What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

[hawaiiansteel]

this guy gives us a B-, what grade would you give this Steelers' draft?




Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 NFL Draft Review
By Tony Moss, NFL Editor


1 - Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida (6-4, 304); 2 - Jason Worilds, OLB, Virginia Tech (6-1, 254); 3 - Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU (5-11, 186); 4 - Thaddeus Gibson, OLB, Ohio State (6-2, 243); 5 - Chris Scott, OL, Tennessee (6-5, 319); 5 - Crezdon Butler, CB, Clemson (6-0, 191); 5 - Steven Sylvester, LB, Utah (6-3, 231); 6 - Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech (5-11, 229); 6 - Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan (5-10, 186); 7 - Doug Worthington, DT, Ohio State (6-5, 292)

Analysis: Finally, the Steelers take the first-round o-lineman they've needed for years. Pouncey can play guard, but don't be surprised to see him unseat Justin Hartwig and start at center immediately. The Worilds pick was a surprise, both because the Steelers seemed to be set at OLB and because there were a couple of OLBs rated above the Virginia Tech standout on several boards. The third-round pick Sanders isn't a huge guy and won't have a Santonio Holmes- like impact, but caught a ton of balls at SMU and has a chance to be involved in the slot. Gibson and Sylvester were similar picks to Worilds but will have to prove their abilities on special teams. Scott was likely selected in the fifth-round due to his ability to play guard and tackle. It was surprising that the Steelers waited until the fifth-round to take a corner, and Butler is a solid player who will nonetheless make no one forget about Rod Woodson. Dwyer was originally a first-round prospect who saw his stock plummet due to a lack of versatility and questionable work ethic. Brown offers some value as a return man. Pittsburgh pulled off a trade with Arizona to re-acquire prodigal corner Bryant McFadden, but let's remember that McFadden wasn't the most consistent CB on earth during his first tour with the team.

Bottom Line: Early picks of Pouncey and Sanders made sense, but all the outside linebackers - at the expense of a decent young corner - did not.

Grade: B-

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[DukieBoy]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

Not disagreeing with that grade necessarily, but thes talking heads who evaluate these drafts for 32 teams lack the depth of knowledge of each team to accurately evaluate how the draft fits with the whole of each team.

[Shawn]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

Pouncey:A
Worilds: C+
Sanders: B
Gibson: C
Scott: C+
Butler: C+
Sylvester: B+
Dwyer: A
Brown: B
Worthington: A-

Overall: B

Homeruns with the Pouncey, Dwyer and Worthington picks.

[papillon]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

1 - Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida (6-4, 304) - A
2 - Jason Worilds, OLB, Virginia Tech (6-1, 254) - C, because of position
3 - Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU (5-11, 186) - C
4 - Thaddeus Gibson, OLB, Ohio State (6-2, 243) - epic fail
5 - Chris Scott, OL, Tennessee (6-5, 319) - B, assuming he's a tackle
5 - Crezdon Butler, CB, Clemson (6-0, 191) - D, yippee, a CB like Gay
5 - Steven Sylvester, LB, Utah (6-3, 231) - B, assuming he's an ILB
6 - Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech (5-11, 229) - B, lets see what he has
6 - Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan (5-10, 186) - F, wasted pick, how many WRs are they bringing into camp?
7 - Doug Worthington, DT, Ohio State (6-5, 292) - C, not a NT

Overall, probably a C- from my standpoint, some nice picks late if they pan out, Pouncey will be a great addition for the next 10 years, two OLBs?, another WR late why? I think C- is fair, of course we won't know for three years like any other draft.

