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Enclosed in my annual draft review. I will go over each player picked, say who I would have selected, and grade the pick.. There are no trade downs ( did we get any? ). I only pick who is left on the board. Over the years I have done better than the Steelers I think but I will let you judge that based on the archives.
Round 1. Harmon DT
We need DL and Harmon was the best player the fills that need on the board. He is productive , big and has some splash ability. He had 39 QB hurries last year. Not a sack man per say, but he can definitely push the pocket vs. the pass and hard move / contain his gap well vs. the run as he has heavy hands and a 300+ pound frame. We need a starter as our depth at DT is awful and Haron should be able to start as a rookie and upgrade us. He is a plus guy in the 4-3, nickel and dime as adds value in the goal line.
I would have picked the same guy!
Grade for value in the round A-
Round 3. RB Johnson A true power back, but one with good vision and follows his blocks well. He is not fast ( 4.57 40 ) , but had 21 runs of 20+ yards in 2024 despite facing stacked boxes.
Quick enough to move outside the box on zone blocks. And he has a rare vice like grip on the football. He will upgrade our power running and play action scheme well as he catches it fairly well and plyas smart. Similar to the good Barry Foster in some ways . He also should play a lot as a rookie. He has a round 2 grade in my book. Something of a steal.
I would have picked the same guy!
Grade for the round A
Round 4, DE Sawyer.
A good pass rusher who made a lot of splash plays in 9 sacks and three forced fumbles. He is smart, fast ( 4.6 40 ) and very old school. Strong hands! High effort and a 2 time team captain.
A steal at this point of the draft. He can be an OLB for us.
Who would have I picked? The same guy.
Grade for value in the Round A
Round 5. DT/NT Black. A third DL player picked? Yep. Black is a big man but slow and he has a small gas tank. A true zero DT. He is tall. Not sure if he can get low enough. Blocked 7 passes which is very good and a field goal in two seasons at Iowa.
Who would have I picked? QB McCord
Value in round C
Round 6 QB Howard.
Well he is tall, weighs about 235, fairly mobile and has a very good arm. Not that accurate,he played with OSU talent this year. His stats are very inflated because of a very good WR, very good OL and very good RB's. He had an awful throwing combine in terms of accuracy. But he is a western PA QB who played well in the college playoffs.
Who I would have taken: S Woler.
Grade for value in the round A
Round 7. OLB Bruener. Mark's son should be good on special teams, and add value as a nickle defender. He was productive but small for LB. He preety fast and quick.
Grade for value in round B
Who I would have picked CB Black
Round 7 CB Kent. A small school star with an amazing 47 pass break ups in his career. He has a lot of speed but with just two career interceptions , he has poor catching skills. But he can jump! And he adds value as a punt returner and defensive special teams player. I like this pick. I never heard of him until he was drafted.
Grade for value in round A
Who I would have picked OT Brown
Overall this was a very good draft. I am pleased.
-JB
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