So after sleeping on it last night I was able to clear up my thoughts on the picks to this point and leave any emotion out of processing my perception of these picks. I want to be clear early on that I am not one of the knee jerk types that is fire Tomlin or fire Colbert guy but I am always willing to have tough questions and discussions even when things are going good and willing to give a fair shake when things are bad. With that being said, I think what is bothering me most about this draft is that I am really struggling to find the value. I'll lay out why with each pick individually and obviously you are free to disagree but I think I am being reasonable.
Terrell Edmunds - I like the kid. I watched the intro interview and he is well spoken, gives off positive vibes and seems like he is going to be incredibly easy to like as a Steeler. I have watched only a little tape and there are some traits there that look Steeler-ish. He is a good, tough tackler who is athletic and while there are some coverage questions he doesn't look like a major liability in that area. I think he has a good football IQ and wont leave you cussing at the TV too often. With all of that being said I am struggling with the idea that the Steelers maximized their value here. I have no doubt they loved Terrell Edmunds and that he was their highest rated safety of those who remained. However, accounting for when the other safeties were taken I can't convince myself that they had him rated so much higher that they couldn't have gotten better value out of Bates, Reid, or Harrison. Bates went 6 picks before them in the 2nd so we can kind of cross him off though it is fair to point out that it would have been a relatively cheap trade up if he was their guy. Reid went after even lasting into the 3rd round along with Harrison. So there is the rub for me. Was edmunds so much higher that Reid wouldn't have felt like an absolute Steeler early in the third? This is a guy who a lot of people (myself included) had a potential first round grade on or early second.
I know one of the counter arguments is going to be that you never know where you can get a guy but one defense of the front office is always going to be that they know more than us. So you can't convince me that they didn't have an idea Reid would fall to them in the 2nd.
James Washington - Full disclosure have absolutely no read on the WR class. I didn't watch them because I am not a draft guru and I care more about the defensive guys so those are where I spent my little bit of film time. I am fine with the position and even moreso after the Bryant trade on Thursday. I am sure I will love James Washington and I certainly trust the Steelers track record with WR's. BUT, some part of me still feels like you can get a number 3 receiver later in the draft. I understand the idea that if you love a guy you go get them but even if you are in love you go into this knowing he is no more than a number 3 given the current roster construction. The Steelers are fantastic at getting receivers so I just can't get past the idea that there were going to be good number 3 options later in the draft that they could have identified and drafted.
Mason Rudolph - Oddly enough I had no desire to get a QB and this is the pick I feel most comfortable with as far as value goes as we sit here today. This is a guy who was debated as a first round choice and even mocked to the Steelers in that round. So to get him in the third feels like a Russell Wilson level steal if he ultimately pans out. This is another case where I haven't watched him to know how I feel about his talent level so I am talking strictly position and potential value of said position. Where this pick drives me nuts is that it makes the Dobbs pick last year look like a complete and utter waste. To present the counter argument myself you can say "well Cyphon you beautiful beast, they didn't know there would be a QB they liked in this draft and would get value on". True. However, they did know that they were still going to be shopping for one after Dobbs so why pick him in the first place if your belief in him was so fickle? Good grief that sounds stupid to me.
OT - I can't remember or spell his name so sorry for that but for now he is just "OT". I myself made the argument just recently that in the 2019 draft Tackle was going to be a high priority. Gilbert and Villy are no spring chickens and Gilbert is oft injured and recently had a suspension. I feel like after the Hubbard departure the Steelers were going to need to spend fairly high in the 2019 draft to protect against him because we don't truly know what we have in Hawkins. So the position choice here doesn't necessarily shock me, but it definitely feels too soon and wrong. I say it feels wrong because you can't really make the argument that we needed depth while also calling this guy a project. Projects typically aren't and shouldn't be backups. They are practice squad guys or 3rd on the depth chart. So he doesn't actually offer any true depth at this point and if they felt like they needed that it either needed to be a higher pick or addressed in FA. I don't want to hear the word project attached to a pick until at least the 4th round and even then I would be more comfortable with it in the 5th.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on the draft to this point. It isn't a knock on the players and I am really not even using it to knock the Steelers, I just wanted to present this view of the draft from a (what I think is) reasonable perspective on perceived value. For me if I had to grade it as I sit here this morning the value grade feels like a D
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Originally Posted by st33lersguy