Edited to reflect the fact that Worthington is not a NT, thanks RB
Pappy

[Snatch98]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

1 - Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida (6-4, 304) - A
2 - Jason Worilds, OLB, Virginia Tech (6-1, 254) - C, because of position
3 - Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU (5-11, 186) - C
4 - Thaddeus Gibson, OLB, Ohio State (6-2, 243) - epic fail
5 - Chris Scott, OL, Tennessee (6-5, 319) - B, assuming he's a tackle
5 - Crezdon Butler, CB, Clemson (6-0, 191) - D, yippee, a CB like Gay
5 - Steven Sylvester, LB, Utah (6-3, 231) - B, assuming he's an ILB
6 - Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech (5-11, 229) - B, lets see what he has
6 - Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan (5-10, 186) - F, wasted pick, how many WRs are they bringing into camp?
7 - Doug Worthington, DT, Ohio State (6-5, 292) - B, love to see him turn into Casey's replacement, unlikely in the 7th...

Overall, probably a C- from my standpoint, some nice picks late if they pan out, Pouncey will be a great addition for the next 10 years, two OLBs?, another WR late why? I think C- is fair, of course we won't know for three years like any other draft.

Pappy

Antonio Brown was the MAC special teams player of the year for 2 straight seasons. I have nothing against you pap but do you read what other people post on this board before issuing a response or do you just fire it out there without doing your homework? Also keep in mind he's a 6th! round draft pick. If he can come in and be a special teams work horse great. He also did pretty well as a WR in the MAC.

[papillon]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

1 - Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida (6-4, 304) - A
2 - Jason Worilds, OLB, Virginia Tech (6-1, 254) - C, because of position
3 - Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU (5-11, 186) - C
4 - Thaddeus Gibson, OLB, Ohio State (6-2, 243) - epic fail
5 - Chris Scott, OL, Tennessee (6-5, 319) - B, assuming he's a tackle
5 - Crezdon Butler, CB, Clemson (6-0, 191) - D, yippee, a CB like Gay
5 - Steven Sylvester, LB, Utah (6-3, 231) - B, assuming he's an ILB
6 - Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech (5-11, 229) - B, lets see what he has
6 - Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan (5-10, 186) - F, wasted pick, how many WRs are they bringing into camp?
7 - Doug Worthington, DT, Ohio State (6-5, 292) - B, love to see him turn into Casey's replacement, unlikely in the 7th...

Overall, probably a C- from my standpoint, some nice picks late if they pan out, Pouncey will be a great addition for the next 10 years, two OLBs?, another WR late why? I think C- is fair, of course we won't know for three years like any other draft.

Pappy

Antonio Brown was the MAC special teams player of the year for 2 straight seasons. I have nothing against you pap but do you read what other people post on this board before issuing a response or do you just fire it out there without doing your homework? Also keep in mind he's a 6th! round draft pick. If he can come in and be a special teams work horse great. He also did pretty well as a WR in the MAC.

JFC, another special teams guy, great scott. It doesn't matter to me what other people put out there, we're bragging about a 6th round pick that's about as big as our 16 year old neighbor. He's a wasted pick, he isn't making the team.

Does Brown return kicks and punts or cover them? If they're sending down 185 pound gunners to cover punts and kicks they're in trouble. If he returns them, he'll have to compete with Burnett and Sanders, two guys that can play other positions.

Brown isn't making the team, IMO. In case no one can tell, I do not like this draft at all. that being said, it may end up being the best ever and supplant the 74 class as the greatest ever, I doubt it, but it could.

From what everyone is saying the many of these players were drafted for STs. You should be able to find hungry football players looking for a paycheck in the UDFA pool or like Brown in the 6th and 7th round, not in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Pappy

[cruzer8]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

Damn you are one cranky SOB. Why don't you go hop on the old lady for awhile?

They drafted guys who can play special teams while at the same time providing depth. And youth. You know, so when other guys retire or move on we'll have players to fill those vacated spots?

[Snatch98]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

1 - Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida (6-4, 304) - A
2 - Jason Worilds, OLB, Virginia Tech (6-1, 254) - C, because of position
3 - Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU (5-11, 186) - C
4 - Thaddeus Gibson, OLB, Ohio State (6-2, 243) - epic fail
5 - Chris Scott, OL, Tennessee (6-5, 319) - B, assuming he's a tackle
5 - Crezdon Butler, CB, Clemson (6-0, 191) - D, yippee, a CB like Gay
5 - Steven Sylvester, LB, Utah (6-3, 231) - B, assuming he's an ILB
6 - Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech (5-11, 229) - B, lets see what he has
6 - Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan (5-10, 186) - F, wasted pick, how many WRs are they bringing into camp?
7 - Doug Worthington, DT, Ohio State (6-5, 292) - B, love to see him turn into Casey's replacement, unlikely in the 7th...

