who are we going to draft?

[Chadman]

I'm fairly certain William Jackson III will be the 1st round pick. The whole coaching staff and G.M. flew to see him. CB is their biggest need. If I was G.M. I would take Connor Cook in the 2nd because we absolutely have to have a better plan for when Ben gets injured. I doubt he's there for our second pick so here's my prediction/what I'm hoping for:

1. William Jackson III CB HOU (my 2nd rated CB)
2. Su'A Cravens OLB USC (we get our pass rushing OLB)
3. Javon Hargrave DT SC St. (shore up D line which becomes a strength)
4. DeAndre Huston-Carson S William & Mary (Tomlin will not be able to resist and he's our best S day one)
6. Kyle Murphy OT Stanford (versatile at both T spots and eventual RT)
7. Jaydon Mickens WR WASH (Colbert finds another late round gem who will be our starting slot receiver)
7. Keith Marshall RB Georgia (huge upside, great athlete, and doesn't need to play right away but can if called upon. Really hope he's still there)

Funny about different people's takes on things- Chadman thought Colbert's thoughts on players stats being misleading was kind of directed, in part, at the CB's. He was saying that some CB's have inflated stats- tackles, PD's & INT's because they get thrown on a lot, while some CB's are so good that their stats are low, giving a false reading on the player, because teams refuse to throw their way. As far as CB's go, Chadman thought this might have been in reference to Jackson & Alexander to be honest..

[Chadman]

If the Steelers DO go CB in Round 1, Chadman would suggest that Alexander is the guy they have penciled in there.

[Slapstick]

All the people touting Billings: Nolan Nawrocki's guide labels him basically as a Casey Hampton-type (i.e. dominant run stuffer, not much else). I'm assuming you think he is much more than that. Any comparisons, or someone you envision when you see him?

[url]http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2628236-andrew-billings-potential-to-become-the-best-player-in-this-years-draft-class[/url]

[Sword]

I'm fairly certain William Jackson III will be the 1st round pick. The whole coaching staff and G.M. flew to see him. CB is their biggest need. If I was G.M. I would take Connor Cook in the 2nd because we absolutely have to have a better plan for when Ben gets injured. I doubt he's there for our second pick so here's my prediction/what I'm hoping for:

1. William Jackson III CB HOU (my 2nd rated CB)
2. Su'A Cravens OLB USC (we get our pass rushing OLB)
3. Javon Hargrave DT SC St. (shore up D line which becomes a strength)
4. DeAndre Huston-Carson S William & Mary (Tomlin will not be able to resist and he's our best S day one)
6. Kyle Murphy OT Stanford (versatile at both T spots and eventual RT)
7. Jaydon Mickens WR WASH (Colbert finds another late round gem who will be our starting slot receiver)
7. Keith Marshall RB Georgia (huge upside, great athlete, and doesn't need to play right away but can if called upon. Really hope he's still there)

William Jackson III - this guys is just to small....I could knock this guys down.....

[RuthlessBurgher]

I'm fairly certain William Jackson III will be the 1st round pick. The whole coaching staff and G.M. flew to see him. CB is their biggest need. If I was G.M. I would take Connor Cook in the 2nd because we absolutely have to have a better plan for when Ben gets injured. I doubt he's there for our second pick so here's my prediction/what I'm hoping for:

1. William Jackson III CB HOU (my 2nd rated CB)
2. Su'A Cravens OLB USC (we get our pass rushing OLB)
3. Javon Hargrave DT SC St. (shore up D line which becomes a strength)
4. DeAndre Huston-Carson S William & Mary (Tomlin will not be able to resist and he's our best S day one)
6. Kyle Murphy OT Stanford (versatile at both T spots and eventual RT)
7. Jaydon Mickens WR WASH (Colbert finds another late round gem who will be our starting slot receiver)
7. Keith Marshall RB Georgia (huge upside, great athlete, and doesn't need to play right away but can if called upon. Really hope he's still there)

Some teams view Cravens as a SS. Others view him as a 4-3 Will backer. I don't think anyone views him as a 3-4 pass rushing OLB.

[Shawn]

I don't think that defensive line is less of a need. The Steelers are very thin behind Tuitt and Heyward, and have nothing behind the unproven McCullers.

The secondary is a need as well, don't get me wrong. But I'd hate to reach for a DB over an elite defensive lineman.

