Pittsburgh is on the clock...

[teegre]

The Steelers are on the clock...

Over at Steelers Fever, every year, hawaiiansteeler & I would coordinate a "Steelers Fever Consensus Mock Draft".

We would start with the first pick... with a thread, a poll, and a discussion. The poll/thread would be up for 12 hours, and then, we'd move on to the next team. So on & so forth until we would get to Pittsburgh's selection, where the poll would stay open for several days.

Why??? This will allow for us to get a sense of who might ACTUALLY be there at pick #25. No joke: we've come pretty close every single year. Have fun with it.

So... as not to break tradition...

"First Annual Steelers Universe Consensus Mock Draft".

1. LA: Jared Goff, QB, Berkeley (trade)
2. PHI: Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota St. (trade)
3. SD: Laremy Tunsil, LT, Mississippi
4. DAL: Jalen Ramsey, FS, Florida St.
5. JAX: Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
6. BAL: Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida
7. SF: DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon (trade)
8. CLEV: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio St.
9. TB: Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio St.
10. NYG: Ronnie Stanley, LT, Notre Dame
11. CHI: A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
12. NO: Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville
13. MIA: Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson
14. OAK: Darron Lee, LB, Ohio St
15. TENN: Jack Conklin, OT, Mich St (trade)
16. DET: Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
17. ATL: Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson
18. INDY: Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio St.
19. BUFF: Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
20. NYJ: Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama
21. WASH: Jarran Reed, NT, Alabama
22. HOU: Laquan Treadwell, WR, Mississippi
23. MIN: Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame
24: CIN: Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor
25. PIT:

The Steelers are on the clock... and will be on the clock until around midnight (EST) on Monday. (That's four days of discussion.)



[Mods, we don't want to garbage up the front page. Please, move/erase the Bengals thread.]

[teegre]

Spence is the best pass-rusher, but he's also an addict.

Floyd seems like a 4-3 OLB to me.

Joseph is recovering from surgery, but I love him.

Bell seems like like a reach; then again, reports are that several teams in the 20s are considering him.

Butler is the top-rated DT/DE/NT.

Clark is a reach.

Apple... meh.

Jackson seems to fit.

Burns bs is a reach.

I dont really want either of those DEs. Don't need the WRs. I'd prefer not to get an O-lineman.

SUMMATION:
He has been my choice for a few weeks: Karl Joseph.

[Born2Steel]

I'm hoping to have this dilemma when actual draft day gets here.

[SteelMember]

Gonna go with the biggest need... WJ3 (Alexander would be my 1st choice)

Butler would be the other possibility, but that is where the draft depth is. If it was Billings, maybe.

[Born2Steel]

1. Butler
2. Jackson
3.Cravens
4.Spence

Narrowed but still undecided

Joseph is too small. Reminds me a lot of Bob Sanders. When healthy was great, but that was rare. Very short NFL career due to size and style of play. Cravens shows as much ability on a much larger frame. To me Cravens is the better choice here if going safety.

Jackson, of the remaining CB choices, has the best size, skills, and tools for what we need in a CB. Still I would be surprised with a 1st rd CB pick.

Butler is my favorite guy on the board here. Can play anywhere on the line. Has a pass rush game, is a run stuffer, has the size and strength for the next level. Tremendous upside.

Spence is too much of an unknown at this time to risk a 1st on, IMO. Shows great ability, and great potential to not be on the field as well. No fair comparing him to James, that makes him more of an emotional pick than a football pick.

[polamalubeast]

I have the feeling that we will not be pleased with the selection of the Steelers next Thursday......

[LLT]

I voted with whom I think the steelers will take in that scenerio...not necessarily who I would take. If Apple is there at #25...they will draft him.

