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As you see I have big time hits and some misses.My thought fom Aoril 2016!
This is my annual draft grades. It includes a grade for need, a grade for value in the round, and a grade for what type of player I think he will be in the NFL, and my comment on who I would have selected.
Those who throw rocks should post their own draft, explaining who they would have selected. But they won't 90% of the time.
**Since the Steelers were offered a 3rd round pick to trade down with Denver, I'm taking it. ***
Round one. Cornerback Burns. Grade for Need A. Grade for value in the Round C+. Grade for what type of player I think he will be in the NFL B-
I have seen him play live. Burns is big and fast but very raw. Good ball skills when he sees the pass coming his way. On the minus side, he has no clue in the zone, and tackling is not a good tackler. He's flag prone as well. Here's the thing, we are talking about a 20-year-old, so it very hard to see whether he can fill his upside or not. He could get bigger and stronger, and learn. But I think he's a slow learning type and could have used another year in college. An athlete playing cornerback if you will. Put him in zone, or off man, and he's struggling. His technique is non-existent. Burns is further away from NFL ready than most first round picks.
*** Who I would have taken. Give me Denver's 31st pick and their third *** I would have like see all the trade offers, but this one was the most confirmed.
My pick here was Billings until his knee became an issue. So I'm taking the best corner on the board in Xavien Howard. He's big, worked out even better than Burns did in many drills, and has two solid years of production as opposed to Bruns one.
Round two. Saftey Lewis. Grade for Need A. Grade for Value in the round B- Grade for what type of player I think he will be in the NFL C+
While Davis checks many boxes for height, speed, and combine drills, I question his man cover skills. He's best as a classic in the box hitting type of safety who can force fumbles. Davis should be a very good kick coverage person. The trouble is the NFL demands safeties to cover well. Davis is flag prone 4 pass interference calls was flagged for a late hit and a personal foul. More worrisome is he gave up 10 touchdowns last season. He was ripped for 614 passing yards against last season and missed too many tackles. Too many minuses here in coverage. Not a fan of this pick, and I'll say we could have done much better in round two.
My pick. OLB/DL Nassib He lead the nation in sacks, tackles for losses, and forced fumbles, and beat a decent group of tackles during the senior bowl week. Such a player can replace Jones at OLB, and add a lot of value in our 4 man fronts, which we play far more than our 3 man line. Nassib was in several of my mocks. He can explode after the snap and hand use are impressive.
Round three. Defensive Tackle / Nose Tackle Hargrave. Grade for Need B+, Grade for value in the round B. What type of player I think he will be in the NFL B-
If we ran a 4-3 system, Hargrave would project nicely as a 3 technique type of player. He's very quick for his size, with some moves and a motor. The knock on him is he did it vs weak competition, however, I see him as a very good sub-package type or 4 man front type of player who can be disruptive vs the run or pass in the NFL. As a pure Nose Tackle, I think he'll have issues holding his own, and isn't the type to hold up vs double teams. Not a bad pick at all for round three.
My pick, Nose Tackle / Defensive Tackle Ridgeway. He's much bigger and much better at run defense. Also disruptive vs the run and pass, with the ability to make tackles vs the run, pressure the QB or sacks vs the QB. Ridgeway was in some of my mocks.
Round three, Denver's pick. Saftey Simmons.
Simmons is tall ( 6'2" ) , rangy, and has fine ball skills. While he is not fast, his 20-yard shuttle is perhaps the best I have seen. I think Simmons is an ideal zone or cover 2 type of safety, with the height, compete for jump balls. Likely good in the red zone as well vs fade passes. Reports indicate he should be a good who special teams player. I wouldn't give him too many deep men responsibilities but if properly deployed, I think he can make his share of plays.
Round four. Offensive Tackle, Hawkins. Grade for Need B, Grade for Value in the Round C+. What type of player I think he will be in the NFL C-, likely off the teams in 4 years and a backup while he's here. If this was a round three pick, I'd say BUST.
Hawkins is tall with long arms, but I see some issues. He's has a narrow type of build, and isn't a knee bender. I think will have issues anchoring vs. Bull rushes in the NFL. His lateral agility concerns me as well ( Poor 20 yard shuffle time ), so speed rushers will expose him. A right tackle only types who needs to get stronger.
