hawaiiansteel
05-06-2011, 08:47 PM
Gerry: Pouncey on their radar but...
FRIDAY, 06 MAY 2011 11:19 WRITTEN BY GERRY DULAC
A couple thoughts on the Steelers and their patience in the NFL draft:
-- They did not package a bunch of picks and move up at least 16 spots to draft Mike Pouncey, Maurkice’s brother. They don’t need a guard that bad to sacrifice the price it would have paid to jump that high.
-- That being said, the Steelers were willing to trade up to get Pouncey, but only if he slipped past the 20th pick. Until then, they weren’t moving.
-- I would have bundled a package and traded up when Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara kept slipping, lasting all the way till the 17th pick. There was a big dropoff in talent after the Prince and I would have made the move.
-- The Steelers will treat DE Cameron Heyward the same way they did Ziggy Hood in his rookie year – dress him for each game and get him 6-8 snaps to get acclimated to their defense and the NFL. If there is an injury, Heyward won’t be the next guy to step in and start, though. The Steelers will lean on a veteran such as Nick Eason.
-- The rookie with the best chance to play is No. 2 pick Marcus Gilbert, the tackle from Florida, but only if he gets a look at guard. The Steelers have plenty of tackles for right now. But, if Gilbert shows he can handle the guard position, he has the size, toughness and athleticism to get a look somewhere down the line.
-- Rookie with the second-best chance to contribute: CB Curtis Brown, their third-round pick from Texas. Rookies just don’t get playing time in Dick LeBeau’s defense because of the intricacies of the scheme. But, because of the suspect nature of their backups, Brown has a chance by midseason to be the nickel back in their sub packages.
-- My surprise contributor is seventh-round pick Baron Batch, running back from Texas Tech. It won’t be on offense; rather, he has the toughness and temperament to be a special-teams standout.
-- I like the pick of OLB Chris Carter in the fifth round for several reasons, including that he was a defensive end in college who knows how to rush the passer (11 sacks as a senior). The Steelers don’t draft long and lean outside linebackers; they get that smaller, thicker body-types (James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley) who use their leverage, strength and quickness to collapse the pocket and stand up to the run.
-- Players who got away: Kentucky WR Randall Cobb, who might have been their third-round pick if the Packers didn’t grab him right after the Steelers at the end of the second round; Portland State TE Julius Thomas, a former basketball player with good size, speed and athleticism in the fifth round; and Maryland RB Da’Rel Scott, a 4.3 burner who would get a look as the third-down back, in the sixth or seventh round.
http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/inde ... -radar-but (http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/steelers/109753-gerry-pouncey-on-their-radar-but)
FRIDAY, 06 MAY 2011 11:19 WRITTEN BY GERRY DULAC
A couple thoughts on the Steelers and their patience in the NFL draft:
-- They did not package a bunch of picks and move up at least 16 spots to draft Mike Pouncey, Maurkice’s brother. They don’t need a guard that bad to sacrifice the price it would have paid to jump that high.
-- That being said, the Steelers were willing to trade up to get Pouncey, but only if he slipped past the 20th pick. Until then, they weren’t moving.
-- I would have bundled a package and traded up when Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara kept slipping, lasting all the way till the 17th pick. There was a big dropoff in talent after the Prince and I would have made the move.
-- The Steelers will treat DE Cameron Heyward the same way they did Ziggy Hood in his rookie year – dress him for each game and get him 6-8 snaps to get acclimated to their defense and the NFL. If there is an injury, Heyward won’t be the next guy to step in and start, though. The Steelers will lean on a veteran such as Nick Eason.
-- The rookie with the best chance to play is No. 2 pick Marcus Gilbert, the tackle from Florida, but only if he gets a look at guard. The Steelers have plenty of tackles for right now. But, if Gilbert shows he can handle the guard position, he has the size, toughness and athleticism to get a look somewhere down the line.
-- Rookie with the second-best chance to contribute: CB Curtis Brown, their third-round pick from Texas. Rookies just don’t get playing time in Dick LeBeau’s defense because of the intricacies of the scheme. But, because of the suspect nature of their backups, Brown has a chance by midseason to be the nickel back in their sub packages.
-- My surprise contributor is seventh-round pick Baron Batch, running back from Texas Tech. It won’t be on offense; rather, he has the toughness and temperament to be a special-teams standout.
-- I like the pick of OLB Chris Carter in the fifth round for several reasons, including that he was a defensive end in college who knows how to rush the passer (11 sacks as a senior). The Steelers don’t draft long and lean outside linebackers; they get that smaller, thicker body-types (James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley) who use their leverage, strength and quickness to collapse the pocket and stand up to the run.
-- Players who got away: Kentucky WR Randall Cobb, who might have been their third-round pick if the Packers didn’t grab him right after the Steelers at the end of the second round; Portland State TE Julius Thomas, a former basketball player with good size, speed and athleticism in the fifth round; and Maryland RB Da’Rel Scott, a 4.3 burner who would get a look as the third-down back, in the sixth or seventh round.
http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/inde ... -radar-but (http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/steelers/109753-gerry-pouncey-on-their-radar-but)