[st33lersguy]

I eliminated players I considered reaches, offensive players (though I get wanting to put as many options as possible), and linebackers because I am not really keen on the Steelers spending yet another pick on a linebacker (plus with all the good defensive players on the board, I really do not want to take a chance on Spence)

That leaves
Karl Joseph
Vernon Butler
Eli Apple
William Jackson III

I am not sold on Apple and while I like Joseph, I have legitimate concerns about his durability and ACL

So that brings us down to Butler vs Jackson III

I know some people are concerned about his tackling, but I like Jackson III based on his size, speed, and play-making ability. I do believe he could be really good for the secondary, but I like Butler more. Versatile, has the pass rushing abilities to play on all three downs. Has the potential to be a terror in the middle. He could be a real force on the D-line in the middle of and spelling for Heyward and Tuitt which would improve the defense as much as any defensive back would. I actually have Butler as my no. 2 option behind Billings and slightly ahead of Alexander.

[fansince'76]

I have the feeling that we will not be pleased with the selection of the Steelers next Thursday......

Which would be par for the course...

[Rotorhead]

I would love these choices when our pick is up, don't think that will happen, but if it does . . . whoever is the most NFL ready CB as we need the help this year not a development that will take a year or 2 (Cortez really killed us!).

[Mojouw]

Floyd. He might be a better fit as a 4-3 backer, but I don't care. I see him as a weapon at the LB level. Admittedly he will have trouble setting the edge against the run, but my answer is that Butler will simply have to scheme around it. He is even better than Spence at beating tackles one on one and he doesn't like to "party".

He, Shazier, Dupree, and the dual threat safety I will draft in Round 2 or 3 are going to fly around the field, come from all angles, and generally break things and frustrate schemes.

I have no idea who the hell is going to cover anyone, but that where I will channel my inner Colbert and take a series of gambles on developmental guys like Hall out of Nowhere Iowa or whatever. Tell me this scouting report doesn't basically scream "Steelers mid round CB/S pick"? http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profil...all?id=2555366

[Dwinsgames]

this is another scenario I would try to trade down , I am not in love with any of them for different reasons .

Spence - Risk outweighs everything else

Floyd -outside 4-3 guy potentially inside 3-4 guy

Joseph reportedly will not be ready for training camp let alone start of season putting him way behind and will make little impact in 2016 because of missed reps early in the process

Bell - Love the kid in the 35-and beyond range but not sure enough to take him at 25

Butler great player but worry he is a jack of all trades master of none at the next level giving me a bad feeling at selecting at 25

Clark not a big fan especially this early at 58 I could learn to like it maybe even love it

Apple way to raw , to grabby for me not even on my radar , but fear he is on the teams

Jackson zero tackles vs the run till week 7 last year and 5 all season is not what we normally look for in a CB

Burns like Apple is raw , better upside IMO because he doesn't have the same bad habits Apple has but its a round early in my opinion

Cravens its just to soon , love his play making ability at SS but fear his added weight may be to much to over come and is to early for me

WR's NO .. we have enough for now maybe a late round flyer on one but certainly not in round 1

OTs we have our starters a depth guy would be nice but not early on

[Born2Steel]

There was an interesting interview with Herm Edwards this morning on Mike&Mike. He talked about his time with Tampa. He said they knew they were not taking a CB in the 1st round. They didn't have to think about it. They didn't have the need for a 1st rd talent at CB with their system. They needed a 3 technique and a Middle LB so they got those, who went on to HoF careers. And that's how they got to and won a Super Bowl. It's all about they right players for your scheme.

Just thought this would make for interesting discussion on 'Steelers on the clock' day.

[steelreserve]

I would still take Butler here. Remember, in most drafts there are one or two guys of his type, so he'd be a top-15 pick for sure and Billings would be a top-10. Overvalued there? Absolutely. At 25, though? That's called a rare opportunity.

I'd also be OK with Jackson here. Joseph and Cravens are two players I'd love to have, will probably be here at 25, one will probably be there in the early 40s, neither will at 58. Sucks. We could really use an early second-round pick this year.

Now that we've arrived here and gotten some of the wishful thinking out of the way - having all of Billings, Reed, and Alexander off the board really throws it wide open. There are some interesting possibilities, but also some shit-tastic ones. It's entirely possible, for example, that we shoot ourselves in the dick by taking Overhyped OLB 3.0 and then wondering why he's not developing 3 years later, or take an offensive tackle we don't really need that badly.

