Dulac: Steelers Won’t Draft A CB In First Two Or Three Rounds

[Shoes]

After parting ways with seldom-used cornerback Justin Gilbert last week, several now believe that the Pittsburgh Steelers should and ultimately will address the position in the early rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, however, isn’t one of those people.
During his weekly online chat on Wednesday, Dulac was asked to give his expanded thoughts on the Steelers not needing to spend an early draft pick this year on a cornerback.
“What I said is cornerback is not a priority, not like the past 2 seasons,” Dulac wrote during his recently concluded online chat. “And just like last season, the Steelers view [Senquez] Golson as a second No. 2 draft pick for 2017. That doesn’t mean they won’t draft a cornerback, but it won’t be in the first two or three rounds. It’s more likely they will draft a safety before a corner.”
More here..
http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/02...-three-rounds/

[teegre]

That'd be okay, because there is some good value in R3/R4.

Damontae Kazee, San Diego State
Rasul Douglass, West Virginia
Fabien Moureau, UCLA
Corn Elder, Miami

[Shoes]

That'd be okay, because there is some good value in R3/R4.

Damontae Kazee, San Diego State
Rasul Douglass, West Virginia
Fabien Moureau, UCLA
Corn Elder, Miami

Agreed, don't forget Howard Wilson, Houston

[teegre]

Agreed, don't forget Howard Wilson, Houston

Duly noted.

[Psycho Ward 86]

That'd be okay, because there is some good value in R3/R4.

Damontae Kazee, San Diego State
Rasul Douglass, West Virginia
Fabien Moureau, UCLA
Corn Elder, Miami

You think Fabien can fall that far?

[BlackAndGold]

Unless they sign a FA CB to play in the slot, I don't know how anyone can say they won't draft a CB in the first 3 rounds.

Gay's play started falling off at the end of the season(looked old), Golson is a complete unknown. That position still needs to be addressed.

[SteelerFanInStl]

They need to either bring in a good FA or draft another CB in the first 3 rounds. Golson can't be counted on and as was said above, Gay's play seemed to really be falling off.

[Born2Steel]

This new CB signee, Davonte Johnson, would be a slot guy too right. If he panned out. 5'10"-180??? Between him and Golson, we still have no idea where we stand on the position.

[st33lersguy]

Not sure how they can dismiss corner as a possibility. They could use another press-man corner and an upgrade from Cockrell

[SteelMayhem72]

Not sure how they can dismiss corner as a possibility. They could use another press-man corner and an upgrade from Cockrell

I never was high on cockrell...i think he became a liability down the stretch

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[AtlantaDan]

I never was high on cockrell...i think he became a liability down the stretch

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Neither is Dulac

Gerry Dulac: Ross Cockrell is a solid player, a guy who can be a starter if necessary but not a bonafide play-maker or difference maker. If Golson were healthy, he would be the other starting CB in 2017. But that’s a big if right now...

And Dulac now is not sold on Golson either

Steelers really need another good young corner. I understand that OLB might be a bigger need but an upgrade in secondary is paramount. I wouldn’t count on Golson. Thoughts?

Gerry Dulac: You’re not wrong. At this point, Golson is only going to be a bonus. By that I mean, if he can come back and contribute after missing two years the Steelers will be satisfied. Because, right now, they are not sure that can happen, especially coming off a Lisfranc foot injury

So it looks like Dulac now is coming around to the view CB is a need in the draft

The Steelers have said missing 2 years they’re not sure about Golson so does drafting a CB early make sense now in the draft?

Gerry Dulac: Sure it makes sense. Won’t surprise me if its on day 2 of the draft. But it’s not more of a priority than OLB.... To me, the biggest area of need is OLB. After that, because of the uncertainty of Golson, I’d say CB.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201702220174

[43Hitman]

Gay was more of a liability than Cockrell was.

[pczach]

Gay was more of a liability than Cockrell was.

Cockrell wasn't drafted by the team.

He has been their best and most consistent corner since he stepped on the field.

He has shown the ability to play man coverage very well, as he was given the task of following the best receivers in the NFL all over field in a few games this season.

He played very well in those games.

The team loses to the Patriots and hardly play man coverage. Receivers were running wide open on blown assignments at all levels and areas of the defense all game.

Clearly....it's Cockrell's fault, and they need to get someone better.....

Cockrell sucks.....and the #4 receiver on the team that has only been in the league for a couple years didn't dominate the NFL after he broke multiple fingers but continued to gut it out and play because they had nobody behind him that could threaten a defense the way he can....and is only playing because the #2 WR was suspended for the entire year and the #3 WR was hurt all year...sucks too and needs to go.