My pick. OT/G McGovern. Can play either RT or G. Super strong and a decent athlete with short area quickness. Alert to stunts and twists. An ideal guard, who could play Right Tackle in a pinch.
Round 5. Pick traded for Cornerback Boykin, who Tomlin hardly played. I liked the trade, but frown upon playing Boykin so little. A wasted pick. Grade for this move D.
Round six. Pick traded for kicker Scobee. I hated this move. It was a fiasco. Grade F.
Round six, comp pick. Outside linebacker Feeney. Grade for value A. Grade for Need B+. What type of player I think he will be in the NFL. C+
Feeney is tall, fast ( 4.5 40 ) and productive with a good amount of sacks at tackle for losses. He is on the thin side, but at 6'4" can add more weight to his frame without getting fat. He isn't strong enough to hold the point of attack vs. the run at all. He's also had some injury issues with his shoulders. Feeney can be a nice role player as a pass rusher or special teams person. Best spot would be a weakside in a 4-3, however, he's fast enough to play in our nickel, and as a former safety, he could fit. Decent pick for round six.
Who I would have taken. Same player. OLB Feeney.
Round seven, comp pick. WR/ Kick return man Ayers. Value for round C. Value for Need B-. What type of player I think he will be in the NFL D.
Ayers looks to be a camp cut or practice squad player. While the Steelers need a return man, Ayers ran a 4.72 at the combine and a 4.66 at his pro day. At 5'9" and 182 pounds, these are reject numbers for the NFL. You want your return man or slot receiver to be much faster than this.
My pick would have been kick returner / wide receiver, WR Fuller. Fuller is 6 foot tall and ran a 4.39. He's a slot guy and return man. In college, he averaged 24.2 on kickoffs and almost 12 yards per punt return.
Round seven. Inside linebacker, Matakevich. Grade for need B. Grade for value in the round A. What type of NFL player do I think he will be B-
This is an excellent 7th round pick. Matakevich is a decorated college player. A tackling machine who also found a way to intercept 5 passes. He's a little slow ( 4.81 40 ) and a little short, however, his smarts and intangibles test off the charts, which are traits needed at inside linebacker. Matakevich had a nice senior bowl. Should be a contributor to special teams and solid NFL backup. I'd compare him a bit to Larry Foote, another short and slow type who had a fine career.
My pick here is the same player
My draft 2016 draft 4-2016
Round 1 ) CB Howard - 2 quality seasons, better workout #'s, better vs the run
Round 2 ) OLB/DL Nassib - The best pass rusher in college last year, with some upside, and fine vs the run
Round 3 ) NT/DT Ridgeway - A beast vs the run, but some three-down ability vs the pass.
Round 3 ) S Simmons - Tall, smart and productive safety
Round 4 ) OT/G McGovern - Swing ability to play guard or right tackle. Super strong, with upside to fill
Round 6 ) OLB Feeney - A speedy pass rusher, who should also do very well on special teams.
Round 6 ) KR/WR Fuller - Tall and fast with production as a kickoff man and punt return man.
Round 7 ) Matakevich - Productive with high character and ability to back up or play special teams.
Some thoughts on the Steeler's draft. While the Steelers went for need in rounds one and two, they picked some raw players who need a lot of time and coaching. There is a danger when you do this. Our ability to develop DB's has not been great as of late.
If Burns is a bust, the Steelers will have spent a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 3rd on corners in the past two years...and likely won't pick CB high again until it's proven that Burns wasn't a good pick. For the record, I think Golson is a slot corner only and question his size and ability to match up vs bigger players. Not a fan of how his game projects in the NFL.
This is worrisome as Gay is getting older, and the pass defense gave up 29TD's and ranked 29th overall, benefiting greatly from playing 7 backup QB's. Ben might only have 2-3 more elite level seasons left and need a pass defense that won't get burned for yardage and touchdowns. The pass rush from the linebacker position needs a boost as Jones is a disappointment and Harrison very old.
I'd rather take more NFL ready and productive players at CB and S, and go for a pass rusher with some NFL upside. Not a huge fan of this draft overall.