I'm not advocating a "reach". If an elite DLman falls to the Steelers I'm sure the Steelers will take them. But, let's keep in mind something. 50%+of snaps the Steelers are rolling with 2 DLmen. They will not draft a first round 0,1 fire hydrant. They will go with a guy who can move. And there are two really intriguing big men who can move in that round three area. The Steelers need depth on the DL but they need DBs in a desperate way. And while I don't see them passing on an elite DL talent... A guy like Eli Apple checks all the right boxes. He isn't a slug and has all the physical tools the Steelers love to see in secondary talent. This draft is so deep in DL that they can grab their first round DB and still get an elite DLman. Take a look at their approach when the WRs were so deep a couple years back.

[SteelDecipher]

Unfortunately, I think there is a very good chance the tier 1 and some 1a corners are gone before the Steelers are on the board.

I also think the tier 1 edge rushers are off the board, and Billings- who doesn't fit into either of those categories.


Joseph is available, but I'm not picking an already injured Bob Sanders, who the rules don't favor, in Rd 1.

The Steelers have learned over the past few years, if you sleep on drafting Corners early, you find yourself chasing the market. Which leads to the inevitable, draft a corner in rd 4 or 5 when there might be value.

This year is no different. All of the top talent at corner is very likely to be off the board by their 2nd pick.

Of the remaining 1a Corners-at

1.25 Artie Burns is the pick.

[steeler_george]

I would love to trade back and gain more 2nd round picks, I think we can still find same value BPA between 25- 58.
top tier players I think can fall and all be had from 25- to top of 3rd. Any of these players could be our #1 pick :
Billings, Joseph, Bell, Fuller, Alexander, Burns ( But I am starting to believe Billings can be the man)

Imagine 3 out those 6 players... Wow

My dark horse of the 1 st choice is a tackle in Spriggs or Dekker. For Depth and future... and boy i like that Lee kid (a shazier clone) from OSU ... imagine having 2 exact players in Shazier and Lee in 2017.

[Shawn]

I would love to trade back and gain more 2nd round picks, I think we can still find same value BPA between 25- 58.
top tier players I think can fall and all be had from 25- to top of 3rd. Any of these players could be our #1 pick :
Billings, Joseph, Bell, Fuller, Alexander, Burns ( But I am starting to believe Billings can be the man)

Imagine 3 out those 6 players... Wow

My dark horse of the 1 st choice is a tackle in Spriggs or Dekker. For Depth and future... and boy i like that Lee kid (a shazier clone) from OSU ... imagine having 2 exact players in Shazier and Lee in 2017.

Lee is a beast. Vonn Bell is underrated by scouts.

[Slapstick]

Artie Burns is also impressive...he is pretty raw, but really spent a lot of time running track in the spring instead of spring football practices...with the ability to devote himself full time to his craft, he could end up being special...I seem to remember another Steeler 1st round CB who was also a champion hurdler in track...

[RuthlessBurgher]

I think the team really wants this to happen with our prime picks:

1.25 DT Andrew Billings, Baylor 6'1" 311 lbs.

Our biggest needs are in the secondary and interior DL...I think judging by past draft history, Steeler brass tends to value the big tough guys in the trenches more than the small speedy guys on the outside. Sure, it's a very deep for DT's this year, which could mean that you might be able to get a DT in round 2 who might have been a round 1 in other years, but you could also possibly get a top 15 DL talent way down at #25 (that's how we acquired Cam Heyward once upon a time...great DL draft pushed him down to us). We might be able to get a dominant 2 down NT in round 2 or 3...but in today's NFL, those guys are becoming dinosaurs...if we want a versatile 3 down d-lineman who can anchor the nose on early downs in base and also push the pocket and penetrate in nickel and dime situations, conventional though says that you'll need to use your top pick to acquire a beast of that ilk.

2.58 S Karl Joseph, West Virginia 5'10" 205 lbs.

The prototypical safety that the Steelers fall in love with. If healthy, they would take him at #25 and not think twice about. In fact, if the first round board doesn't fall their way, they still might, or at least would consider trading down to get Joseph and obtain another pick. Because of the injury, they'll hope that teams drafting ahead of them prefer healthier options like Keanu Neal or Vonn Bell, and Joseph falls right into their lap.

3.89 WR Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma 5'10" 194 lbs.

Because taking a wideout in the 3rd round is becoming tradition in these parts. He'll probably come off the board in round 2 or earlier in round 3, but they'll hope that his size causes him to last longer. Last year, they took Sammie Coates as insurance in case we don't have Martavis Bryant, and that decision worked out. This choice is insurance in case we aren't able to re-sign Markus Wheaton after this season because we'll be paying big money on new long term deals for guys like David DeCastro, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell. Shepard seems to possess many of the same traits that AB had when he came out of college.