Such is life at Steelers message boards when they don't win the super bowl.

[Born2Steel]

Cockrell wasn't drafted by the team.

He has been their best and most consistent corner since he stepped on the field.

He has shown the ability to play man coverage very well, as he was given the task of following the best receivers in the NFL all over field in a few games this season.

He played very well in those games.

The team loses to the Patriots and hardly play man coverage. Receivers were running wide open on blown assignments at all levels and areas of the defense all game.

Clearly....it's Cockrell's fault, and they need to get someone better.....

Cockrell sucks.....and the #4 receiver on the team that has only been in the league for a couple years didn't dominate the NFL after he broke multiple fingers but continued to gut it out and play because they had nobody behind him that could threaten a defense the way he can....and is only playing because the #2 WR was suspended for the entire year and the #3 WR was hurt all year...sucks too and needs to go.

Such is life at Steelers message boards when they don't win the super bowl.

[43Hitman]

Cockrell wasn't drafted by the team.

He has been their best and most consistent corner since he stepped on the field.

He has shown the ability to play man coverage very well, as he was given the task of following the best receivers in the NFL all over field in a few games this season.

He played very well in those games.

The team loses to the Patriots and hardly play man coverage. Receivers were running wide open on blown assignments at all levels and areas of the defense all game.

Clearly....it's Cockrell's fault, and they need to get someone better.....

Cockrell sucks.....and the #4 receiver on the team that has only been in the league for a couple years didn't dominate the NFL after he broke multiple fingers but continued to gut it out and play because they had nobody behind him that could threaten a defense the way he can....and is only playing because the #2 WR was suspended for the entire year and the #3 WR was hurt all year...sucks too and needs to go.

Such is life at Steelers message boards when they don't win the super bowl.

Yeah I don't get where the Cockrell comment came from either. He has been a great find by us. To bad ole Rexy isn't around any more to help develop our roster.

[AtlantaDan]

Kevin Colbert's observation does not sound like someone who is confident the need to improve the CB position will be addressed by Golson

The Steelers are more apprehensive and a little less excited about the return of cornerback Senquez Golson, who has never appeared in a game, preseason or regular season, since being a No. 2 draft choice in 2015....

“Last year it was one injury, now it’s two and it’s a foot,” Colbert said. “Anytime a cornerback or a skill guy gets a foot injury, you’re a little concerned. Does he go from being a 4.3 guy to a 4.5? We won’t know until we see him.
“I’m a little more apprehensive. Just from sitting out two years, where you haven’t played at all, it’s not real easy to just step out there and catch up.”


Because of Golson’s situation, Colbert said the Steelers could look at drafting a cornerback in April. Both secondary positions — cornerback and safety — are considered deep heading into the NFL combine that begins next week.

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201702160190

Do not know Dulac's sources on CB not being a draft priority (my guess is Butler was the source of the inability of the DBs to play man coverage in the New England debacle) but I am guessing he will be shown to be wrong

[Rotorhead]

I think our DB's are fine, so this is fine with me. We NEED an OLB that can put real pressure on the QB. I would prefer us go out and get/trade a pick for a top flight pass rusher. Even if it is for 2-3 years and we can draft their replacement this year or next. I honestly think that is our biggest need going into next season. As for the draft, I would prefer a different Safety to go with Davis, DL depth and a TE (WR only if Bryant can get his crap together).

[BlackAndGold]

Cockrell is a fine #2 CB. He's a fit what they do defensively(he's a prototypical cover 2 zone CB). Wish he was more physical but he's fine. Burns taking another step, and developing into a shutdown CB will help Cockrell.

Again, It's all about finding the next slot CB, which is basically a starter in today's NFL.

[Born2Steel]

Looking at NEED defensively.....DL we have Heyward, Hargraves, and Tuitt. LBs we have Harrison, Dupree, Shazier, and Timmons. CBs are Burns and Cockrell(not forgetting Gay). And Safety is Mitchell and Davis. IMO, the obvious glaring 'need' would be at the CB position. If not in the first 2 or 3 rounds, when should we target this need? Yes, we will need a replacement for Harrison too, but is that a glaring need going into next season? My guess is this is blatant misdirection, or we are retooling this offense. We do 'need' TE and WR. A backup to Bell is more crucial than Harrison's replacement this season, IMO too. So, if we went 3 offensive stud skill guys in the first 3 rounds, I don't think I could disagree with that.

