still stupid as hell.
We've got guys on the active roster who aren't even practice squad material.
See you Space Cowboy ...
You value them way too much - they are scrubs no matter what jersey they wear
And any team that wants them would have to activate them to their 53 man roster.
They couldn't even make it as a back-up on our depleted defense - what makes you think they'd suddenly become golden on another team?
I think they probably could've been backups on our defense and we kept players that were worse, that's what irks me.
No, I wouldn't want them starting right now, but the same goes for the last dozen guys on our bench. The difference is I think these guys are scrubs right now but have potential and we kept several scrubs with no potential on the active roster. It's not that I place some super-high value on them; it's that I value other players we kept far less.
So ... the same as being an unrestricted free agent.
See you Space Cowboy ...
So, some team would have to think they must stand out as starter potential in the near future to cut one of their own 53 for these guys
Neither of them are that.
That is the exact same argument I heard on James Harrison.
Hater = Realist
What? Harrison is not some scrub that never played a down in a real game - you make no sense.
Equating these nobodies to James is insane.
Established players are dropped and added all the time
Matt Cassel back with Bills on cheaper deal
How many times was Harrison cut before be played a down? He wasn't an established player. Or are you not aware of Harrison's journey in the NFL?
Hater = Realist
Of course I know Harrison's history - wait - don't tell me you think these guys are the next Harrison?
Sweet dreams are made of this...
In other words, would you be here writing the same post about Harrison back in the 2000's? If not for an injury to Haggans the NFL may have never known what Harrison could do.
I am not saying Chickillo or Grant will be HOFers or even above average players, but I am not going to write them off simply because they were cut and then placed on the practice squad. Chickillo looked better and/or more promising than Jarvis Jones in pre-season.
Hater = Realist
No, some team would just have to have its sixth CB or its ninth LB get hurt and think one of these guys is better than a street free agent. You really think both Grant and Chickillo are so bad that neither of them could warm the end of the bench for the Jaguars? Either you weren't watching the games or reading any stories about the preseason at all, or you're delusional.
That's a great way to win arguments, you know. Take the example that was given to prove something is possible ... and then turn it around on us! We said it was possible, so we MUST think it happens 100% of the time! Every rookie who gets cut turns into the Defensive Player of the Year - surely that's what we meant!
Man - what a bunch of idiots we are! Thank God we had someone to set us straight before we traded the whole team away to get Rob Blanchflower back. What were we thinking?
See you Space Cowboy ...
I was thinking about the 2013 NFL draft. It was supposed to be the "safety" draft. 23 safeties were drafted... and, only Eric Reid turned out to be anything.
I know, I know: the Steelers "could" have had Eric Reid. Hindsight is always 20/20.
My point is: it seems like DB is a position that almost every team is struggling to fill (not just the Steelers).
Don't worry. The next draft class will be one of the deepest in years. So will the next one. And the next one. And the one after that. It's always the best draft in history!
See you Space Cowboy ...
yeah, the SF 49ers selected S Eric Reid with the very next pick after we took Jarvis Jones
Array title="SteelerFanInStl has a reputation beyond repute">
Reid isn't the only one. T.J. McDonald has played very well for the Rams and actually had a better year last year than Reid did.
“I believe the game is designed to reward the ones who hit the hardest. If you can't take it, you shouldn't play!” - Jack Lambert
True.
But, my main point is essentially the same: the success rate for the safeties in that draft was about 8%. 23 teams drafted safeties, and only two teams had success.
RECENT NEWS
Brandon Boykin is expected to open the season as the Steelers' No. 4 cornerback.
He's been leapfrogged on the depth chart with William Gay and Antwon Blake expected to be the outside corners and Cortez Allen manning the slot. It's a sorry group and an extreme disappointment for Boykin, who was acquired from the Eagles on August 1 in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Boykin was routinely one of the top slot corners in the league in Philadelphia the past couple seasons. Sep 8 - 8:21 PM
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/7492/brandon-boykin
Array title="SteelerFanInStl has a reputation beyond repute">
Yes, your point is definitely still true. Very low success rate for a draft that was supposed to be strong at safety.
- - - Updated - - -
How can he be #4 with this sorry group of CBs? I haven't seen Blake or Allen do much of anything in the preseason except get beat.
“I believe the game is designed to reward the ones who hit the hardest. If you can't take it, you shouldn't play!” - Jack Lambert
Alex Kozora @Alex_Kozora
To be clear, there's no implication Cortez will be in the slot. Likely will be RCB with Gay slot in nickel.
https://twitter.com/Alex_Kozora
That's a bummer...I thought Boykin played well. Well at least he's on the roster and he cost what a mid round pick? More than we can say about the DBs they normally draft....
Enthroned Into The Good Old Boys Club - 2024
Array title="ALLD has a reputation beyond repute">
There should be some kind of independent draft consultant service. If not we should start one here and charge big money to the Browns.
All Defense!
Array title="zulater has a reputation beyond repute">
I've been saying for a couple years now the Steelers should do a draft brain swap with the Seahawks wherein we draft a couple wr's for them and they in turn draft us a couple db's.
Btw I'm only half kidding.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
Exactly, brother.
so Gay will be covering Gronk when they move him to the slot
What could possibly go wrong
That's brilliant!!!I've been saying for a couple years now the Steelers should do a draft brain swap with the Seahawks wherein we draft a couple wr's for them and they in turn draft us a couple db's.
Btw I'm only half kidding.
Brandon Boykin isn't even going to be starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers
On one hand, this is bad news for the Eagles. Philadelphia only receives Pittsburgh's fourth round draft pick if Boykin plays at least 60% of the Steelers' defensive snaps. If Boykin isn't in the top three, there's a very good chance he won't play enough to fulfill that condition. Therefore, the Eagles are likely to only receive a fifth round pick for Boykin.
On the other hand, maybe this is a sign Boykin isn't good enough to get on the field on a more regular basis and the Eagles made a good deal by trading him away. Especially considering Boykin was on the last year of his contract.
It's not like Boykin is buried behind great players, either. He's stuck behind the likes of William Gay, Antwon Blake, and Cortez Allen.
One could argue the Eagles would still be better off with Boykin right now. The team currently doesn't have an answer at the nickel position after trading him away and seeing JaCorey Shepherd, his potential replacement, go down with a season-ending injury.
But what's done is done. Boykin is gone and he's not even starting. The Eagles are likely to receive a fifth round pick in from the Steelers in the 2016 NFL Draft.
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2...nickel-outside
Array title="SteelerFanInStl has a reputation beyond repute">
Just to add to this, the CB that we let leave in the off-season, McCain, is now starting for the Dolphins.
“I believe the game is designed to reward the ones who hit the hardest. If you can't take it, you shouldn't play!” - Jack Lambert
Might work! ALthough now that Carrol is not drafting guys he recruited out of HS, their hit % on draft picks has fallen off somewhat.I've been saying for a couple years now the Steelers should do a draft brain swap with the Seahawks wherein we draft a couple wr's for them and they in turn draft us a couple db's.
Btw I'm only half kidding.
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