If the Steelers go QB at 20…

[teegre]

I’ve also said the same a million times. Even knowing the outcome, I’d still make that pick and I still think given the situation the team was in, the potential of Sweed, it was a great pick at that time.

Right!!! In 75 of those 100 multiverses, he turns into a 1200 yards, 10 TD receiver.

(We don’t talk about Earth 667, where he becomes President… and is also a zombie. The National “Brains” Initiative was .)

[teegre]

Thats what a lot said of DeCastro, remember?

I think Linderbaum will be gone. Penning could easlily still be on the board. He is still not a finished product and while a nasty mauler that makes Jon Runyan look like a nice guy, he still tends to get high in his pass sets and players get under him in the rush. He still should be a 1st.

Depending on what the Steelers are thinking with regard to interior linemen, some guys on day 2 like Zion Johnson from Boston College or Luke Fortner from Kentucky could be options. Fortner looked good at the Senior Bowl and IMO is better than Drake Jackson from Kentucky the previous year. While Johnson is kind of a big mauler with long arms that is kind of in that Trai Turner mold. If they feel good about Kendrick Green and Dotson returning healthy, adding one of those guys on day 2 makes the interior better.

Penning and Johnson were the two best O-linemen (players overall?) at the Senior Bowl. Johnson went from a mid-R2 pick to a possible R1 pick. (He won’t be there for us in R2.)

What was really impressive about Johnson’s Senior Bowl week was his ability to play CENTER. He looked like a natural… so much so that even despite playing out of position, he was still considered one of the two best O-lineman there.

[Dwinsgames]

Kenny Pickett's official hand size at the NFL Combine is 8 1/2'' inches. This puts him in the 0 percentile among NFL quarterbacks since 1999.

[teegre]

Kenny Pickett's official hand size at the NFL Combine is 8 1/2'' inches. This puts him in the 0 percentile among NFL quarterbacks since 1999.

Even worse news for Picket:
Andrew Fillipponi is 100% locked in on him.

[Dwinsgames]

Even worse news for Picket:
Andrew Fillipponi is 100% locked in on him.

he is doomed for sure

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Even worse news for Picket:
Andrew Fillipponi is 100% locked in on him.

He threw the ball well in drills at combine. Looked good, good accuracy. One of the comparisons made was to Matt Hasselbeck...I really think that is an accurate comparison. Can make all the throws, athletic, but not a rocket of an arm, throws a really catchable ball and fits it into small windows. I dont think the hand size will be much of an issue, but its the thing to talk about with this draft.

[DesertSteel]

Most here hate on Malik Willis, but he's getting great reviews at both the Senior Bowl and the Combine. Seemingly the evaluators at SU are more knowledgeable than the ones giving these reports.

[86WARD]

Most here hate on Malik Willis, but he's getting great reviews at both the Senior Bowl and the Combine. Seemingly the evaluators at SU are more knowledgeable than the ones giving these reports.

Lol. I don’t want them to draft him but if they do, he will be the best!!!!

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Most here hate on Malik Willis, but he's getting great reviews at both the Senior Bowl and the Combine. Seemingly the evaluators at SU are more knowledgeable than the ones giving these reports.

Willis has the physical attributes of strong arm, athletic, thick muscular build to withstand NFL game. He looks great in shorts, throwing deep balls to open receivers and that is great. I just am not encouraged by his game film, where he is inconsistent with his accuracy and seems to take a while progressing from read to read.

I watched his Combine workout and you can see the arm strength and tight spiral. But I could also see him overthrow a receiver on a 15 yard in route and on a deep go route, which is consistent with what I watched him on tape do against Syracuse and Eastern Michigan. The evaluators giving the reports that you are reading are also the guys that pumped up Baker Mayfield to the point of the #1 overall pick and Artie Burns into the bottom of the 1st round.

If the Steelers draft Willis, I will hope that he becomes the next great Steelers QB. I'll be happy to be wrong on that one. To me, his college tape at Liberty doesn't match the hype that he is getting and I suspected 4 months ago that would be the case.