4.123 CB Cyrus Jones, Alabama 5'10" 197 lbs.

A feisty corner who also possesses return ability, which is something else that we need as well. Since we already have smaller corners like Gay and Golson, you'd think they want to go with a bigger guy instead of another smurf (hence the first round interest in Apple and WJIII), and if that's the case, then they might go with a corner like Harlan Miller here instead. But I think they'll like what Jones brings to the table. In spite of how bad Antwan Blake played last year, the coaches liked certainly aspects of how he played the game (or else he would have been benched much earlier), and stylistically, Cyrus strikes me as a similar type of player, but hopefully with more talent to back that up.

[RuthlessBurgher]

If they get DT, S, and CB with their first 3 picks (in whatever order) rather than sneaking a WR pick in there, then they could look LB with that 4th pick. I think they would seriously consider taking a risk on Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith in round 4 if he is still there and redshirting him, since our med staff went through something similar with Sean Spence (although his horrific knee injury occurred in an NFL preseason game after he was drafted rather than a college bowl game before he was drafted). If they want someone who will be more ready to contribute this year, then perhaps Yannick Ngakoue of Maryland.

[buccoray61]

Unfortunately, I think there is a very good chance the tier 1 and some 1a corners are gone before the Steelers are on the board.

I also think the tier 1 edge rushers are off the board, and Billings- who doesn't fit into either of those categories.


Joseph is available, but I'm not picking an already injured Bob Sanders, who the rules don't favor, in Rd 1.

The Steelers have learned over the past few years, if you sleep on drafting Corners early, you find yourself chasing the market. Which leads to the inevitable, draft a corner in rd 4 or 5 when there might be value.

This year is no different. All of the top talent at corner is very likely to be off the board by their 2nd pick.

Of the remaining 1a Corners-at

1.25 Artie Burns is the pick.

If Burns is the pick,they better have traded back to get him.I don't like him at 25

[Oviedo]

I think the team really wants this to happen with our prime picks:

1.25 DT Andrew Billings, Baylor 6'1" 311 lbs.

Our biggest needs are in the secondary and interior DL...I think judging by past draft history, Steeler brass tends to value the big tough guys in the trenches more than the small speedy guys on the outside. Sure, it's a very deep for DT's this year, which could mean that you might be able to get a DT in round 2 who might have been a round 1 in other years, but you could also possibly get a top 15 DL talent way down at #25 (that's how we acquired Cam Heyward once upon a time...great DL draft pushed him down to us). We might be able to get a dominant 2 down NT in round 2 or 3...but in today's NFL, those guys are becoming dinosaurs...if we want a versatile 3 down d-lineman who can anchor the nose on early downs in base and also push the pocket and penetrate in nickel and dime situations, conventional though says that you'll need to use your top pick to acquire a beast of that ilk.

2.58 S Karl Joseph, West Virginia 5'10" 205 lbs.

The prototypical safety that the Steelers fall in love with. If healthy, they would take him at #25 and not think twice about. In fact, if the first round board doesn't fall their way, they still might, or at least would consider trading down to get Joseph and obtain another pick. Because of the injury, they'll hope that teams drafting ahead of them prefer healthier options like Keanu Neal or Vonn Bell, and Joseph falls right into their lap.

3.89 WR Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma 5'10" 194 lbs.

Because taking a wideout in the 3rd round is becoming tradition in these parts. He'll probably come off the board in round 2 or earlier in round 3, but they'll hope that his size causes him to last longer. Last year, they took Sammie Coates as insurance in case we don't have Martavis Bryant, and that decision worked out. This choice is insurance in case we aren't able to re-sign Markus Wheaton after this season because we'll be paying big money on new long term deals for guys like David DeCastro, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell. Shepard seems to possess many of the same traits that AB had when he came out of college.

4.123 CB Cyrus Jones, Alabama 5'10" 197 lbs.

A feisty corner who also possesses return ability, which is something else that we need as well. Since we already have smaller corners like Gay and Golson, you'd think they want to go with a bigger guy instead of another smurf (hence the first round interest in Apple and WJIII), and if that's the case, then they might go with a corner like Harlan Miller here instead. But I think they'll like what Jones brings to the table. In spite of how bad Antwan Blake played last year, the coaches liked certainly aspects of how he played the game (or else he would have been benched much earlier), and stylistically, Cyrus strikes me as a similar type of player, but hopefully with more talent to back that up.

Loving those picks if it happens that way.

[SteelCrazy]

There's one man worth our pick at 25 and I believe that is Karl Joesph. Billings is overrated imo, he is worth our pick at 58. If Joesph is gone, then we need to trade down and get the bpa.