-JB
This is my annual draft grades. It includes a grade for need, a grade for value in the round, and a grade for what type of player I think he will be in the NFL, and my comment on who I would have selected.
Those who throw rocks should post their own draft, explaining who they would have selected. But they won't 90% of the time.
**Since the Steelers were offered a 3rd round pick to trade down with Denver, I'm taking it. ***
Round one. Cornerback Burns. Grade for Need A. Grade for value in the Round C+. Grade for what type of player I think he will be in the NFL B-
I have seen him play live. Burns is big and fast but very raw. Good ball skills when he sees the pass coming his way. On the minus side, he has no clue in the zone, and tackling is not a good tackler. He's flag prone as well. Here's the thing, we are talking about a 20-year-old, so it very hard to see whether he can fill his upside or not. He could get bigger and stronger, and learn. But I think he's a slow learning type and could have used another year in college. An athlete playing cornerback if you will. Put him in zone, or off man, and he's struggling. His technique is non-existent. Burns is further away from NFL ready than most first round picks.
*** Who I would have taken. Give me Denver's 31st pick and their third *** I would have like see all the trade offers, but this one was the most confirmed.
My pick here was Billings until his knee became an issue. So I'm taking the best corner on the board in Xavien Howard. He's big, worked out even better than Burns did in many drills, and has two solid years of production as opposed to Bruns one.
Round two. Saftey Lewis. Grade for Need A. Grade for Value in the round B- Grade for what type of player I think he will be in the NFL C+
While Davis checks many boxes for height, speed, and combine drills, I question his man cover skills. He's best as a classic in the box hitting type of safety who can force fumbles. Davis should be a very good kick coverage person. The trouble is the NFL demands safeties to cover well. Davis is flag prone 4 pass interference calls was flagged for a late hit and a personal foul. More worrisome is he gave up 10 touchdowns last season. He was ripped for 614 passing yards against last season and missed too many tackles. Too many minuses here in coverage. Not a fan of this pick, and I'll say we could have done much better in round two.
My pick. OLB/DL Nassib He lead the nation in sacks, tackles for losses, and forced fumbles, and beat a decent group of tackles during the senior bowl week. Such a player can replace Jones at OLB, and add a lot of value in our 4 man fronts, which we play far more than our 3 man line. Nassib was in several of my mocks. He can explode after the snap and hand use are impressive.
Round three. Defensive Tackle / Nose Tackle Hargrave. Grade for Need B+, Grade for value in the round B. What type of player I think he will be in the NFL B-
If we ran a 4-3 system, Hargrave would project nicely as a 3 technique type of player. He's very quick for his size, with some moves and a motor. The knock on him is he did it vs weak competition, however, I see him as a very good sub-package type or 4 man front type of player who can be disruptive vs the run or pass in the NFL. As a pure Nose Tackle, I think he'll have issues holding his own, and isn't the type to hold up vs double teams. Not a bad pick at all for round three.
My pick, Nose Tackle / Defensive Tackle Ridgeway. He's much bigger and much better at run defense. Also disruptive vs the run and pass, with the ability to make tackles vs the run, pressure the QB or sacks vs the QB. Ridgeway was in some of my mocks.
Round three, Denver's pick. Saftey Simmons.
Simmons is tall ( 6'2" ) , rangy, and has fine ball skills. While he is not fast, his 20-yard shuttle is perhaps the best I have seen. I think Simmons is an ideal zone or cover 2 type of safety, with the height, compete for jump balls. Likely good in the red zone as well vs fade passes. Reports indicate he should be a good who special teams player. I wouldn't give him too many deep men responsibilities but if properly deployed, I think he can make his share of plays.
Round four. Offensive Tackle, Hawkins. Grade for Need B, Grade for Value in the Round C+. What type of player I think he will be in the NFL C-, likely off the teams in 4 years and a backup while he's here. If this was a round three pick, I'd say BUST.
Hawkins is tall with long arms, but I see some issues. He's has a narrow type of build, and isn't a knee bender. I think will have issues anchoring vs. Bull rushes in the NFL. His lateral agility concerns me as well ( Poor 20 yard shuffle time ), so speed rushers will expose him. A right tackle only types who needs to get stronger.
