Steelers hope Feeney, Matakevich continue team's history with late-round linebackers

[BlackAndGold]

​By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Finding linebackers always seemed so easy for the Steelers. They would wait until the middle rounds of the draft, pick off one or two and put them in storage on special teams for a while.

In a year or two, they would emerge as just another Pro Bowl candidate to fuel their ravaging 3-4 defense.

That changed over the past several years, as much of the NFL caught up with their tactics. No longer could they find those hidden gems in the middle or late rounds, they were forced to go get them right away. Thus begat Jarvis Jones, Ryan Shazier and Bud Dupree all in the first round since 2013.

They returned to those days of yesteryear over the weekend when they drafted two linebackers in the sixth and seventh rounds, one outside and one inside. Travis Feeney of the University of Washington and Temple’s Tyler Matakevich will get the chance that those three first-rounders never got, to play strictly on special teams and to learn and mature into their profession behind some good starters.

But first, they have to make the team.

If they do, they will be on the kind of track that Joey Porter, the Steelers outside linebackers coach, followed as he grew into a Pro Bowl linebacker with them.

Read full story @
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...medium=twitter

[BlackAndGold]

[teegre]

I love these two picks.

I'm not entirely sure why... but, I do.

[hawaiiansteeler]

I love these two picks.

I'm not entirely sure why... but, I do.

me too.

we lost ILBs Spence and Garvin in free agency, I believe Tyler Matakevich has a very good chance of making the team as I envision him being a monster on special teams.

and there's a very good chance that this will be Deebo and Jarvis Jones' last seasons as Steelers, we need to groom their eventual successor although Feeney may be used more in sub-packages than as an every down OLB.

[steelreserve]

I'm excited about Feeney because he may be at least a role player pretty quickly, and looks damn near perfect for that role.

Matakevich looks like a guy who you could hit in the face with a blunt object like a log or an uprooted stop sign with the concrete still attached, and he'd still find a way to make the team.

[Shoes]

I'm excited about Feeney because he may be at least a role player pretty quickly, and looks damn near perfect for that role.

Matakevich looks like a guy who you could hit in the face with a blunt object like a log or an uprooted stop sign with the concrete still attached, and he'd still find a way to make the team.

[Psycho Ward 86]

just saw a video on Travis Feeney's sacks on Steelers Depot. I can definitely see why he's a late round pick, even without taking into account the injuries. No bend, no hand fighting skills, no savvy pass rush moves. A lot of his sacks were just coverage sacks/QB's holding onto the ball for too long. He definitely has a long way to go in terms of manufacturing his own sacks. Pure athlete.

[hawaiiansteeler]

just saw a video on Travis Feeney's sacks on Steelers Depot. I can definitely see why he's a late round pick, even without taking into account the injuries. No bend, no hand fighting skills, no savvy pass rush moves. A lot of his sacks were just coverage sacks/QB's holding onto the ball for too long. He definitely has a long way to go in terms of manufacturing his own sacks. Pure athlete.

yeah, watched the same video but I'm pretty sure we didn't draft Feeney for his pass-rushing skills.

other team's TEs have been killing us for years, we can't let Gronk score 2 TDs every time we play the Pats**.

drafting Feeney is an attempt to improve on that weakness and I respect the Steelers for trying to fix this long-standing problem...

[BlackAndGold]

No way Feeney will be an OLB, you'll probably see him start there, then move to ILB, where imo, he'll be a way better fit.

He's a great athlete, let him play in space and cover TE's.

[GBMelBlount]

I love these two picks.

I'm not entirely sure why... but, I do.

246. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tyler Matakevich, ILB, Temple A+ Grade

This is my favorite pick in the seventh round. It would not surprise me at all if Tyler Matakevich not only starts, but becomes a stellar player for the Steelers or some other team in this league.

There are few linebackers in this class who have better instincts than he does, as he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He enjoyed a prolific career at Temple, but dropped because he tested poorly at the Combine.

However, there have been plenty of defensive players who struggled in Indianapolis and then went on to have great careers. Matakevich could be the next, and the Steelers are getting outstanding value as a result.

Some team could've taken him in the third round, and it wouldn't have been embarrassing.

Read more at http://walterfootball.com/nfldraftgr...pWpxVIrAWHM.99

[salamander]

246. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tyler Matakevich, ILB, Temple A+ Grade

This is my favorite pick in the seventh round. It would not surprise me at all if Tyler Matakevich not only starts, but becomes a stellar player for the Steelers or some other team in this league.

There are few linebackers in this class who have better instincts than he does, as he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. He enjoyed a prolific career at Temple, but dropped because he tested poorly at the Combine.

However, there have been plenty of defensive players who struggled in Indianapolis and then went on to have great careers. Matakevich could be the next, and the Steelers are getting outstanding value as a result.

Some team could've taken him in the third round, and it wouldn't have been embarrassing.

Read more at http://walterfootball.com/nfldraftgr...pWpxVIrAWHM.99

I'm totally ok with that. I mean, how many guys blew it up at the combine only to completely flop when the games actually started? It's what you do on the field in pads what really matters.

[Steeldude]

Feeney's best bet is to play ILB(after adding about 10 to 15lbs). I doubt he will make it as an OLB. He doesn't seem to play as fast as his combine times indicate. His strength is subpar also. A very thin build.

Here is a video of Feeney's sacks

They appear to be mostly coverage sacks.

[BlackAndGold]

Steelers hoping they found something special in rookie OLB Travis Feeney

By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Because the Steelers dealt away their fifth-round draft choice in the summer of 2015 to acquire cornerback Brandon Boykin from the Philadelphia Eagles, they had to wait hours between their fourth- and sixth-round picks April 30 in the NFL draft. Ninety seven players were selected in that time, but, luckily for the Steelers, none of them were named Travis Feeney.

Feeney, a linebacker from the University of Washington, tumbled down draft boards, but not the one inside the UMPC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. When it came time to put the card in for the 220th selection, the Steelers didn’t waste much time.

“We had him graded higher than that,” general manager Kevin Colbert said. “We were just happy he was there for us. It was a long time between the fourth- and sixth-round picks. A lot of good players went. Had we had the opportunity, or the picks, we probably would have taken him higher. We were fortunate that he was there.”

With the sixth round rolling by and the draft nearing its end, Feeney grew frustrated and was beginning to think about his options as an undrafted free agent. When Mike Tomlin called Feeney to tell him the Steelers chose him, he initially thought it was a joke.

“That feels good that they really wanted me here,” Feeney said Friday after his first rookie minicamp practice with the Steelers. “I really want to be here. I’m excited for it. I’m going to show them I deserve to be here and take the opportunity and make it my home.”

Feeney might have been viewed as a tweener by the other 31 NFL teams, but the Steelers believe he’s going to fit right in at outside linebacker. At 6 feet 4 and 226 pounds, Feeney is the lightest outside linebacker the Steelers have had since Greg Lloyd, but they don’t believe his weight will be a detriment. Rather, they believe his speed will help him become a playmaker in the NFL.

Read full story: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201605080139