Which ILB do you prefer? Leighton Vander Esch (Boise St.) or Rashaan Evans (Alabama)

[Steel Maniac]

It's beginning to look as though both of them may be gone by #28.

That's what I think. This is a moot point.

[Steel Maniac]

To put in terms that Steeler fans can easily understand...

I think of Rashaan Evans as being similar to Larry Foote type of player for us as a rookie with the potential to grow into a Lawrence Timmons type of player for us. Solid players.

I think of Leighton Vander Esch as being similar to Jerry Olsavsky type of player for us as a rookie with the potential to grow into a Chad Brown type of player for us. Again, lower floor but potentially higher ceiling. Chad Brown was more of a difference maker in his prime than Timmons was.

My favorite guy, though, would be Roquan Smith. I see him melding some of the attributes of James Farrior with Ryan Shazier together...I'd be willing trade up for that guy (give up our late 1st and late 2nd for a mid 1st and mid 4th).

I don't see Smith getting past the Raiders.

[The Man of Steel]

I read one profile of Evans where he was compared to Lawrence Timmons so I’d be cool with that.

[SidSmythe]

I'm going with LVE.
He's a late bloomer with TJ Watt athleticism.
Sounds like a guy who can be a long term player with versatility. Perhaps another Chad Brown??

[steeler_george]

Could the Pats' trade guarantee that both are going to be off the board!!!

[Steel Maniac]

Could the Pats' trade guarantee that both are going to be off the board!!!

Well, we kinda knew the Rams needed to replace Olgeltree who they let go. So maybe we got a chance of one slipping thru now.

[Chadman]

Chadman prefers Evans. LVE looks exciting, but his ‘big plays’ seem to come more on plays where he isn’t combatting anybody but the ball player- ie, if he gets caught up in blocks, he gets CAUGHT UP. Evans seems to fight through blocks etc much better.

That said, if both are gone, the next best way to shore up the Run D is to get the NT.

[Shawn]

Chadman prefers Evans. LVE looks exciting, but his ‘big plays’ seem to come more on plays where he isn’t combatting anybody but the ball player- ie, if he gets caught up in blocks, he gets CAUGHT UP. Evans seems to fight through blocks etc much better.

That said, if both are gone, the next best way to shore up the Run D is to get the NT.

If you watch both of these guys, Evans uses his hands effectively to disengage. He does subtle things well like a fake with his head then a brutal spin as a pass rusher. He's so quick. He sorts through trash really well. LVE is terrific sideline to sideline. But, he has very poor hands and gets swallowed up. There's much tape of him ending up on his backside and washed out of plays. Does he have quite a bit of potential? I think so based on his athleticism but he's a 2-3 year project. Evans can be a day 1 starter and has All Pro potential.

[Shawn]

If he is as good as Mosley was, then he's out of our price range anyway. Mosley was mid-first, and he probably would have went higher if not for his injury issues coming out.

If he's that good (as you claim), then I'm all for it.

Yes, he's that good. I think the guy is special.

[Oviedo]

It's beginning to look as though both of them may be gone by #28.

Then we get best available Safety. No problem and a position of need gets help.

[Shawn]

Then we get best available Safety. No problem and a position of need gets help.

I don't see a need for a first round safety at this point. Davis is young and he will grow. We have Burnett now. Have we given up on Davis?

[Slapstick]

I would hope that, if the Steelers have the opportunity to draft a highly graded safety, they do so...

Burnett is 29 years old, has missed a lot of games over the past few seasons, and is signed only for three years...behind Davis and Burnett (our presumptive starters), we have JJ Wilcox, Jordan Dangerfield, and Malik Golden...if there is a safety worth the pick, I hope they pull the trigger...

[RuthlessBurgher]

Could the Pats' trade guarantee that both are going to be off the board!!!

New England lost Nate Solder to the Giants in free agency, so their biggest hole is the one who is charged with protecting old man Brady's blind side. I fully expect them to use that 23rd overall pick that they got from the Rams on an OT such as Notre Dame's Mike McGlinchey, Texas' Connor Williams, or UCLA's Kolton Miller. It's a much more pressing need for them than ILB where they have Dont'a Hightower returning to play next to Kyle Van Noy.

[Steel Maniac]

Looking at the Patriots o-line, they gotta do something to make up for Solder being gone. And based on the fact you usually get more quality O-lineman in round one, they gotta use that pick on an O-lineman.

[Steel Maniac]

But I see the Pats using that second 1st round pick as a trade down tool to pick up more picks. Unless a runningback they really like is there.