At first blush, don't mark Ben Roethlisberger down as one of voters for an "A" grade for the Steelers' 2014 draft.
Pittsburgh ended up landing the "tall" receiver Roethlisberger has allegedly requested, Martavis Bryant, one round after taking Dri Archer, the shortest receiver the Steelers have ever taken. Two offensive weapons after scoring two defensive players in the first two rounds, Ryan Shazier and Stephon Tuitt.
Still, Alan Robinson of the Tribune Review writes Roethlisberger wasn't happy about it.
At the time, Roethlisberger said he was upset.
"I got caught up in doing what I always say not to do, and that's listen to the media," Roethlisberger said. "(The Steelers) obviously have their agenda, the things they want, and they got two guys that they felt can help this team" in running back-receiver Dri Archer (third round) and receiver Martavis Bryant (fourth round).
His report is about Roethlisberger's contract situation, and how the two sides have not come to terms on an extension, and won't negotiate during the season. Robinson drops the point about Roethlisberger being upset about the draft at the end without a whole lot of follow-up.
What's stands out is referring to the Steelers as "they," clearly suggesting there's separation between the two. A reference to the Steelers' agenda, not necessarily Ben's agenda, may not be much of a surprise, considering teams don't often use their players as draft consultants, but it's a wonder how upset he still might be.
Few who follow the draft closely would suggest Bryant is on the same level as, say, Mike Evans, but if anyone expected the Steelers to land Evans - who went seventh overall to Tampa Bay - they may as well expect the impossible as well.
To Roethlisberger's credit, he admits he simply got caught up with media opinion, and without further elaboration, it's unclear whether that means he was disappointed with either player the team took, or if he felt there was a better player available with any of those picks. But he's putting it behind him and working with the guys the Steelers took.
Hopefully it won't come up in contract negotiations.
[url]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2014-nfl-draft/2014/5/28/5757160/steelers-ben-roethlisberger-comments-draft-contract-2014[/url]
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Originally Posted by Shawn
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