Little Help in This Draft

[Buzz]

for our D this year. No help with the pass rush, not enough to shore up the shaky middle of our defense. We let a lot of players who could have helped this year slip right on by.

[Sugar]

Yeah, I'm seeing that too. I get the WR pick after losing Bryant. The QB seems like nothing more than a luxury pick right now for a team that could have used a lot of talent on D.

[Buzz]

Yeah, I'm seeing that too. I get the WR pick after losing Bryant. The QB seems like nothing more than a luxury pick right now for a team that could have used a lot of talent on D.

And an OT to cap off the night. Steelers have given up on fixing the D through the draft this year. One player who will maybe see p/t duty as a nickle/dime ss/lb. With such glaring need, as we saw vs. Jax. Look for another embarrassment in the playoffs (if we make the playoffs).

Unless ... could we be looking to make a trade or another FA move?

[Shawn]

Steelers are playing the long game and putting together a competitive team long into the future. I wasn't a fan of Rudolph in the first but I sure as hell think he's a value pick in the third. Washington is a terrific WR. That's our future. But, Washington will help us win now. Edmonds...ehh I think he's raw. He was moved around alot and asked to do many things so he didn't become elite at one. But, he's twitchy, has size and speed. He can play. I do think we have gotten better not only now but in the future.

[Shoe]

I'm not one of those guys, but this is probably the worst draft in memory. The only other one I can manufacture in my memory, maybe Chad Scott's draft? Can't remember any names after Scott, but I know I thought that was a bad pick at the time (proven right).

I've watched drafts dutifully longer than most, and I just don't remember too many where I was this apathetic about.

[Chadman]

I’m not sure the value in the ‘positions of need’ has been there every time they get to pick, tbh.

If they can pick up a Josh Sweat or Jeff Holland, Micah Kizer or Dorian O’Daniel or even Chris Worley in Round 5, they still fill a couple of spots with guys that can at least contribute.

Have to remember, they did sign Morgan Burnett to replace Mitchell, Behre to replace Golden and Bostic to basically fill the Shazier role. The only spot there that was downgraded was ILB, and no matter who was signed or drafted, it was probably a downgrade to Shazier!

I would expect that Edmunds finds the field in the sub packages and either he or Burnett play that semi LB/S role that Shazier filled on passing downs.

I’m just not sure we see the team downgraded much at all at this point, and Burnett is definitely an upgrade on Mitchell.

All said, if they can’t find a decent ILB, probably a good time to make contact with Timmons to strengthen the unit.

[Steelerphile]

I guess the standard overreaction of fans. Horrible draft! is usually my expectation and already is in great evidence. I totally understand the first three picks and the Steelers needed to look at the QB position with Roethlisberger nearing retirement. I think Rudolph is a fine prospect for a 3rd round selection. I like him as well or better than some of the 1st round QBs in the draft.

I am a little distressed over Okafor. He is probably a good prospect but I was thinking linebacker there. They have Jerald Hawkins in the pipeline from a couple years ago, and I thought he was similar kind of guy. But we'll see how everything shakes out in the end. It is not possible to get everything in one draft though. Have to have guys step up that were practice squad last year like Keion Adams.

[Ernie]

I remember feeling the same way last year after the draft... "Didn't do enough to improve at CB"...and then we picked up Joe Haden. This just tells me we aren't done in Free Agency. I look for us to land another quality ILB after the draft.

[Ernie]

The one pick I really didn't care for was the 3rd round OT. Would have loved a running back there. Maybe Ballage or Scarboro will be there in the 5th? Call me crazy, but I'm loving the Rudolph pick in Round 3. This is a great time to bring in someone that we think has the potential of being Ben's "Heir apparent". Although Ben wants to play 3 more years.... let's be honest... he's a knee injury away from calling it a career.

[papillon]

Not a fan of the OT (the position, not the person), maybe they plan making a real push for Navarro Bowman somehow?

Pappy

[Buzz]

Some of you are happy that we didn't "downgrade" our D much ... but we needed to upgrade it, to make a real push for the Super Bowl this season. I like Mason Rudolph, but Ben says he's playing 3 more years. And who wants to defend spending a 4th rounder last year on Dobbs? I can understand the Washington pick, but the OT is a project. This might be a fine draft for four years from now, but I really would like to see this team in a win-now mode before Ben hangs it up.

[Steelerphile]

I would defend the Dobbs pick because that was last year. and you don't know from year to year who will be available and how the draft will go. Obviously if they "knew" they would draft Rudolph this year they would not have drafted Dobbs last year. But I still think Dobbs is a good prospect, even though I think Rudolph would more project as a No. 1.

The one I would let go is Landry and he looked better last year than before. But I would prefer to keep around the more athletic Dobbs and Rudolph, than Landry Jones.

[Slapstick]

I would hate to see the team simply
draft players just because they play a particular position...

I regard the draft as the primary way to build your team for the future...I don’t like to see the team get locked in on one particular year...

From the end of the season? Our defense has not been “downgraded” one iota...

The two positions that were weakest on defense were ILB (Spence) and FS (Mitchell)...those two positions were upgraded prior to the draft, hopefully in a truly significant way.

Trying to find a replacement for Shazier is extremely difficult, because he was a singular player...so, on running downs they replaced him with a hard nosed tackling machine...on passing downs, they chose an uber-athletic hybrid DB (and I don’t think “uber-athletic” is an exaggeration)...

They traded away a locker room headache in Bryant and chose the winner of the Biletnikoff award to replace him...

They lost tackle depth in free agency and chose a crazy physical specimen to replace him...

Our franchise QB has said he wants to play three more years, but openly contemplated retirement one year ago and has only two years left on his contract...I think Big Ben has proven through the years that we can’t take everything he says at face value...so, the Steelers opted for a value pick in round three, choosing the QB that they have scouted most heavily in years...

I know that they chose Dobbs last year...but, if you truly believe that you have a legitimate shot at a franchise QB, and your QB is talking about retirement, pull the trigger...the Pats* did it with Jimmy Garoppolo...I think we did it here....

All in all, I never know what to think of the draft as I am aware that it is a proverbial “crap shoot”...I simply prefer that the Steelers use the draft to build the team instead of trying to scotch tape shut perceived “holes”.

[Steel Maniac]

CBS sports says it best about us for this draft.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2018-nfl-draft-winners-and-losers-from-day-2-giants-are-outstanding-raiders-remain-confusing/

[Steel Maniac]

Colbert and Tomlin didn’t do enough to help the defense this year to get better.

We should be in more of a “win now” mode but obviously they aren’t. The Rudolph and Edmunds picks were okay but the other selections are not doing anything for us now.