2016 DRAFT

[Psycho Ward 86]

he just goes by Ka'imi, so there will be enough room...

RIP to the guy that walks up to the podium trying to pronounce that. Could be a nice draft day memory for the Ka'imi if he makes it big in the NFL

[BlackAndGold]

Was hoping for this, potential steal of the draft.

Definitely my 3rd round target for a CB.

[Mojouw]

Every so often a random bad idea gets lodged in my head and I can't shake it. Wilkerson wants out of NY. NY wants to get rid of Willkerson. Apparently they want a 1st round pick and Wilkerson wants all of the money.

But if you strongly believe that the EXACT thing that would fix the Steelers defense is the next Wilkerson, why take a chance on having a prospect not work out. Instead of using a 1st round pick to gamble that your scouts are correct and you have the next great DT, why not just trade for the 26 year old proven amazing DT?

Basically it would cost the Steelers 2016 1st round and getting rid of Timmons to make the cap #'s work.

But is it really as crazy as it first sounds?

[polamalubeast]

Every so often a random bad idea gets lodged in my head and I can't shake it. Wilkerson wants out of NY. NY wants to get rid of Willkerson. Apparently they want a 1st round pick and Wilkerson wants all of the money.

But if you strongly believe that the EXACT thing that would fix the Steelers defense is the next Wilkerson, why take a chance on having a prospect not work out. Instead of using a 1st round pick to gamble that your scouts are correct and you have the next great DT, why not just trade for the 26 year old proven amazing DT?

Basically it would cost the Steelers 2016 1st round and getting rid of Timmons to make the cap #'s work.

But is it really as crazy as it first sounds?

Bad idea since the steelers not have the cap space to give a contract of 100-110 million to Wilkerson.

[st33lersguy]

Every so often a random bad idea gets lodged in my head and I can't shake it. Wilkerson wants out of NY. NY wants to get rid of Willkerson. Apparently they want a 1st round pick and Wilkerson wants all of the money.

But if you strongly believe that the EXACT thing that would fix the Steelers defense is the next Wilkerson, why take a chance on having a prospect not work out. Instead of using a 1st round pick to gamble that your scouts are correct and you have the next great DT, why not just trade for the 26 year old proven amazing DT?

Basically it would cost the Steelers 2016 1st round and getting rid of Timmons to make the cap #'s work.

But is it really as crazy as it first sounds?

He wants the money, money the Steelers do not have

[Mojouw]

He wants the money, money the Steelers do not have

Money can always be found. Timmons plus some extensions and restructures gets it done. But is that cap max, losing Timmons, and this year's 1st round pick worth it?

It might be if you want to go "all in" in 2016.

Never going to happen. But this is what I think about when I should be working...

[teegre]

Every so often a random bad idea gets lodged in my head and I can't shake it. Wilkerson wants out of NY. NY wants to get rid of Willkerson. Apparently they want a 1st round pick and Wilkerson wants all of the money.

But if you strongly believe that the EXACT thing that would fix the Steelers defense is the next Wilkerson, why take a chance on having a prospect not work out. Instead of using a 1st round pick to gamble that your scouts are correct and you have the next great DT, why not just trade for the 26 year old proven amazing DT?

Basically it would cost the Steelers 2016 1st round and getting rid of Timmons to make the cap #'s work.

But is it really as crazy as it first sounds?

A bird in the hand...

That is an excellent point.

[pczach]

Money can always be found. Timmons plus some extensions and restructures gets it done. But is that cap max, losing Timmons, and this year's 1st round pick worth it?

It might be if you want to go "all in" in 2016.

Never going to happen. But this is what I think about when I should be working...

There's no doubt that Wilkerson is worth a first round pick based on his performance. If you told anyone here that this years first round DL turned out to be as good as Wilkerson, we'd all be beyond happy.

The only drawback is the money. It's not the money you give to Wilkerson, it's the money it takes away from paying other players. In other words, even though you are adding a Pro Bowl caliber player at the cost of just a draft pick, you are probably going to lose players at other positions because of the cap hit.

But I do like the way you're thinking. I wouldn't give a first rounder. I would offer a third, and settle for a second round pick or walk on the deal. If you make this move, you would literally need to cut Timmons. The Steelers don't generally do things like that.....but.....They would no longer need to fill a need for a DL early in the draft, they probably already have a player on the roster that would be a solid player at ILB with the talent playing in front of him, and Shazier playing next to him. It would also allow them to target players in this draft they really want, even if they reach a bit at the time they draft them. The would have one less need to fill, and if they moved back with the first round pick, would be able to use the addition pick to attack rounds 2-4.....where the real meat of this draft is and the best value.

