The Steelers select T.J Watt

[86WARD]

He will have a chance at 42 if he wants it. Hagen has it now...

[DesertSteel]

I'm glad that professional evaluators know a stunt when they see one!!

[st33lersguy]

Anyone remember how the Seahawks "screwed up" their 2012 draft by taking Bruce Irvin at 15 or whatever it was and he was a "high second/third round talent"? He worked out pretty well for being second/third round talent and was one of the better first round picks in 2012 and probably better than at least 11 of the players that followed him.

Point is, there's not a lot of "first round" talent out there and that "first round" talent could actually come at anytime. Example closer to home: Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Brett Keisel. All first round talent, all taken at later rounds. Opposite direction: Limas Sweed. First round talent, not worth second round pick or any pick for that matter...

Kinda the same page as what Butch posted...lol.

Heck I'd argue Irvin turned about better than about half the players selected before him

- - - Updated - - -

I'll post this again from my post in the draft TJ Watt Thread:

Articles this morning are saying that the Steelers like Watt, but not in the 1st round and view him as more of a second round prospect but don't think he will be there when they pick in the 2nd.

1. That might just all be smokescreen BS and doesn't matter.
2. Assume it does for a second. These kind of statements by teams, GMs, talking heads, and fans drive me batty. Don't overthink the draft process. Do you need a pass rusher? Does the player fit your system? Is the player your highest rated prospect at the position still available? Will he be drafted before you pick again? If the answer to all those questions is "Yes" then just draft the dude and move on.

I don't know why NFL teams insist on slavishly sticking to these draft round grades like they are the revealed word of truth. Maybe internal NFL scouting reports are better than the write ups we can see on the internet, but they are all goofy anyways. Something like 2-3 times the guys that can go in a given round get that round grade.

If the Steelers go pass rusher in the first round, I think their available choices will be McKinnley, Watt, and Lawson. Me, I go Watt about 18 seconds into my pick time and sleep very well at night.

The only point I want to make, is that the same reaction that went on pre-draft is happening post-draft. Oh man, that guy has a second round grade for me. Well, thanks Mr. Random Draft Analyst! Why a 2nd round grade? Then everyone mumbles something about measurables and twitchiness. Okay. What about the production? What about the lack of questions about his ability to be a complete LB, not just a flashy first step? I just think that the draft gets over-thought a ton. Did the Steelers need an edge rusher? Lord, yes. Did they get one of the consensus 4 best edge rushers in the class? Yup. Well despite that fact that in other classes Watt may not have been rated that highly, in this one he is - so that's a first round pick. This stuff gets waaaaaaaayyyyyyy overthought.

And remember when the Steelers were trying to gauge whether or not Kizer would be available? Or when Davis Webb was a supposed option in round 1? Good times

[Born2Steel]

http://www.nfl.com/labs/rr/pathtothedraft/watt

[pczach]

http://www.nfl.com/labs/rr/pathtothedraft/watt

That's a good link with a lot of info on Watt and videos on other subjects.

Thanks!

[GBMelBlount]

Mojouw

1. That might just all be smokescreen...

Nothing like dizzying intellect...

[86WARD]

Watched the replay of the PSU/Wisconsin Big Ten Championship game and Watt was pretty much non-existent. At times he was getting manhandled. After seeing that, I kinda have a bit of concern...hoping it was just a bad game...

[GBMelBlount]

Watched the replay of the PSU/Wisconsin Big Ten Championship game and Watt was pretty much non-existent. At times he was getting manhandled. After seeing that, I kinda have a bit of concern...hoping it was just a bad game...

This is likely why some had him graded around 60 as a prospect.

Hopefully he is simply green and his knees, high motor and strong work ethic / goals carry him to a successful career.

[86WARD]

It wouldn't shock me if JuJu Connor and Halabalu wind up being more productive than Watt. I hope not though...really want him to be 3/4 of JJ...

[teegre]

Watched the replay of the PSU/Wisconsin Big Ten Championship game and Watt was pretty much non-existent. At times he was getting manhandled. After seeing that, I kinda have a bit of concern...hoping it was just a bad game...

I remember this same concern about BB's game against Iowa (or, was it against Nebraska?... or, both???).

[st33lersguy]

I remember this same concern about BB's game against Iowa (or, was it against Nebraska?... or, both???).

It was Iowa

[GBMelBlount]

Looks like he had some nice grabs at OTA's

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com...raft-wisconsin

[86WARD]

TE

[teegre]

TE

Joking aside, I could see him playing on offense for a snap or two (a la Mike Vrabel).

[Mojouw]

Joking aside, I could see him playing on offense for a snap or two (a la Mike Vrabel).

Absolutely. I think this guy is going to end up being a mutant cross between Clay Matthews, Chad Brown, and his older brother.

IF Watt and Dupree stay healthy and hit their ceilings by the end of 2017 - looking at the best OLB duo in the league. And they will be 23 and 25 in 2018.

[polamalubeast]

Joking aside, I could see him playing on offense for a snap or two (a la Mike Vrabel).

I hope Haley will not do that.

The last time Haley put a linebacker on offense, it was a disaster.(Harrison vs Jets in 2014).

[Shoes]

Got to love Watt's drive, He's going to be a good one!




Staying focused: Number one draft pick T.J. Watt already has a good handle on what it’s going to take for him to be successful in the NFL, and it’s not much of a deviation of what he did all through college. It’s all about hard work, but keeping a balance as well.

“You don’t want to get overloaded with information yet,” said Watt, who is about as focused a rookie as you will ever see. “You want to absorb as much as you can, but not get overwhelmed.

“You have to be smart about your studies. You have to take study breaks, it’s just like school. I will go back to the hotel, study my plays, take a break, and do it again. This is my job now. So it’s my job to get that playbook down. There’s no excuse not having it down.”

http://www.steelers.com/news/article...4-8e1fbc7e3585