[st33lersguy]

Looking at NEED defensively.....DL we have Heyward, Hargraves, and Tuitt. LBs we have Harrison, Dupree, Shazier, and Timmons. CBs are Burns and Cockrell(not forgetting Gay). And Safety is Mitchell and Davis. IMO, the obvious glaring 'need' would be at the CB position. If not in the first 2 or 3 rounds, when should we target this need? Yes, we will need a replacement for Harrison too, but is that a glaring need going into next season? My guess is this is blatant misdirection, or we are retooling this offense. We do 'need' TE and WR. A backup to Bell is more crucial than Harrison's replacement this season, IMO too. So, if we went 3 offensive stud skill guys in the first 3 rounds, I don't think I could disagree with that.

It's not just about the starting 11, it's about the depth that gets rotated in as well. OLB is a need because depth is severely lacking and there simply isn't enough quality pass rushers to rotate in. Besides, at 39, who knows how much longer Harrison can play for. He could very easily suffer a steep decline this season, so yeah OLB is a need, and a new addition at OLB is likely to get snaps. S is also a need based on depth. Mitchell is ok, but the team could use a true center-fielder at free safety

[Born2Steel]

It's not just about the starting 11, it's about the depth that gets rotated in as well. OLB is a need because depth is severely lacking and there simply isn't enough quality pass rushers to rotate in. Besides, at 39, who knows how much longer Harrison can play for. He could very easily suffer a steep decline this season, so yeah OLB is a need, and a new addition at OLB is likely to get snaps. S is also a need based on depth. Mitchell is ok, but the team could use a true center-fielder at free safety

I'm completely on board with all that. Thread title is what I'm posting about. Just discussing what the thinking is if CB is off the table for 3 rounds. I also don't know about drafting for depth in the first 3 rounds. I've always been a BPA guy when it comes to rounds 1 and 2. Of course there should be some element of need, but every position can be upgraded and thus, quality depth is there as a by product of the upgrade. We do need pass rush help, we do need CB help, but what if....

[Mojouw]

Need to look at need on about a two year cycle. Outside of say like 1/3 of rookies, the rest need a season to adjust and learn the game at the NFL level before they have any impact. Particularly pass rushers. So need a pass rusher in 18 or 19? Draft now.

[Born2Steel]

Need to look at need on about a two year cycle. Outside of say like 1/3 of rookies, the rest need a season to adjust and learn the game at the NFL level before they have any impact. Particularly pass rushers. So need a pass rusher in 18 or 19? Draft now.

Definitely agree. I was just going on from the first 2 or 3 rounds idea. We can get a pass rush specialist in rounds 4-7 pretty easily this draft. Like your post before, that won't make a complete OLB for our defense, it is something we need, and can get addressed later in the draft.

I see Green in the same way I see Golson right now. I know there's unbelievable upside, but how can we count on it? We have to assume, at this point anyway, they are not options and would be a bonus for us if they become viable. Bryant is still an unknown, Coates is unknown, the rest of our WR corps failed to compete on the big stage. An upgrade at WR is a need too. RB is not a need. Depth at RB is. Is depth a first 3 round need? Debatable, but for the purpose of this thread, I'll go along with it.

[Born2Steel]

Example....if the draft went as this article predicts, we could go Rd1 Curtis Samuel WR, Rd2 D'Onta Foreman RB, Rd3 Bucky Hodges TE. Rd 4-7 defensive needs and depth. Of course it's only saying no to the CB position, so could go with any other position. Just throwing out there, if we went with offensive star power those first 3 rounds, would that be so terrible?

[st33lersguy]

Just throwing out there, if we went with offensive star power those first 3 rounds, would that be so terrible?

I personally would be opposed, and it really comes down to positional value. Edge rusher is one of the most important positions to have in football and edge rusher is still a need based on depth. RB on the other hand has become markedly devalued and going for a no. 2 RB is not worth more than a 4th, especially with this deep of a class. WR, the team has had a lot of recent success at the position despite not drafting one in the first 2 rounds since 08 and none in the 1st since 06, and unless Martavis isn't coming back I don't see a pressing need at the position anyway. Not to mention you are talking about passing up a lot of defensive talent in the first 3 rounds that could have otherwise taken the defense to the next level (not just edge rusher but other positions as well), so yeah I would be personally opposed

[Psycho Ward 86]

Example....if the draft went as this article predicts, we could go Rd1 Curtis Samuel WR, Rd2 D'Onta Foreman RB, Rd3 Bucky Hodges TE. Rd 4-7 defensive needs and depth. Of course it's only saying no to the CB position, so could go with any other position. Just throwing out there, if we went with offensive star power those first 3 rounds, would that be so terrible?