Interesting discussion Mojouw! Now you have me thinking.

[st33lersguy]

Not to mention, the Jets probably would want multiple picks, more than just a first round pick, which the Steelers should not do

[Dwinsgames]

Was hoping for this, potential steal of the draft.

Definitely my 3rd round target for a CB.

so is this meeting in addition to speaking with him at his pro day ?

knew they spoke with him then , knew that day actually . hope this is in addition to that .

I spoke to Kalan a few days ago and there had not been anything more from the steelers since the pro day but this article was posted today so maybe its newly developed

[Dwinsgames]

me : 22 teams where represented at your pro day , do you know if the Steelers where one of them ? if so did they speak with you ? thanks bro



Yes I met with them after


me: are you starting to get a feel for where you may land ?



I'm not sure I've talked to a lot of teams








me : that is good news , have you spoken with the Steelers since your pro day ? would be a great landing spot the need is there and depth chart not real deep and slated starters are sketchy at best






I haven't talked to the steelers since pro day


me:was a pleasure getting to know you during this process , wanted to wish you the best of luck this week , keep in touch




you too And Thank you!

[Mojouw]

There's no doubt that Wilkerson is worth a first round pick based on his performance. If you told anyone here that this years first round DL turned out to be as good as Wilkerson, we'd all be beyond happy.

The only drawback is the money. It's not the money you give to Wilkerson, it's the money it takes away from paying other players. In other words, even though you are adding a Pro Bowl caliber player at the cost of just a draft pick, you are probably going to lose players at other positions because of the cap hit.

But I do like the way you're thinking. I wouldn't give a first rounder. I would offer a third, and settle for a second round pick or walk on the deal. If you make this move, you would literally need to cut Timmons. The Steelers don't generally do things like that.....but.....They would no longer need to fill a need for a DL early in the draft, they probably already have a player on the roster that would be a solid player at ILB with the talent playing in front of him, and Shazier playing next to him. It would also allow them to target players in this draft they really want, even if they reach a bit at the time they draft them. The would have one less need to fill, and if they moved back with the first round pick, would be able to use the addition pick to attack rounds 2-4.....where the real meat of this draft is and the best value.

Interesting discussion Mojouw! Now you have me thinking.

I agree with what you and others are saying. The cap ramifications are, well, intense to say the least. It likely means Timmons gets the axe and no one else gets signed for a year or two. For my taste, it is playing it too close and I would roll the dice that I can pick up an approximation of Wilkerson in the draft for 5 cost controlled years - but I would at least kick the idea around the room if I was in charge of a team.

[Dwinsgames]

I agree with what you and others are saying. The cap ramifications are, well, intense to say the least. It likely means Timmons gets the axe and no one else gets signed for a year or two. For my taste, it is playing it too close and I would roll the dice that I can pick up an approximation of Wilkerson in the draft for 5 cost controlled years - but I would at least kick the idea around the room if I was in charge of a team.

the cost is the BIG elephant in the room , value wise he is worth a first round pick and perhaps then some , however when the cost is then accounted for I think the most the jets could get would be a mid 2nd rounder , the draft is the way teams not only add talent but they do so in a cap friendly way giving up a valued selection hurts you even if you are getting a quality player in return . it would be different if he was under contract for 2 or 3 more seasons but he is not and that kills any chance at a first round pick IMO , maybe Wilkerson and the Jets 1st rounder to move up in the first to assure themselves of the 3rd QB off the board and a 3rd round kickback from the team they trade up with is something that might happen but they will not get a 1st round pick straight up for Wilkerson on a rental with a huge contract to be negotiated its just not smart business

[BlackAndGold]

Pittsburgh Steelers to find gold at the end of another first-round draft rainbow

SCI publisher Jim Wexell's got a feeling. And draft predictions that'll make you ask: Are the Steelers going to the Super Bowl?

The beauty of covering the draft process is that all of the players are your players.
For a while.

But, the draft is at hand, and the 120 players with whom the Pittsburgh Steelers have met will soon be whittled down to seven drafted players.
So, it's goodbye
.
* Goodbye to Karl Joseph. A one-on-one interview with the WVU strong safety at the NFL Combine made it seem as if he was a nobody to the rest of the league. Today, the bandwagon is bursting, and undoubtedly full of NFL teams as well. If his knee's good, I suspect he'll be long gone by pick 25.

* Goodbye to William Jackson. I spotted him playing cornerback for the University of Houston last October and tweeted how he would make a great second-round pick. Yeah, right. He's a 6-foot, 4.3 guy with "First Round" rubber-stamped across his chest.