[fansince'76]

Here is how much I liked the Sweed pick… if I had a time machine, I’d go back and make that pick 100 times out of 100.

I’ve also said the same a million times. Even knowing the outcome, I’d still make that pick and I still think given the situation the team was in, the potential of Sweed, it was a great pick at that time.

IMO, Tomlin mishandled Sweed and completely killed his confidence for good. I think Tomlin would handle him better with a decade+ more HC experience under his belt.

[Born2Steel]

The red flag on Pickett's hand size seems to be playing in weather. He may fit perfectly with a dome team and have a HoF career. I just don't think he will work out for the Steelers.

[DesertSteel]

Willis has the physical attributes of strong arm, athletic, thick muscular build to withstand NFL game. He looks great in shorts, throwing deep balls to open receivers and that is great. I just am not encouraged by his game film, where he is inconsistent with his accuracy and seems to take a while progressing from read to read.

I watched his Combine workout and you can see the arm strength and tight spiral. But I could also see him overthrow a receiver on a 15 yard in route and on a deep go route, which is consistent with what I watched him on tape do against Syracuse and Eastern Michigan. The evaluators giving the reports that you are reading are also the guys that pumped up Baker Mayfield to the point of the #1 overall pick and Artie Burns into the bottom of the 1st round.

If the Steelers draft Willis, I will hope that he becomes the next great Steelers QB. I'll be happy to be wrong on that one. To me, his college tape at Liberty doesn't match the hype that he is getting and I suspected 4 months ago that would be the case.

But you're a guy that has always put a lot of stock in Senior Bowl practices and the reports for Willis were that he showed great improvement each day. Does that mean nothing? Also, I saw Howell miss some throws yesterday too. Are those points off for him? I'm just trying to figure out of there's confirmation bias happening with your pre-draft evaluations.

- - - Updated - - -

The red flag on Pickett's hand size seems to be playing in weather. He may fit perfectly with a dome team and have a HoF career. I just don't think he will work out for the Steelers.

Yeah people tend to forget that college ball ends in November.

[DesertSteel]

If we pass on a QB at 20 and go free agent instead, I’d be interested in Jack Coan in round 5-6. Another developmental QB is always good in my thinking. Coan checks quite a few boxes. While I didn’t follow him at Wisconsin, I saw all his games for ND last year. He steadily improved. Interestingly, it would not surprise me if he turned out to be the best QB in this very weak class.

[RunNGun]

Willis has the physical attributes of strong arm, athletic, thick muscular build to withstand NFL game. He looks great in shorts, throwing deep balls to open receivers and that is great. I just am not encouraged by his game film, where he is inconsistent with his accuracy and seems to take a while progressing from read to read.

I watched his Combine workout and you can see the arm strength and tight spiral. But I could also see him overthrow a receiver on a 15 yard in route and on a deep go route, which is consistent with what I watched him on tape do against Syracuse and Eastern Michigan. The evaluators giving the reports that you are reading are also the guys that pumped up Baker Mayfield to the point of the #1 overall pick and Artie Burns into the bottom of the 1st round.

If the Steelers draft Willis, I will hope that he becomes the next great Steelers QB. I'll be happy to be wrong on that one. To me, his college tape at Liberty doesn't match the hype that he is getting and I suspected 4 months ago that would be the case.

I get the sense that maybe Gonzo is coming around a little bit Where you're wrong though is the talking heads on ESPN don't pump anything to anyone, but the fan base. You can't tell me you believe GMs, coaches, and owners who are paid millions to do their job go off of Kiper and McShay's evaluations. C'mon man.

You also can't argue that Malik's physical traits are not only uncoachable, but unmatchable in this draft. If you watched his combine then I know you saw the pass that was overthrown on a nearly 65 yard bomb. The most impressive incomplete pass you will see.

Is Malik raw? Yes. Are his flaws coachable? Yes. Is he a freak talent? Yes. Is he high risk/high reward? Yes.

