Your dream draft...

[Shawn]

Using reasonable scouting assessments on round...what would be your ideal draft...not what you think the Steelers are going to do.
Please be semi-realistic.

1) CJ Mosley-ILB-He is going to be really good. You improve the secondary by improving the front 7.
2) Louis Nix-NT-See above
3) Jarvis Landry-WR-the next Hines Ward
4) Caraun Reid-DE Princeton
5) Prince Shembo-OLB Notre Dame
5b) EJ Gaines-DB Missouri
6) De'Anthony Thomas-RB Oregon
6b) Sentrel Henderson-LT Miami
7) Colt Lyerla-TE Oregon

This draft would make me a very happy man...would love to see other peoples dream draft.

[MeetJoeGreene]

Excellent mock draft.
cogent. Reasoned. Merits praise.
epic and beast dude!

[sick beats]

Using reasonable scouting assessments on round...what would be your ideal draft...not what you think the Steelers are going to do.
Please be semi-realistic.

1) CJ Mosley-ILB-He is going to be really good. You improve the secondary by improving the front 7.
2) Louis Nix-NT-See above
3) Jarvis Landry-WR-the next Hines Ward
4) Caraun Reid-DE Princeton
5) Prince Shembo-OLB Notre Dame
5b) EJ Gaines-DB Missouri
6) De'Anthony Thomas-RB Oregon
6b) Sentrel Henderson-LT Miami
7) Colt Lyerla-TE Oregon

This draft would make me a very happy man...would love to see other peoples dream draft.

That De'Anthony Thomas is wicked fast. Just don't know if he will be one of the little backs who can take NFL pounding or one of the many whose body just can't take it. Won't know until he tries. I would love to give him a go. I would love if we got the first two picks you have, not sure if it will happen or not, but it's possible. Taking just one DB that late scares me though. Ike is in his last year, leaving us with 1 legit CB on the whole roster. Gay was serviceable last year. Not sure I agree on Landry. Many of us forget just how awesome Hines was. I would definitely not put Landry on a Ward level at this point.

[Shawn]

I hear ya on DB, but passing on Mosley, Nix, and Landry would be tough to do. IMO, this year we are good at DB if we solidify the pass rush. If we have to sign a stop gap middle tier DB next season and draft one in the first so be it.

[Oviedo]

For my first three "dream" picks:

1. Eric Ebron, TE
2. Stephon Tuitt, DE
3. Stanley Jean Baptiste, CB

[sick beats]

I hear ya on DB, but passing on Mosley, Nix, and Landry would be tough to do. IMO, this year we are good at DB if we solidify the pass rush. If we have to sign a stop gap middle tier DB next season and draft one in the first so be it.

I see EJ mock going in the 4th, but who knows. Seems like a pure zone guy, as it looks like most think he will be toast going on man with NFL level WRs. Says he is smallish and loses fight for the ball too often. We already have guys who can do that, or we did, in C. Brown. Sounds just like him. That guy gets toast every time the opposing team goes deep. Like taking candy away from a baby.

After Ike, Lewis and Gay, who would our #4 CB be?

[Shawn]

For my first three "dream" picks:

1. Eric Ebron, TE
2. Stephon Tuitt, DE
3. Stanley Jean Baptiste, CB

While I'm not completely sold on a TE who can't block your 2 and 3 are solid.

[Shawn]

I see EJ mock going in the 4th, but who knows. Seems like a pure zone guy, as it looks like most think he will be toast going on man with NFL level WRs. Says he is smallish and loses fight for the ball too often. We already have guys who can do that, or we did, in C. Brown. Sounds just like him. That guy gets toast every time the opposing team goes deep. Like taking candy away from a baby.

After Ike, Lewis and Gay, who would our #4 CB be?

EJ is a zone guy built for Lebeau's scheme. He would be a dime zone guy and I think he fully capable of holding that position down...especially if it meant we got nasty in the front 7. The Giants beat the Pats up in the SB the year they went undefeated because they had a pass rush. Unless you can build a secondary as dominating as the Seahawks a secondary wont win you games nearly as often as your front 7...and that's what this Steeler team lacks.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

1) CJ Mosley-ILB-He is going to be really good. You improve the secondary by improving the front 7.
2) Louis Nix-NT-See above

Either that, or the first 2 in your (and my) signature... I'd be on cloud 9...