Overall, probably a C- from my standpoint, some nice picks late if they pan out, Pouncey will be a great addition for the next 10 years, two OLBs?, another WR late why? I think C- is fair, of course we won't know for three years like any other draft.

Pappy

Antonio Brown was the MAC special teams player of the year for 2 straight seasons. I have nothing against you pap but do you read what other people post on this board before issuing a response or do you just fire it out there without doing your homework? Also keep in mind he's a 6th! round draft pick. If he can come in and be a special teams work horse great. He also did pretty well as a WR in the MAC.

JFC, another special teams guy, great scott. It doesn't matter to me what other people put out there, we're bragging about a 6th round pick that's about as big as our 16 year old neighbor. He's a wasted pick, he isn't making the team.

Does Brown return kicks and punts or cover them? If they're sending down 185 pound gunners to cover punts and kicks they're in trouble. If he returns them, he'll have to compete with Burnett and Sanders, two guys that can play other positions.

Brown isn't making the team, IMO. In case no one can tell, I do not like this draft at all. that being said, it may end up being the best ever and supplant the 74 class as the greatest ever, I doubt it, but it could.

From what everyone is saying the many of these players were drafted for STs. You should be able to find hungry football players looking for a paycheck in the UDFA pool or like Brown in the 6th and 7th round, not in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Pappy

I just don't get why you or anyone else thinks that all those drafted in say the first 3 rounds should start immediately, they will all contribute and the last I checked everyone makes their mark on special teams first. I'm not sure what part about MAC special teams player of the year for two straight years you don't understand but hey I'm not Dr. Phil and I'm certainly not here to break down how you break it all down. You're just being unreasonable and for yet another "once again" Pittsburgh is LB U and they went after the guys they drafted for a reason. Run and Hit. Oh and special teams was a huge weakness last season.

[papillon]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

Damn you are one cranky SOB. Why don't you go hop on the old lady for awhile?

Unfortunately, she's just as p1ssed.

They drafted guys who can play special teams while at the same time providing depth. And youth. You know, so when other guys retire or move on we'll have players to fill those vacated spots?

Youth? Where? DE? No NT? No ILB? No WR? they're already young exceopt Ward and they brought in El and Battle

Depth? SS? No FS? No RB? Maybe OLB? Yes, the strongest position on the team

Man, I really hope you all can dredge this thread up in three years and let me have it, but except for Pouncey, they screwed the pooch in my opinion.

While we're at it, given the three year window lets review:

Timmons - Good pick, starter
Woodley - Great pick, starter and second leading sacker
Spaeth - Nothing
Sepulveda - Good pick, punter for 15 years
McBean - Nothing
Stephenson - Nothing
Gay - Do I need to say anything
Baker - Nothing

We got four starters and we're really trying to replace one. This was an above average draft (barely). I'd love to see the 2010 draft provide 4 starters, but I don't see it happening.

Pappy

[papillon]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

1 - Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida (6-4, 304) - A
2 - Jason Worilds, OLB, Virginia Tech (6-1, 254) - C, because of position
3 - Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU (5-11, 186) - C
4 - Thaddeus Gibson, OLB, Ohio State (6-2, 243) - epic fail
5 - Chris Scott, OL, Tennessee (6-5, 319) - B, assuming he's a tackle
5 - Crezdon Butler, CB, Clemson (6-0, 191) - D, yippee, a CB like Gay
5 - Steven Sylvester, LB, Utah (6-3, 231) - B, assuming he's an ILB
6 - Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech (5-11, 229) - B, lets see what he has
6 - Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan (5-10, 186) - F, wasted pick, how many WRs are they bringing into camp?
7 - Doug Worthington, DT, Ohio State (6-5, 292) - B, love to see him turn into Casey's replacement, unlikely in the 7th...