- - - Updated - - -

If we pass on a QB at 20 and go free agent instead, I’d be interested in Jack Coan in round 5-6. Another developmental QB is always good in my thinking. Coan checks quite a few boxes. While I didn’t follow him at Wisconsin, I saw all his games for ND last year. He steadily improved. Interestingly, it would not surprise me if he turned out to be the best QB in this very weak class.

I like Dustin Crum as a sleeper as well. Throws a beautiful deep ball.

[Mojouw]

Willis is more than a bit of a test for a team's player eval folks.

On one end of the spectrum is Geno Smith and Kordell Stewart. On the other end of the spectrum is Josh Allen and whatever other mechanically flawed athletically QB you prefer to use as a rough comp.

I have thought for awhile that Willis is exactly who the Steelers are telling us they are looking for.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

But you're a guy that has always put a lot of stock in Senior Bowl practices and the reports for Willis were that he showed great improvement each day. Does that mean nothing? Also, I saw Howell miss some throws yesterday too. Are those points off for him? I'm just trying to figure out of there's confirmation bias happening with your pre-draft evaluations.
.

Correct, I like seeing competition of best on best, rather than a guy that is an NFL prospect playing vs opposition that will graduate and work on their career as a teacher, UPS driver, etc.

I think the Hype on Willis improved each day from what I read and saw, not as much as progress on his game. Multiple reports on each of the 3 days of practice that he missed a lot of throws. The hype was that he threw it in the rain and wind better than anybody, which is expected, but still missed a lot of throws. Still threw everything with velocity and not touch when needed.

Howell missed some throws yesterday too. I saw an out route where his WR stumbled out of the break and the ball was on target, but then the next one Howell was out front of the receiver. But Howell's game tape shows him connecting on slants, outs, fades, post and go routes with quick decision making and getting from read to read, with greater consistency and accuracy than Willis.

I dont think its confirmation bias, but rather the game tape on Willis vs Howell shows this to me:

-Arm Strength....Willis 9.........Howell...8
-Accuracy...........Willis 5.........Howell...8
-Athleticism........Willis 8.5.......Howell..7
-Decision making...Willis...4....Howell....8
-Production vs strong opponents...........Willis 4..........Howell ......7

So its all about upside, potential and ceiling for Willis, while Howell has put on tape, what he was in Highschool (#2 player in State of NC and #4 ranked QB prospect in the nation).

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

I get the sense that maybe Gonzo is coming around a little bit Where you're wrong though is the talking heads on ESPN don't pump anything to anyone, but the fan base. You can't tell me you believe GMs, coaches, and owners who are paid millions to do their job go off of Kiper and McShay's evaluations. C'mon man.

You also can't argue that Malik's physical traits are not only uncoachable, but unmatchable in this draft. If you watched his combine then I know you saw the pass that was overthrown on a nearly 65 yard bomb. The most impressive incomplete pass you will see.

Is Malik raw? Yes. Are his flaws coachable? Yes. Is he a freak talent? Yes. Is he high risk/high reward? Yes.
.

First of all, Kiper and McShay and the others all talk to GM's and evaluators to get info and build their mocks from there. So if you are a scout or GM that didnt have Baker Mayfield high on your draft board, then you start taking 2nd looks at the tape when some of those guys start pumping them up. Then you cannot discount that an Owner will make a decision to draft guys that they want and not what the scouting dept or coaches/GM want.

As for being impressed by a 65 yard overthrown pass by Willis at the combine........nope, I was more impressed by the one that he did complete, because he threw incompletions on 10 yard out routes in his final college game. He threw incompletion on a 15 yard slant in the combine, which matches his college lack or accuracy.

Is Willis raw, athletic, coachable and high risk/high reward? Yes. But we can say the same thing about Artie Burns as a CB coming out of college

So the real question is......so do you think the best idea for the Steelers is to draft an inconsistent passer from a small school, that may bust, because he can throw an impressive 65 yard incompletion??