[Psycho Ward 86]

out of those options i want Vernon Butler. But I think they'll go with William Jackson so i selected him

[Dwinsgames]

gun to my head I guess I take Bell , really like the player and think he will be a fine pro capable of handling strong or free duties . the key here for me is he will be available to play day 1 and we need a guy who will make immediate impact whereas I do not see that with the rest of the potential secondary picks .

[Dwinsgames]

Mike Mayock on DE Shaq Lawson: "Explosive kid" "I think he fits what the Lions want to do."....

well looks like we have some validation for that selection anyways

[Mojouw]

The closer to draft day, the more and more uncomfortable I get with the idea that the 1st round pick has to "impact" right NOW! What the roster needs is the addition of another playmaker. Another foundation piece to build around. While I am not advocating that the Steelers select a player and then bury him for 2 seasons while said player "develops", I am starting to really believe that the first selection should be the best, most talented, highest ceiling long-termplayer left on the board.

But what about the SB window? My answer is what about it? When is the last time a rookie, despite being highly drafted, was the "missing" piece of a championship puzzle? Whether they draft a DB, DL, or LB with that first selection, that player could have a minor role in a playoff or even championship run their rookie year, but it will be in seasons 2-4 that a team typically gets the full return on that draft investment.

So, which player in this class has the biggest payout @ 25? I don't know, but I suspect it is not a DT or a CB with question marks to their game.

[steelreserve]

Out of the following players, would any be available when we pick in R2?

Cravens
Joseph
Bell
Thompson
Burns
X. Howard

If so, then I think we could still get roughly the same quality of secondary help that's available in R1. Jackson might be marginally better than the ones on this list, but not for sure, and certainly not by a whole round's worth.

Obviously not all of them will be there, but the odds of 8 defensive backs being taken in the next 32 picks seems rather small (Apple and Jackson are not on the above list because they'll almost certainly be gone, but they will "eat up" two selections that could be used on these guys).

So Butler in R1 and one of the six above in R2? I'd take that in a second. If we were off by one and can get Billings plus one of the six, then it's double-bonus time.

[Dwinsgames]

The closer to draft day, the more and more uncomfortable I get with the idea that the 1st round pick has to "impact" right NOW! What the roster needs is the addition of another playmaker. Another foundation piece to build around. While I am not advocating that the Steelers select a player and then bury him for 2 seasons while said player "develops", I am starting to really believe that the first selection should be the best, most talented, highest ceiling long-termplayer left on the board.

But what about the SB window? My answer is what about it? When is the last time a rookie, despite being highly drafted, was the "missing" piece of a championship puzzle? Whether they draft a DB, DL, or LB with that first selection, that player could have a minor role in a playoff or even championship run their rookie year, but it will be in seasons 2-4 that a team typically gets the full return on that draft investment.

So, which player in this class has the biggest payout @ 25? I don't know, but I suspect it is not a DT or a CB with question marks to their game.

while I in part agree we have to also look at what holes must have bodies in them ( improved bodies over last year I might add ) you do not have to have 53 super stars on your roster ( no roster has that ) but you have to have SOLID players at ever possible spot otherwsise teams will attack that " weak link" ..

That is partly why I have Bell as a 35ish player for complete comfort level , I do not believe he has star power but I do believe he will be a super solid guy that brings some amount of versatility at the S spot , he is a good cover man 23 or 25 ( cant remember exactly ) passed defensed over last 2 seasons and 15 or so breakups and he is healthy ready to contribute ...

would he start over Golden week 1 ? I can't answer that question but I can tell you when his number is called he will be ready to perform and can be relied upon to be in the right spot his assignment dictates him to be he is rarely ( if ever ) out of position ..

Can improve on his tackling , looks to drag down a runner more than apply the hit vs the run game , in the passing game he does not seem to have that issue he is a flow through kind of tackler who knows how to wrap up .

I like Bell a lot , I am just not in love with him at 25 but based on the choices above I am not in love with any of those guys at 25 so Bell got the nod as the most complete READY to play player in an area of need for the 2016 version of the Steelers

[steelreserve]

The closer to draft day, the more and more uncomfortable I get with the idea that the 1st round pick has to "impact" right NOW! What the roster needs is the addition of another playmaker. Another foundation piece to build around. While I am not advocating that the Steelers select a player and then bury him for 2 seasons while said player "develops", I am starting to really believe that the first selection should be the best, most talented, highest ceiling long-termplayer left on the board.