Where would these player's snaps come from? Drafting like that would just be a bunch of wasted snaps sitting on the bench. The only reason for us to draft an offensive skill position player early is if they can boost our red zone efficiency. We ranked 16th in the league this season, and we were only a little bit better the season before. THAT is what is holding this offense back...well that and injuries/suspensions. We have no problem moving the ball between the 20's. Can't remember the last time we were actually a great team in the red zone

[Born2Steel]

Where would these player's snaps come from? Drafting like that would just be a bunch of wasted snaps sitting on the bench. The only reason for us to draft an offensive skill position player early is if they can boost our red zone efficiency. We ranked 16th in the league this season, and we were only a little bit better the season before. THAT is what is holding this offense back...well that and injuries/suspensions. We have no problem moving the ball between the 20's. Can't remember the last time we were actually a great team in the red zone

OK. Good points. But where do those snaps go now? Do you not feel like each position can be upgraded? Who is our TE? Who backs up Bell? Who is our guaranteed #2 WR? WE have maybes at each of those spots, and each of those spots can use an upgrade. We had offensive struggles the entire season. If we can't upgrade that, we will continue to. Some blame coaching, and maybe some blame falls there, but Bryant let us down, as did Bell. Injuries are part of the game. We cannot count on Green playing one more snap at this point. How many concussions before it's permanent? Ben's not going to last forever either. We have to continue to build on both sides of the ball. We could go with OLB first, will he play ahead of James or Dupree? We go ILB who sits? Even if we went CB, he won't start a game til midseason most likely. There are always scenarios where guys come in before planned and are great(Sean Davis). But for any rookie coming in this season, where will the snaps come from? The easiest positions for rookies are where? RB? WR? TE? Pass rush specialist? That's about it. That's where we upgrade the fastest.

[Psycho Ward 86]

OK. Good points. But where do those snaps go now? Do you not feel like each position can be upgraded? Who is our TE? Who backs up Bell? Who is our guaranteed #2 WR? WE have maybes at each of those spots, and each of those spots can use an upgrade. We had offensive struggles the entire season. If we can't upgrade that, we will continue to. Some blame coaching, and maybe some blame falls there, but Bryant let us down, as did Bell. Injuries are part of the game. We cannot count on Green playing one more snap at this point. How many concussions before it's permanent? Ben's not going to last forever either. We have to continue to build on both sides of the ball. We could go with OLB first, will he play ahead of James or Dupree? We go ILB who sits? Even if we went CB, he won't start a game til midseason most likely. There are always scenarios where guys come in before planned and are great(Sean Davis). But for any rookie coming in this season, where will the snaps come from? The easiest positions for rookies are where? RB? WR? TE? Pass rush specialist? That's about it. That's where we upgrade the fastest.

I agree with this. My post was more in response to the hypothetical situation you posed where we could go 3 offensive player in the 1st 3 rounds. I dont see why we would need to draft more than 1 in the 1st 3 rounds unless we really fall in love with Mahomes or something like that. If we add a great red zone target to the arsenal at tight end I would say that we're set. I'd love a backup RB as well but we can get some great ones later on and they arent a priority. Hell, we might have another red zone solution sitting on the roster right now in Karlos Williams

[Born2Steel]

I agree with this. My post was more in response to the hypothetical situation you posed where we could go 3 offensive player in the 1st 3 rounds. I dont see why we would need to draft more than 1 in the 1st 3 rounds unless we really fall in love with Mahomes or something like that. If we add a great red zone target to the arsenal at tight end I would say that we're set. I'd love a backup RB as well but we can get some great ones later on and they arent a priority. Hell, we might have another red zone solution sitting on the roster right now in Karlos Williams

Yep. I don't want to go 3 offensive players 1st 3 rounds, but I'm willing to do it if we are truly getting playmakers that upgrade our team. There are some good DBs, LBs, and NTs that should be available later rounds as well. Just wanted to make the point that this draft has a ton of talent. The position order of importance has to be fluid to the players available at our pick. If the 1st round has a run on edge players, we could get another playmaker on offense and see who's there at 62. Personally, I would love to get another #1/#2 WR so we don't have to worry about that position any longer.

[Rara]

Only free agency will tell us whether they go for a corner in the first three rounds or not.