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

If we pass on a QB at 20 and go free agent instead, I’d be interested in Jack Coan in round 5-6. Another developmental QB is always good in my thinking. Coan checks quite a few boxes. While I didn’t follow him at Wisconsin, I saw all his games for ND last year. He steadily improved. Interestingly, it would not surprise me if he turned out to be the best QB in this very weak class.

I know that you watched a lot of both of these guys, so quick question for you. If you could pick one of these 2 players to be on the Steelers roster and part of the 2022 QB competition, who would it be? Ian Book or Jack Coan?

[hawaiiansteeler]

Steelers select Matt Corral:

2022 NFL Mock Draft: Five QBs go in first round as combine performances boost stock of top prospects

Quarterback mania is at an all-time high in the NFL, and it's not going away any time soon

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...top-prospects/

[ETL]

We love these potential QBs because we have yet to find out how much they suck. Hope is a powerful drug.

(Dating is hanging out with someone until you find a serious flaw in them)

[DesertSteel]

I know that you watched a lot of both of these guys, so quick question for you. If you could pick one of these 2 players to be on the Steelers roster and part of the 2022 QB competition, who would it be? Ian Book or Jack Coan?

I think Book's ceiling is Case Keenum, if developed and put into the right system. Which ain't all that bad. I watched Book for three years and Coan only one, so I'm not sure what a good comp for him would be, but I tend to think his ceiling is higher. He's just a big, sturdy pocket passer. And Coan's arm talent is definitely better, while Book is way more mobile. I'd want Coan for the potential to develop into a starter.

[Mojouw]

Steelers select Matt Corral:

2022 NFL Mock Draft: Five QBs go in first round as combine performances boost stock of top prospects

Quarterback mania is at an all-time high in the NFL, and it's not going away any time soon

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...top-prospects/

Ahhh....look the internet draft pundits have finally come around to the reality of the NFL.3-5 of these guys are getting selected in Round 1. It was always going to be that way.

[RunNGun]

Here is how much I liked the Sweed pick… if I had a time machine, I’d go back and make that pick 100 times out of 100.

Absolutely.

[RunNGun]

Correct, I like seeing competition of best on best, rather than a guy that is an NFL prospect playing vs opposition that will graduate and work on their career as a teacher, UPS driver, etc.

I think the Hype on Willis improved each day from what I read and saw, not as much as progress on his game. Multiple reports on each of the 3 days of practice that he missed a lot of throws. The hype was that he threw it in the rain and wind better than anybody, which is expected, but still missed a lot of throws. Still threw everything with velocity and not touch when needed.

Howell missed some throws yesterday too. I saw an out route where his WR stumbled out of the break and the ball was on target, but then the next one Howell was out front of the receiver. But Howell's game tape shows him connecting on slants, outs, fades, post and go routes with quick decision making and getting from read to read, with greater consistency and accuracy than Willis.

I dont think its confirmation bias, but rather the game tape on Willis vs Howell shows this to me:

-Arm Strength....Willis 9.........Howell...8
-Accuracy...........Willis 5.........Howell...8
-Athleticism........Willis 8.5.......Howell..7
-Decision making...Willis...4....Howell....8
-Production vs strong opponents...........Willis 4..........Howell ......7

So its all about upside, potential and ceiling for Willis, while Howell has put on tape, what he was in Highschool (#2 player in State of NC and #4 ranked QB prospect in the nation).

Let's say Sam Howell's ceiling is Baker Mayfield.
Floor is Chase McDaniel. Hypothetically.

Malik Willis' ceiling is somewhere between Mike Vick and Donovan McNabb.
Floor is Kordell Stewart.

Who are you taking?

BTW, if you're going to do a rating on production vs top strong opponents than you should take into consideration the talent surrounding Malik Willis, otherwise that stat is completely biased.

You're also giving him a 9 for Arm Strength? I would say the elite is Josh Allen with a 10 and Mahomes at a 9.5. Malik has every bit the arm that Mahomes does.