Overall, probably a C- from my standpoint, some nice picks late if they pan out, Pouncey will be a great addition for the next 10 years, two OLBs?, another WR late why? I think C- is fair, of course we won't know for three years like any other draft.

Pappy

Antonio Brown was the MAC special teams player of the year for 2 straight seasons. I have nothing against you pap but do you read what other people post on this board before issuing a response or do you just fire it out there without doing your homework? Also keep in mind he's a 6th! round draft pick. If he can come in and be a special teams work horse great. He also did pretty well as a WR in the MAC.

JFC, another special teams guy, great scott. It doesn't matter to me what other people put out there, we're bragging about a 6th round pick that's about as big as our 16 year old neighbor. He's a wasted pick, he isn't making the team.

Does Brown return kicks and punts or cover them? If they're sending down 185 pound gunners to cover punts and kicks they're in trouble. If he returns them, he'll have to compete with Burnett and Sanders, two guys that can play other positions.

Brown isn't making the team, IMO. In case no one can tell, I do not like this draft at all. that being said, it may end up being the best ever and supplant the 74 class as the greatest ever, I doubt it, but it could.

From what everyone is saying the many of these players were drafted for STs. You should be able to find hungry football players looking for a paycheck in the UDFA pool or like Brown in the 6th and 7th round, not in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Pappy

I just don't get why you or anyone else thinks that all those drafted in say the first 3 rounds should start immediately, they will all contribute and the last I checked everyone makes their mark on special teams first. I'm not sure what part about MAC special teams player of the year for two straight years you don't understand but hey I'm not Dr. Phil and I'm certainly not here to break down how you break it all down. You're just being unreasonable and for yet another "once again" Pittsburgh is LB U and they went after the guys they drafted for a reason. Run and Hit. Oh and special teams was a huge weakness last season.

I never said the first three rounds should be starters immediately. But, are you really drafting guys to play STs in the top 96 picks? I'm looking for a guy to get on the field and if he happens to help STs, that's great, but I'm not drafting him to be my gunner in the first three rounds.

Okay, so, he's the MAC STs player of the year twice, does he cover punts and kicks or does he return them or both.? It makes a difference. If he covers them and he's the player of the year, then he may find a spot on the team. If he's returning them, I don't see a spot for him, since one new guy and one veteran play other positions better than this guy does. If he does both, he may be able to find a roster spot. I don't expect him on the team in September.

Linebacker U, that's good, in the mean time the geriatric ward is getting filled with great players that are nearing the end of a career and the cupboard looks bare to me.

Kiesel - 31
Hoke - 34
Smith - 34
Eason - 30
Farrior - 35
Clark - 30
Polamalu - 29

The baby in that group is 29 years old and very little was done to inject youth into that group of players and their positions. Fine, I'm being unreasonable, maybe, I'm frustrated is what I am. I watched the draft unfold and there were players people (Mayock, Kiper, etc.) were talking about available that would have helped the Steelers with depth and youth all at once.

As much as I like Pouncey, I believe they could have traded back a few spots and still drafted him and moved up in the second or grabbed another second round pick to help with the safety situation. If Polamalu or clark gets injured, then what? Mundy? Allen? Lets see how that works out for them.

I simply believe it was a missed opportunity and I am cranky and irritated by it and Ben's dumb@$$ behavior doesn't help my mood when I get to thinking about the Steeler season.

Forgive me for wishing they did better IMHO. I don't see how you look at this draft objectively and tell me it's great or even good, I don't see it. I hope each and every one of these players proves me wrong, I doubt it.

Pappy

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

I grade it C for confusing.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

7 - Doug Worthington, DT, Ohio State (6-5, 292) - B, love to see him turn into Casey's replacement, unlikely in the 7th...

You'd love to see Worthington turn into Casey's replacement? Maybe if he were 4 inches shorter and about 40 pounds heavier. In the 3-4, he's obviously a DE prospect, not a NT prospect. With Ziggy as Aaron's back-up, Worthington will battle with Sonny Harris and Nick Eason to be Keisel's backup. I suspect Doug spends his rookie season on the practice squad to develop for the future.