My pick. OT/G McGovern. Can play either RT or G. Super strong and a decent athlete with short area quickness. Alert to stunts and twists. An ideal guard, who could play Right Tackle in a pinch.
Round 5. Pick traded for Cornerback Boykin, who Tomlin hardly played. I liked the trade, but frown upon playing Boykin so little. A wasted pick. Grade for this move D.
Round six. Pick traded for kicker Scobee. I hated this move. It was a fiasco. Grade F.
Round six, comp pick. Outside linebacker Feeney. Grade for value A. Grade for Need B+. What type of player I think he will be in the NFL. C+
Feeney is tall, fast ( 4.5 40 ) and productive with a good amount of sacks at tackle for losses. He is on the thin side, but at 6'4" can add more weight to his frame without getting fat. He isn't strong enough to hold the point of attack vs. the run at all. He's also had some injury issues with his shoulders. Feeney can be a nice role player as a pass rusher or special teams person. Best spot would be a weakside in a 4-3, however, he's fast enough to play in our nickel, and as a former safety, he could fit. Decent pick for round six.
Who I would have taken. Same player. OLB Feeney.
Round seven, comp pick. WR/ Kick return man Ayers. Value for round C. Value for Need B-. What type of player I think he will be in the NFL D.
Ayers looks to be a camp cut or practice squad player. While the Steelers need a return man, Ayers ran a 4.72 at the combine and a 4.66 at his pro day. At 5'9" and 182 pounds, these are reject numbers for the NFL. You want your return man or slot receiver to be much faster than this.
My pick would have been kick returner / wide receiver, WR Fuller. Fuller is 6 foot tall and ran a 4.39. He's a slot guy and return man. In college, he averaged 24.2 on kickoffs and almost 12 yards per punt return.
Round seven. Inside linebacker, Matakevich. Grade for need B. Grade for value in the round A. What type of NFL player do I think he will be B-
This is an excellent 7th round pick. Matakevich is a decorated college player. A tackling machine who also found a way to intercept 5 passes. He's a little slow ( 4.81 40 ) and a little short, however, his smarts and intangibles test off the charts, which are traits needed at inside linebacker. Matakevich had a nice senior bowl. Should be a contributor to special teams and solid NFL backup. I'd compare him a bit to Larry Foote, another short and slow type who had a fine career.
My pick here is the same player
My draft 2016 draft 4-2016
Round 1 ) CB Howard - 2 quality seasons, better workout #'s, better vs the run
Round 2 ) OLB/DL Nassib - The best pass rusher in college last year, with some upside, and fine vs the run
Round 3 ) NT/DT Ridgeway - A beast vs the run, but some three-down ability vs the pass.
Round 3 ) S Simmons - Tall, smart and productive safety
Round 4 ) OT/G McGovern - Swing ability to play guard or right tackle. Super strong, with upside to fill
Round 6 ) OLB Feeney - A speedy pass rusher, who should also do very well on special teams.
Round 6 ) KR/WR Fuller - Tall and fast with production as a kickoff man and punt return man.
Round 7 ) Matakevich - Productive with high character and ability to back up or play special teams.
Some thoughts on the Steeler's draft. While the Steelers went for need in rounds one and two, they picked some raw players who need a lot of time and coaching. There is a danger when you do this. Our ability to develop DB's has not been great as of late.
If Burns is a bust, the Steelers will have spent a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 3rd on corners in the past two years...and likely won't pick CB high again until it's proven that Burns wasn't a good pick. For the record, I think Golson is a slot corner only and question his size and ability to match up vs bigger players. Not a fan of how his game projects in the NFL.
This is worrisome as Gay is getting older, and the pass defense gave up 29TD's and ranked 29th overall, benefiting greatly from playing 7 backup QB's. Ben might only have 2-3 more elite level seasons left and need a pass defense that won't get burned for yardage and touchdowns. The pass rush from the linebacker position needs a boost as Jones is a disappointment and Harrison very old.
I'd rather take more NFL ready and productive players at CB and S, and go for a pass rusher with some NFL upside. Not a huge fan of this draft overall.
-JB
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