But what about the SB window? My answer is what about it? When is the last time a rookie, despite being highly drafted, was the "missing" piece of a championship puzzle? Whether they draft a DB, DL, or LB with that first selection, that player could have a minor role in a playoff or even championship run their rookie year, but it will be in seasons 2-4 that a team typically gets the full return on that draft investment.

So, which player in this class has the biggest payout @ 25? I don't know, but I suspect it is not a DT or a CB with question marks to their game.

Well, then which player that we can draft IS the "one missing piece?" Probably nobody. But it is not a bad idea to take the guy who might be in two years, because what are your other choices? And even a minor role could be the help we need.

Basically, we don't need a star player at DT or CB, we just need to suck less. Improve that to around average, and a lot of other stuff starts falling into place. I would say that those are also both the opportunities for a rookie to make the biggest impact because of the vacancies and question marks that exist there now. A decent rookie who comes in at DT could wind up the starter 3 or 4 games into the season simply because we don't have anyone else there who's good.

I think our offseason moves, or lack thereof, actually speak worlds about where we're likely going in R1. There's basically one guy on the roster at DT and we haven't made much if any effort to address that (I'm not counting the Chargers scrub). Our CBs may not be an all-world group, but at least we have enough people and it took some doing to get there. We are also probably shorthanded by one guy at safety, which makes it another likely high-round target, although we still have some free agent options out there too if we choose.

[polamalubeast]

[Mojouw]

while I in part agree we have to also look at what holes must have bodies in them ( improved bodies over last year I might add ) you do not have to have 53 super stars on your roster ( no roster has that ) but you have to have SOLID players at ever possible spot otherwsise teams will attack that " weak link" ..

That is partly why I have Bell as a 35ish player for complete comfort level , I do not believe he has star power but I do believe he will be a super solid guy that brings some amount of versatility at the S spot , he is a good cover man 23 or 25 ( cant remember exactly ) passed defensed over last 2 seasons and 15 or so breakups and he is healthy ready to contribute ...

would he start over Golden week 1 ? I can't answer that question but I can tell you when his number is called he will be ready to perform and can be relied upon to be in the right spot his assignment dictates him to be he is rarely ( if ever ) out of position ..

Can improve on his tackling , looks to drag down a runner more than apply the hit vs the run game , in the passing game he does not seem to have that issue he is a flow through kind of tackler who knows how to wrap up .

I like Bell a lot , I am just not in love with him at 25 but based on the choices above I am not in love with any of those guys at 25 so Bell got the nod as the most complete READY to play player in an area of need for the 2016 version of the Steelers

Really well thought out logic. I am not attacking the thought process at all. I just couldn't disagree with it more. You are painting a picture of Bell as a slight to moderate "reach" in Round 1. And the team makes that reach to basically go "all in" on 2016. I can understand that, but I hate it. Because that is the kind of thing that MIGHT help you in 2016, but will get you killed in 2017 and beyond.

I don't agree with the strategy of drafting the 3rd or 4th "best" prospect at a position group in the first round. I would rather pivot and target another position group and get the #1 or #2 player and then in a later round get the 5th or 6th ranked player at the originally targeted position group.

But that is just me. I could be wrong and no one seems to agree on how to rank a great deal of the players in this draft class. For instance I have seen some places say Artie Burns is one of the better CBs in the class and others call him over-hyped.

In 2005, the everyone had the Steelers taking a CB in the draft. Safety was all set with Polamalu and Hope. But Townsend and Willie Williams were not exactly the dynamic duo back there. But 5 corners went off the board before they picked. Who did they take? Heath Miller. Was TE a major need? No. Not really, I mean they had been looking for one after Bruener, but it wasn't a "must do". But a much better prospect was there than what was left on the board at other "need" positions.

The next CB drafted was Stanford Routt. That kinda says it all right?