[Chadman]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

Hehehe...someone get Cranky Pappy a hot cocoa...

Let's see...grade the draft...

1. Pouncey- not Chadman's #1 pick, but from all reports a slid player. Hard to argue the quality, but the Steelers did pass on a couple of potential 'great' players to get him. Chadman will give it a B+

2. Worilds- Again, not what Chadman would have picked, but the Steelers had some obvious interest in OLB this draft, and had worked Worilds out personally. Given that Harrison is 32, perhaps we undervalue the 'need' for an OLB to learn & eventually replace him. Hmm..B

3. Sanders- In Chadman's opinion- a bit of a reach. Could have picked a few other WR's here that would be better options. BUT..this pick makes Chadman think they haven't given up on Sweed yet. sanders will really oly project as a Slot Wr, so the only young WR Chadman sees that is 'potentially' a possession WR to replace Ward is..Sweed. A slot WR/PR/KR in the 3rd? Hmm... B-

4. Gibson- Many hate this pick. Chadman loved the Timmons pick a few years back, because he added an athletisism we hadn't seen since Chad Brown. Gibson is a player like Timmons, but in need of work. Potentially, Gibson could be great. Chadman sees him as a future ILB, partnered with Timmons. Hmm... B+

5a. Chris Scott- This pick makes Chadman fear for the future of Kraig Urbik. Chadman quite likes Scott as an option, and with Baltimore loading up with big DL guys, having equally big OL guys can't hurt. Part of a line that allowed just 3 sacks last season- not bad. Can play RT & OG, Tomlin likes flexibility. Hmm... B

5b. Traded for Bryant McFadden. Well, he becomes the starting CB. Not often you can plug in a mid-5th rounder as a starter right off the bat. Great move by the FO. A+

5c. Butler- Looks like a physical type Cb that the Steelers like. Big, fast. If he replaces Anthony Maddison, that can be considered a success- C+

5d. Sylvester- overkill by this stage. Looks like a PS guy for now that might fight Fox for a spot in a year or two. Might not make it past camp. Could have done better. D

6a- Dwyer- pick of the draft. A guy that could have been a 1-2nd round pick falls into the 6th. Powerback role is his to lose. Should fill the #2 RB role right away. If his head is screwed on, shock-horror- he might make Mendy expendable in a few years. A+

Brown- going to agree with Pap- wasted pick. Sure, ST guy...gody, goody. But we already have that on the roster. Would have been better served getting a NT here. F

7. Worthington- Great value pick. even if he only ever becomes a back-up, getting a guy like this in the 7th is a steal. B+

[TD386Steel]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

I heard that Atlanta wanted Pouncey at 19 so a trade up would have been a mistake. But I wanted to do the same thing so I understand. The most important thing to me in this years draft was seconday so I was dissapointed. The second half of the season our secondary was terrible. I wanted to get better and fellt like we could have gotten a good safety and corner early. I can only hope that Burnett, and Lewis are ready to step up and play.

[Steel Life]

Re: What grade would you give this Steelers' draft?

I simply believe it was a missed opportunity and I am cranky and irritated by it and Ben's dumb@$$ behavior doesn't help my mood when I get to thinking about the Steeler season.

Forgive me for wishing they did better IMHO. I don't see how you look at this draft objectively and tell me it's great or even good, I don't see it. I hope each and every one of these players proves me wrong, I doubt it.

Pappy

I'm with you Pap...not enough impact for the number of picks they had & completely ignored the deepest part of the draft - DL - where we have the greatest concern about age & injury. And to add to that, we basically draft two guys to fill one spot & seem intent on having the league's smallest WR corps. Lastly, About the addition of Scott...have you seen him?...he is not a tackle & we have a ton of bodies to compete at guard already - a true tackle prospect I could understand. This draft isn't about what they got, but what they passed on. Last year I felt good about every pick, this year maybe 3 of 'em...not to say more won't make the squad, but there aren't many impact players here.