* And, finally, it's goodbye to Andrew Billings. I fought the good fight for this massive 3-tech. Yes, he has the versatility to play anywhere from 0 to 4 along the interior, and the Steelers could've made great use of that kind of flexibility. Even though people tried to peg you as a nose, Andrew, you were so much more. Parting is such sweet sorrow.
On the bright side, it's time to say hello to the following seven players, all of whom I expect to see next weekend in Pittsburgh at rookie minicamp.

FIRST ROUND
Was anyone surprised when David DeCastro fell to pick 24 in 2012? Heck no. The dude's a guard. Guards fall, and so do short cornerbacks. Don't be surprised when Vernon Hargreaves, the cornerback from Florida, falls to pick 25.
Hargreaves's name has been written in stone among the top 15 of media mocks since January, but he's 5-10 1/2 and in college had trouble with taller receivers. And judging from the 32-city mock drafts I've done this past month, cornerback isn't the must-have position in this first round that it normally is. I suspect one of the few teams that wants one will take the taller and faster Jackson instead, and it'll set off fireworks in the Steelers' war room because Hargreaves is the rare rookie who can step in and start right away. Like DeCastro.

SECOND ROUND
The other thing I learned from those sprawling mock drafts is there's a shortage of safeties out there. The Steelers aren't the only team that needs a playmaker on the back end, and pick 58 is an insufferable place to sit and watch them come off the board one by one throughout the second round.
So, I'll reverse gears. I'll put my trust back in Robert Golden. And Shamarko Thomas. And Rusty Ventrone. And, hey, Will Allen, what are you doing this year? Anyway, give me Big Man Jr., Javon Hargrave, the defensive tackle who's actually bigger and quicker than Billings but not quite as strong. Hargrave (6-1 1/2, 309) comes out of Donnie Shell's South Carolina State with 4.9 speed and a 34 1/2-inch vertical jump. He was a point guard for a two-time state prep champ in North Carolina and went on to become the MEAC's two-time Defensive Player of the Year with about a million sacks and a billion tackles-for-loss. (Yes, it's been a long draft season.)

THIRD ROUND
It's over to the offensive line with the pick of UCLA's Caleb Benenoch (6-5 1/2, 311), the big man with the light feet. He's a natural knee-bender with a strong punch who'll compete with Mike Adams for the No. 4 tackle spot and/or Chris Hubbard for the No. 2 backup interior spot. Versatile backup with an upside.

FOURTH ROUND
With Jeremy Cash, the Steelers can now put that $ in front of LB on the lineup sheet, a la Deone Bucannon, the $LB of the Arizona Cardinals. Listed as a strong safety, Cash was actually a playmaking linebacker at Duke, where he made 332 career tackles and was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year last season. He claims to have played deep, and claims to have done it well, during Senior Bowl week, and that he was never really given much of a chance to cover as a four-year box safety with the Blue Devils. That remains to be seen, but he IS a smart, instinctive playmaker at the line of scrimmage who'll provide Mike Tomlin with a hybrid chess piece for his ever-evolving defensive unit.

SIXTH ROUND
Losing that fifth-round pick may cost the Steelers a talented project such as Brandon Williams, but Tomlin turns to the analytics sheet here and drafts tight end Beau Sandland of Montana State. Known for his in-line blocking, Sandland, at 6-4 1/2, 253, ran a 4.69 40 at the Combine. He has an 83-inch wingspan and 35-inch vertical jump and used both to snare 37 passes last season at 17.1 yards per.

SEVENTH ROUND
This one's for the locker room: Keenan Reynolds, Navy. He would be the first QB drafted out of Navy since Roger Staubach in 1964, but Reynolds will play running back, run gadget plays, cover kicks and maybe return a few. The pick acquired for Brad Wing gives the Steelers a Navy Seal at one end of the locker room and Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva at the other. I'd say that outta lock it down.

SEVENTH ROUND
Cornerback Kevon Seymour was a sometimes starter at USC who showed flashes of NFL ability amid inconsistencies that deal with footwork and ball skills. He's 5-11 1/2, 186 and ran a 4.39 40 at the Combine with a 35-inch vertical jump. He can play special teams as he develops.

STEELERS DRAFT HAUL
1. Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
2. Javon Hargrave, DT, South Carolina State
3. Caleb Benenoch, G/T, UCLA
4. Jeremy Cash, S/LB, Duke
6. Beau Sandland, TE, Montana State
7A. Keenan Reynolds, RB, Navy
7B. Kevon Seymour, CB, UCS

http://www.scout.com/nfl/steelers/st...r-falling-star

- - - Updated - - -

If Hargreaves was to even close to #25, they need to pull the trigger and move up.