You're very quick to point out the negatives in Willis' film but never bring up the throws he did make that were superior to anyone else in his class.

[DesertSteel]

Correct, I like seeing competition of best on best, rather than a guy that is an NFL prospect playing vs opposition that will graduate and work on their career as a teacher, UPS driver, etc.

I think the Hype on Willis improved each day from what I read and saw, not as much as progress on his game. Multiple reports on each of the 3 days of practice that he missed a lot of throws. The hype was that he threw it in the rain and wind better than anybody, which is expected, but still missed a lot of throws. Still threw everything with velocity and not touch when needed.

Howell missed some throws yesterday too. I saw an out route where his WR stumbled out of the break and the ball was on target, but then the next one Howell was out front of the receiver. But Howell's game tape shows him connecting on slants, outs, fades, post and go routes with quick decision making and getting from read to read, with greater consistency and accuracy than Willis.

I dont think its confirmation bias, but rather the game tape on Willis vs Howell shows this to me:

-Arm Strength....Willis 9.........Howell...8
-Accuracy...........Willis 5.........Howell...8
-Athleticism........Willis 8.5.......Howell..7
-Decision making...Willis...4....Howell....8
-Production vs strong opponents...........Willis 4..........Howell ......7

So its all about upside, potential and ceiling for Willis, while Howell has put on tape, what he was in Highschool (#2 player in State of NC and #4 ranked QB prospect in the nation).

I’m curious how your ratings would be adjusted on Howell if you only used his 2021 game tape.

[RunNGun]

Ahhh....look the internet draft pundits have finally come around to the reality of the NFL.3-5 of these guys are getting selected in Round 1. It was always going to be that way.

It was inevitable.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

I’m curious how your ratings would be adjusted on Howell if you only used his 2021 game tape.

I watched his Wake Forest game this year, South Carolina game, Pitt game and there is one other I looked up online, so 4 games from this year.

Why would somebody ignore 2 seasons of a player's game tape in order to make an assessment of his skills and abilities? It doesn't seem logical.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Let's say Sam Howell's ceiling is Baker Mayfield.
Floor is Chase McDaniel. Hypothetically.

Malik Willis' ceiling is somewhere between Mike Vick and Donovan McNabb.
Floor is Kordell Stewart.

Who are you taking?

BTW, if you're going to do a rating on production vs top strong opponents than you should take into consideration the talent surrounding Malik Willis, otherwise that stat is completely biased.

You're also giving him a 9 for Arm Strength? I would say the elite is Josh Allen with a 10 and Mahomes at a 9.5. Malik has every bit the arm that Mahomes does.

You're very quick to point out the negatives in Willis' film but never bring up the throws he did make that were superior to anyone else in his class.

So what if Malik Willis stayed at Auburn and played there? He probably had to leave, because a QB that is inaccurate as he is and doesnt appear to get thru his reads well enough to identify where the open throw will be, would not start in the SEC.

That is the disconnect that I dont get from a lot. If Willis played in the SEC and was inaccurate, but athletic, where would he rank? Somewhere around Emory Jones of Florida?? But a better athlete with stronger arm.

[Born2Steel]

I'm not sure why the QB discussion is 'all in or not at all' at this point. Every single QB in this class has weaknesses. There is no sure fire guy that is the perfect fit for the Steelers as we see them today. There is no sure fire guy that won't work either. We don't even know what the offensive scheme will be in 2022.

[DesertSteel]

I watched his Wake Forest game this year, South Carolina game, Pitt game and there is one other I looked up online, so 4 games from this year.

Why would somebody ignore 2 seasons of a player's game tape in order to make an assessment of his skills and abilities? It doesn't seem logical.

One reason: You evaluate Player A who doesn't have NFL type talent around him vs. Player B who has NFL receivers and backs. That's a factor. From what I hear, Howell's production went down because he lost all that NFL talent around him, but Willis never had it to begin with. So while it's not the only evaluation, it's one that should be included.

Btw, you never answered the question (even if you disagree with the premise).