17. Pittsburgh Steelers
Arthur Brown, ILB, Kansas State
In last week's mock draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to pick up Manti Te'o. This week doesn't reward them with Te'o, but they may have a better NFL linebacker in Arthur Brown.
If you haven't seen Brown play yet, do yourself a favor and at least YouTube clips of the Kansas State inside linebacker. Wearing No. 4, Brown has been a wrecking ball for the defense, showing off rare speed moving laterally and great vision to locate and get to the football.
Brown won't enter the league with the hype of Manti Te'o, but he's a more athletic option at inside linebacker. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, that's not a bad thing. Put Brown next to Lawrence Timmons at middle linebacker, and you have a duo to rival the one in San Francisco.
[URL="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1472715-2013-nfl-mock-draft-latest-projections-after-wildcard-playoffs/page/18"]http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...ayoffs/page/18[/URL]
-- Matt Miller, Bleacher Report
Steel Maniac's Time-Based Prediction: Lamar Jackson will be a bust and total flop in the NFL.
What Actually Happened: Lamar Jackson became the youngest two-time NFL MVP winner ever.
Gloat gloat gloat
Boom........
Hahahahahahaha
"but they miss the flaws -- namely his lack of physicality and his difficulty in taking on and getting off blocks". - this was from the article. If it's even remotely true, then you have to pass on this kid. The Steelers have taken a couple of first rounders that are looking to be mediocre with a ceiling of slightly above average. Can't have that in too many drafts. Need a home run. I'm not judging him on one game but sure not thinking can't miss after watching him get trucked. Great players step up on the biggest stage, not look barely serviceable.
Last edited by Ghost; 01-08-2013 at 11:16 PM.
Steel Maniac's Time-Based Prediction: Lamar Jackson will be a bust and total flop in the NFL.
What Actually Happened: Lamar Jackson became the youngest two-time NFL MVP winner ever.
Gloat gloat gloat
Boom........
Hahahahahahaha
Isn't it funny how so-called professionals could have such diverging opinions about the same thing? Just the day of the BCS game, I was looking for scouting reports on Te'o. I had to scrounge around a bit, but this was from a guy bleacher report columnist named Dan Snyder ([url]http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1465992-steelers-scoutbook-notre-dame-inside-linebacker-manti-teo[/url]), who said that, among other things (Te'o is):
"Downhill player who uses his strength to shed blocks at a high level"
"Exceptionally strong upper body with great explosion to drive through blockers"
"One of the best tackle-to-tackle linebackers you're going to see; makes all kinds of plays inside the box"
Now, I don't know who Dan Snyder is, or the guy Ghost quotes above, but it's funny how divergent the opinions of two experts can be when talking specifically about a player's characteristic (i.e. in-the-box play, shedding). If we were holding out hope of landing a defensive playmaker of this caliber, this is probably a blessing in disguise.
I would still be elated to see him picked at 17, for a team desperate for a young defensive playmaker. One last thing: Don't compare Te'o to Burfict. I was impressed with Burfict's play this year too, TBH. But Burfict is like any other "character" guy. He will fail, due to his lack of it.
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