[Shawn]

I would very ok with that as well.

[sick beats]

EJ is a zone guy built for Lebeau's scheme. He would be a dime zone guy and I think he fully capable of holding that position down...especially if it meant we got nasty in the front 7. The Giants beat the Pats up in the SB the year they went undefeated because they had a pass rush. Unless you can build a secondary as dominating as the Seahawks a secondary wont win you games nearly as often as your front 7...and that's what this Steeler team lacks.

I am starting to worry about our scheme, being the problem. In order for you to get pressure on the QB in DL's 3-4 system, it requires your OLBs to beat OTs. Is that realistic? How difficult is it to find 3-4 OLBs who can consistently beat OTs one on one? It seems rather difficult. We had that working with Woodley and Harrison in their prime, but I find it increasingly difficult to find guys who can pull that off. You mentioned the Giants as a team who beat the undefeated Pats by applying pressure. They did that with a superior 4-3 DL. I think a quality DL in a 4-3 is more likely to offer a sustained rush than are OLBs in a 3-4. It seems more attainable to me.

Edit: I am not saying I am giving up on J. Jones just yet, but here we used a mid-level first rounder on a 3-4 OLB and he got all of one sack. Just saying, I don't know if a 3-4 is a viable way to consistently reach the QB any more.

[Shawn]

I actually agree with you. The benefit of the 3-4 is the ability to disguise blitzing schemes...but it's weakness is that you have at best a 250 bound LB trying to best a 300+ pound tackle. While you can get serious pressure at times, you have to usually use 6 guys to get it done...unless you have a Harrison...or a Woodley in his prime. Maybe we have that in Worilds...maybe not. But, don't see JJ ever becoming that power infiltrator in this scheme...but who knows with a serious off season weight program. Therefore a 4-3 has 4 big guys, more bulk along that line...big quick guys like Heyward. Are they easier to find? Maybe. But, the Giants succeeded where others failed because they got pressure with 4 and not 6. Guys like Manning will eat up a 6 man blitz all day.

[sick beats]

I actually agree with you. The benefit of the 3-4 is the ability to disguise blitzing schemes...but it's weakness is that you have at best a 250 bound LB trying to best a 300+ pound tackle. While you can get serious pressure at times, you have to usually use 6 guys to get it done...unless you have a Harrison...or a Woodley in his prime. Maybe we have that in Worilds...maybe not. But, don't see JJ ever becoming that power infiltrator in this scheme...but who knows with a serious off season weight program. Therefore a 4-3 has 4 big guys, more bulk along that line...big quick guys like Heyward. Are they easier to find? Maybe. But, the Giants succeeded where others failed because they got pressure with 4 and not 6. Guys like Manning will eat up a 6 man blitz all day.

Most of the great Ds in modern history do it with a DL that gets pressure from the front 4. The best Bears, Eagles and Ravens D all did it with just sending the front 4. The SB Giants as well. I think Seattle got pressure with just the DL as well.

[Eddie Spaghetti]

Anthony Barr
Stephen Tuitt
Donta Moncrief

[steelerkeylargo]

1)-Kyle Fuller-CB-Va Tech- Best corner in this draft
2)-Chris Borland-ILB-Wisconsin-plug him inside for the next 10 years and forget it
3)-Jarred Abrederris-WR-Wisconsin-Hines Ward part deux
4)-Daniel McCullers-DT-Tennesee-poor mans Hampton
5a)-Brent Urban-DE-Virginia-Raw player much in the mold of a young Kiesel
5b)-Brandon Thomas-OL-Clemson-second round value
6a)-Aaron Colvin-CB-Oklahoma-second round value
6b)-Prince Shembo-OLB-Notre Dame- special teamer and depth
7)-Colt Lyerla-TE-Oregon-1 year ago I started a thread saying he should be our 1st round pick