Third Round Pick? ; DE Christian Ballard

[86WARD]

A potential third round pick. What's everyone's thoughts on him. I think he's definitely a project but I think he has some potential and a nice upside. At the same time, I could see him getting shoved and pushed around at the NFL level...

[LLT]

Intriquing prospect if someone can light a fire under his butt.....but I dont think he makes it to the end of the third round. NFLDraftScout has him ranked as the #53 overall prospect, and ProFootballWeekly ranks him as #51 overall.

I would be very surprised to see him make it all the way to our 3rd round (#95) pick, but there is a chance that we may look at him at the end of round 2.

[7willBheaven]

Intriquing prospect if someone can light a fire under his butt.....but I dont think he makes it to the end of the third round. NFLDraftScout has him ranked as the #53 overall prospect, and ProFootballWeekly ranks him as #51 overall.

I would be very surprised to see him make it all the way to our 3rd round (#95) pick, but there is a chance that we may look at him at the end of round 2.

He could easily be there...just because a player is ranked number whatever overall dont mean they will be drafted at or around that number. I think one of the main things to look at (besides team needs/etc) is where he ranks at his POSITION, he could be the 20th ranked at his position but 50th overall...highly unlikely but still possible.

[LLT]

He could easily be there...just because a player is ranked number whatever overall dont mean they will be drafted at or around that number. I think one of the main things to look at (besides team needs/etc) is where he ranks at his POSITION, he could be the 20th ranked at his position but 50th overall...highly unlikely but still possible.

True...But you have to put it into perspective. DE's fall into two groups...4-3 DE's and 3-4 DE's. For instance...Ballard is the 10th ranked DE this year at NFLDraftScout...BUT...of those ranked above him....Robert Quinn, Ryan Kerrigan, Aldon Smith, and Jabaal Sheard...none of them would ever be considered 3-4 DE prospects.

3-4 DE's are always a prime commodity...and though there is a top-heavy number of DE's this year (as compared to most years) for those who might be able to play the position..outside of Ballard and Javaris Jenkins...there are no "true" 3-4 DE's with a late 2nd to mid 5th round grade. Since the drop in talent from 2nd to 5th round prospects is pretty significant...It makes me think that Ballard's stock will be artificially inflated.

[86WARD]

I think Allen Bailey could possibly be there at that point as well.

[Chidi29]

I'm not a fan. Like Perry said, his motor is questionable and he seems to become disinterested if the play isn't going his direction when he should be providing backside contain. To me, Ballard looks lean too. I know he's listed around 290 but just looking at him, he doesn't have the bulk you're looking for. He doesn't get off blocks well enough against the run for my liking, too. I'm not a fan of him and don't really see a true position for Ballard.

[LLT]

I think Allen Bailey could possibly be there at that point as well.

I had Bailey listed as a 3-4 DE at one time...but he showed up at his proday 10 lbs lighter than at the combine. He is now only about 270 lbs. I'm not sure if that is by design or if he just has problems keeping the weight on.

[steelerfan]

You guys have said it all about him. His measurables are Impressive. But he has always underachieved in college. And everyone says the same thing about him,,,if they can light a fire under him. Yes he might be there in round 2 for us. But I doubt he is there at the end of round 3. I really would rather take an overachiever, like Ellis out of Hampton. Even in round 2 over Ballard.

[LLT]

I LOVE the skill set of Ellis but am scared to death of his character. Generally most teams will not draft players with his type of problems until after the 3rd round...but I agree with you that he will probably go before the 4th round and may even be a late 2nd/early 3rd round prospect.

Ballard may go to the Bills at the beginning of the 3rd round.

[steelerfan]

I LOVE the skill set of Ellis but am scared to death of his character. Generally most teams will not draft players with his type of problems until after the 3rd round...but I agree with you that he will probably go before the 4th round and may even be a late 2nd/early 3rd round prospect.

Ballard may go to the Bills at the beginning of the 3rd round.

I agree with you LLT sir :-) But whatever school violations Ellis did at South Carolina in 2008, he has since been a model student at Hampton. And I read that he interviewed really well at the combines, and did not shy away from questions about his past mistakes. I don't think Pittsburgh would hold that against him. But then again, I have been wrong before :-)

[The Duke]

I agree with you LLT sir :-) But whatever school violations Ellis did at South Carolina in 2008, he has since been a model student at Hampton. And I read that he interviewed really well at the combines, and did not shy away from questions about his past mistakes. I don't think Pittsburgh would hold that against him. But then again, I have been wrong before :-)

I'm glad to hear that

I hope we do get him maybe by the end of the 3rd. Anything before that is still too big a risk imo. But if he's on the right path he might just be gone by then

[LLT]

I agree with you LLT sir :-) But whatever school violations Ellis did at South Carolina in 2008, he has since been a model student at Hampton. And I read that he interviewed really well at the combines, and did not shy away from questions about his past mistakes. I don't think Pittsburgh would hold that against him. But then again, I have been wrong before :-)

Very Nice...I knew that was the case for Phil taylor (who seems to have matured alot in the last couple of years)...glad to hear that Ellis has started to get his act together. I hadnt read anything up to this point about how he came across to teams that interviewed him.