[Psycho Ward 86]

I'm going to have my go at a mock draft:

1) S Karl Joseph, West Virginia
2) DT Javon Hargrave, South Carolina St.
3) CB Jonathan Jones, Auburn
4) QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi St.
6) CB Kalan Reed, Southern Miss
7) RB Tyler Ervin, San Jose St.
7) WR Daniel Braverman, Western Michigan

threw a couple in there that havent come for visits, but were talked to since we still always take a few that dont come in for visits.

[Dwinsgames]

THIRD ROUND
It's over to the offensive line with the pick of UCLA's Caleb Benenoch



some love him while others hate him , see many saying UDFA , see some say 3rd round ...

where does the truth lie ?

I have not scouted him but when I see people hating on a prospect enough to call them a late rounder or Undrafted it makes my eyebrows twitch a little when he is mocked to the Steelers in the 3rd round

Alex has him as a 6th rounder ..

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2016/04...aleb-benenoch/

[Born2Steel]

I think he is way off about Hargreaves with this, but I like the way he thinks. Keenan Reynolds in the 7th is actually a GREAT pick. That guy is an athlete among athletes, and would be huge with Todd Haley. Cash is another one I really like, but again long gone by our 4th pick. I could totally live with that draft though. Nice job.

[st33lersguy]

Mayock pegged Apple to the Steelers, with A'Shawn Robinson and Andrew Billings available, smh

[BlackAndGold]

Both Wexell & Lolley think it's possible for Hargreaves to fall. He's on the shorter side, 5'10" 30" arms, not the greatest speed 4.5 40.

[hawaiiansteeler]

Mayock pegged Apple to the Steelers, with A'Shawn Robinson and Andrew Billings available, smh

as were Vernon Butler, William Jackson III, Artie Burns, Mackensie Alexander and Karl Joseph...

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/mock-d...-mayock/326209

[Dwinsgames]

gotta say I never wanted a former Steeler to be so wrong as I do Mayock right now

[Dwinsgames]

19 hours to go

[BlackAndGold]

I went back to Billings as my pick. I believe he's the guy. fits "need" and "BPA"

Both Joe Greene & Casey Hampton are from Texas, who else is from Texas??? you guessed it, Andrew Billings. It's meant to be.

[Texasteel]

I have flip-flopped a few times on this. Now so close to the draft I think I have settled on Joseph with Hargrave in the second. I still love Billings, but as a wise man stated at one time, Joseph and Hargrave > than Billings and anyone else. Only thing better would be if we could work another early second and be able to grab Burns as well, yep, still beating that drum.

[Texasteel]

Don't know what time I'll be getting home tomorrow. Would like to see someone start the draft thread a couple hours before the draft starts so we can talk about any change of heart, or new information.

[Psycho Ward 86]

Honestly this happens every year. Hell, its happened to us multiple times. It happened with Decastro, Sweed, Mendenhall, and Dupree. Vernon Hargreaves really could fall. Would not be surprised to see some team get over enamored with the size-speed-upside of Eli Apple or WJIII and pick them over Hargreaves.


Hell, you want to get a flashback towards a huge slide? DT Sharrif Floyd when he got drafted 23rd overall by the Vikings like 3 years ago. He was supposed to be THE best player in the draft and a complete lock to go in the top 5. Hargreaves has nowhere near that kind of hype

[hawaiiansteeler]

Both Joe Greene & Casey Hampton are from Texas, who else is from Texas??? .

Hassan Ridgeway?

[BlackAndGold]

Honestly this happens every year. Hell, its happened to us multiple times. It happened with Decastro, Sweed, Mendenhall, and Dupree. Vernon Hargreaves really could fall. Would not be surprised to see some team get over enamored with the size-speed-upside of Eli Apple or WJIII and pick them over Hargreaves.


Hell, you want to get a flashback towards a huge slide? DT Sharrif Floyd when he got drafted 23rd overall by the Vikings like 3 years ago. He was supposed to be THE best player in the draft and a complete lock to go in the top 5. Hargreaves has nowhere near that kind of hype

Wexell already got me hyped about Hargreaves potentially falling.

Like I said, Hargreaves is 5'10" with 30" arms and ran a 4.5 forty. His measurable's really could make him fall, since teams could worry about his potential ceiling because of them.

- - - Updated - - -

Hassan Ridgeway?

LOL, I knew someone was going to post that. But it doesn't fit my agenda. so nah.

[katmandu]

Where On-Line are you'all following the Draft tonight ?

What TC channel is carrying it live ?

[Psycho Ward 86]

Billings, Jackson, Joseph, Spence, and Hargreaves available. Who do you take