[Dwinsgames]

Really well thought out logic. I am not attacking the thought process at all. I just couldn't disagree with it more. You are painting a picture of Bell as a slight to moderate "reach" in Round 1. And the team makes that reach to basically go "all in" on 2016. I can understand that, but I hate it. Because that is the kind of thing that MIGHT help you in 2016, but will get you killed in 2017 and beyond.

I don't agree with the strategy of drafting the 3rd or 4th "best" prospect at a position group in the first round. I would rather pivot and target another position group and get the #1 or #2 player and then in a later round get the 5th or 6th ranked player at the originally targeted position group.

But that is just me. I could be wrong and no one seems to agree on how to rank a great deal of the players in this draft class. For instance I have seen some places say Artie Burns is one of the better CBs in the class and others call him over-hyped.

But the pick would not get you killed 2017 and beyond , he is a solid pick he is a guy who will probably have a 10 year career in the league ( baring any career ending injuries )and is a very good player , just not a superstar and he is not the 3rd or 4th best prospect from his pos group , many have him as the top guy and second at worst .

I have him rated as the 2nd best S prospect behind Joseph , but Josephs health pushes him down , I want a guy ready for rookie mini camp and the entire training camp and preseason every rep counts as a rookie , Joseph reports of not being ready till week 4 pushes him down my board because he will likely make very little impact all season do to being so far behind via not getting important reps early on in the process .

The knee injury also concerns me long term so its not just a " this year thing" someone posted a very good article here on likelihood of obtaining a second knee injury being like 80% higher after acquiring your first on top of that his stature is a bit worrisome the " Bob Sanders " comparison while Bob was one hell of a football player ( as is Joseph ) that body type does not normally lend itself to a sustained NFL career more often than not . so I keep that in the back of my mind as well .

I just do not see " star power" in Bell but that is not a bad thing . but I do see a solid NFL prospect who has the tools to be a solid every day S in this league for many years to come ..

give me 48 super solid players and 5 stars and I could win a lot of super bowls

[Mojouw]

But the pick would not get you killed 2017 and beyond , he is a solid pick he is a guy who will probably have a 10 year career in the league ( baring any career ending injuries )and is a very good player , just not a superstar and he is not the 3rd or 4th best prospect from his pos group , many have him as the top guyand second at worst

I have seen him listed multiple places as the 4th safety or even lower. I could be all wrong and am not really trying to debate the merits of a specific player, more of the prioritization of an overall approach to the draft process. I feel like the approach of plugging a "need" with a draft pick is what gets you Jarvis Jones instead of Desmond Trufant or Eric Reid. But that might just be me letting hindsight get the better of logic.

[dislocatedday]

With what is still out there in this mock, if the Steelers take Butler, WJ3, or Spence I would be happy. I know everyone is concerned about Spence, but it does appear he has been on a solid path the last year and a half and has put his demons far in hist past.

I'm going with WJ3 here though.

[Shoes]

I'm taking Spence here, have to hope he has his head together, I love Joseph, but (possibly)not being ready for TC makes me wonder if this will turn into playing very little in 2016. Nt can be had in R2 or R3. I would take Billings over Spence tho.

[hawaiiansteeler]

I'm taking Spence here, have to hope he has his head together, I love Joseph, but (possibly)not being ready for TC makes me wonder if this will turn into playing very little in 2016. Nt can be had in R2 or R3. I would take Billings over Spence tho.

I wonder if Billings had still been available here for this mock draft, if he would have been a landslide runaway winner?

[polamalubeast]

I wonder if Billings had still been available here for this mock draft, if he would have been a landslide runaway winner?

I think so.....This one of the reasons that I voted for Billings for the pick of the Bengals.

[Dwinsgames]

I have seen him listed multiple places as the 4th safety or even lower. I could be all wrong and am not really trying to debate the merits of a specific player, more of the prioritization of an overall approach to the draft process. I feel like the approach of plugging a "need" with a draft pick is what gets you Jarvis Jones instead of Desmond Trufant or Eric Reid. But that might just be me letting hindsight get the better of logic.

rumored teams in the 20s looking hard at him