OLB vs ILB

[Mister Pittsburgh]

What would be a more dominant front 7...

Mclellin
Keisel
Harrison
Hampton
Timmons
Hood
Woodley

or

Harrison
Keisel
Timmons
Hampton
Hightower
Hood
Woodley

Just wondering with Harrison having the ability to play ILB and his age causing him some back issues hindering his pass rush, would it make more sense to take Hightower or Shea Mclellin who has flown up draft boards? I am not sold on Worilds and am unsure about Carter.

Just something I am throwing out there for discussion purposes.

OLB - Harrison, Woodley, Worilds, Carter

ILB - Timmons, Harrison, Foote, Sylvester

[Shawn]

Where is Heyward?

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Where is Heyward?

Well I don't see him taking Keisels job so I assume rotating in.

[TD386Steel]

Where is Heyward?

I was thinking the same thing, Heyward is probably better now then Hood at DE, which is why they are discussing moving Hood to DT right?

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Either way, regarding Hood or Heyward at DE or NT, any thoughts on the LB issue? The reason I brought it up is I liked McLellin but thought he would be long gone by our pick in the 2nd, then saw on Walterfootballs latest rendition of their mock they have Shea going off at the Patriots pick at 27, only three draft slots after ours.

[blacknblue80s]

I think OLB is a definite need. I'm all for picking up an OLB prospect in round one and an ILB later if there isn't good o-line value at pick #24.

We had several games where either Woodley or Harrison were out last year and IMO, Worilds was a liability. Woodley is probably the best pass rusher in the NFL but it's hard to compare him with his peers when he spends so much time either injured or fighting through nagging injuries every season. Harrison is well into his 30s and had back surgery.

I like the line-up of:

Harrison/ Mercilus Whitney
Keisel
Sylvester
Hampton
Timmons
Heyward
Woodley/ Mercilus Whitney

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Could definitely be a different OLB then McLellin. After some research I see the Steelers couldn't even be bothered to be one of 28 teams with a representative there at the Boise Pro Day.

[Eddie Spaghetti]

no offense, but there is no way in hell woodley is the best pass rusher in the NFL. And taking a project OLB in round 1 would be a terrible move. This team has too many holes right now.

there is a need at OLB. I believe that worilds was a terrible pick and will never produce many meaningful plays. however, at this moment ILB seems to be of greater need. both positions could use some quality depth. If Carter can actually contribute, that would be a huge plus going forward.

I understand harrison missed some time last year, but he has not shown himself to miss alot of games. I think he will be fine this year and can be very productive for the next two.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

The Steelers took a huge project OLB much higher then 24 in Timmons when everyone & their brother had him much lower.

[Steel Life]

As for McClellin, I'm all for selecting him but 24 seems a little high. The Steelers spoke with him at the combine so I wouldn't read anything into not being there for the pro-day. The one thing that concerns me with him is that he supposedly has had 3 concussions...major potential issue there.

[Chadman]

Interesting interview on "The site that won't be named" the other day with David-Te Thomas about the Steelers- he shares an agent with Jason Worilds & suggested that Worilds is practicing with Tom Shaw & talk is he could be learning the ILB position. If that is the case, OLB becomes a definate 'future need' & someone like Perry, McLellin or Ingram become very real possibilities at #24...

[Mister Pittsburgh]

I like McLellin's size & speed. He's tall but solid at 260 but his 40 wasn't slow. Would be great news if Worilds & Timmons could man the middle.

[Shoe]

The Steelers took a huge project OLB much higher then 24 in Timmons when everyone & their brother had him much lower.

Dude, you're making some huge leaps of judgement. First of all, Timmons was highly rated coming out of college. If he was overdrafted, it wasn't by much (He was certainly a first-rounder).

Second, you made the statement of Harrison's ability to play ILB. What gives you that idea? AFAIK, he's never played the position, at least not as a professional in an actual game. And for the record, projecting Harrison to play at his "usual" production IMO is more of a long shot than it is a certainty. The guy is undersized, 33+ years old, and had back surgery last year. It's the favorite to say that he will never be the same player ever again.

On that end, I think that Chris Carter can fill that role as either a 3-4 OLB or 4-3 OLB. I really have no basis for that mind you, just a hunch.

[hawaiiansteel]

I like McLellin's size & speed. He's tall but solid at 260 but his 40 wasn't slow. Would be great news if Worilds & Timmons could man the middle.

it would be great, but i just don't see Worilds being able to hold up against the run in the middle.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Interesting interview on "The site that won't be named" the other day with David-Te Thomas about the Steelers- he shares an agent with Jason Worilds & suggested that Worilds is practicing with Tom Shaw & talk is he could be learning the ILB position. If that is the case, OLB becomes a definate 'future need' & someone like Perry, McLellin or Ingram become very real possibilities at #24...

Perry or McClellin, maybe...but Melvin Ingram??? He should be looooooong gone by the time we pick at #24. I've heard scuttlebutt about his stock possibly dropping a bit, but I think that means instead of going in the top 10, he might go in the early teens now.