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1. We're loading up on big Ss for sub package D. We've now got 4 Ss that are 6' - 6'2" and from 200-220lbs. Almost all these guys look to me to be about in the neighborhood of Shazier or Farrior's size. Seems like an emphasis on speed and tackling when we're out of our base D which is the majority of the time.
I'm intrigued by the Edmunds and Allen picks.
2. Washington feels like the safe pick in the draft. I'm excited about seeing AB, Juju, and this kid on the field together. Washington is a shorter and thicker version of Juju. If this kid is as good as I think he can be, adding in LB and Vance (assuming his end of year play continues) and this offense is set up to be unstoppable. For real this year.
3. I liked seeing us swing for the fences in round 3. The likelihood of a 3rd round pick panning out is slim. And we went all in on 2 positions where great players are nearly impossible to find in QB and LT. Rudolf or Chuks could both be big busts, but they also have huge upside and I like that we went for it. These both feel like Mike Tomlin gut instinct picks where he goes for it on 4th and 2 when almost no one else would. Rudolf has great accuracy on his deep passes and Chuks has size and athleticism that you can't teach. Again both have a lot of work to do, but there's something to work with in each. I think it's better than going for a mediocre LB personally. And it says the Steelers must have some trust in the guys they have or trust in some of the FA options to be added.
4. Living in NC, I love watching Samuels. I think he's going to be way better than most people expect. But the reality is, I think he's a hedge against LB long term. This guy is our 3rd down back of the future just in case. Maybe he can handle more downs, but it's pretty easy to find a 1st and 2nd down back if needed in the future. Those guys are a dime a dozen. He might not make the transition to the NFL being the tweener, but the kid just finds the endzone and I think he's a baller.
5. I really knew nothing about Frazier, but he seems to be a big body with limited mileage and his coach must have pushed for him. We must have some special inside info on the kid. Otherwise, I really don't understand why we didn't just take him as a UDFA.
6. Overall, my biggest disappointment is we didn't address our pass rush in any way for the future. I know we got a lot of sacks this last year, but I don't feel like we have the horses to generate consistent pressure without scheming for it. No one on our D Line scares me. None of our LBs scare me. We're going to be in sub packages more often than not. We're going to need to generate pressure with 4 guys consistently. Do we have a grouping of 4 that's intimidating? I'd argue our top 4 guys might be the least intimidating group in the league and that could be our downfall and reason we can't get over the hump. We might just have to score a lot more.
I'm intrigued by the Edmunds and Allen picks.
2. Washington feels like the safe pick in the draft. I'm excited about seeing AB, Juju, and this kid on the field together. Washington is a shorter and thicker version of Juju. If this kid is as good as I think he can be, adding in LB and Vance (assuming his end of year play continues) and this offense is set up to be unstoppable. For real this year.
3. I liked seeing us swing for the fences in round 3. The likelihood of a 3rd round pick panning out is slim. And we went all in on 2 positions where great players are nearly impossible to find in QB and LT. Rudolf or Chuks could both be big busts, but they also have huge upside and I like that we went for it. These both feel like Mike Tomlin gut instinct picks where he goes for it on 4th and 2 when almost no one else would. Rudolf has great accuracy on his deep passes and Chuks has size and athleticism that you can't teach. Again both have a lot of work to do, but there's something to work with in each. I think it's better than going for a mediocre LB personally. And it says the Steelers must have some trust in the guys they have or trust in some of the FA options to be added.
4. Living in NC, I love watching Samuels. I think he's going to be way better than most people expect. But the reality is, I think he's a hedge against LB long term. This guy is our 3rd down back of the future just in case. Maybe he can handle more downs, but it's pretty easy to find a 1st and 2nd down back if needed in the future. Those guys are a dime a dozen. He might not make the transition to the NFL being the tweener, but the kid just finds the endzone and I think he's a baller.
5. I really knew nothing about Frazier, but he seems to be a big body with limited mileage and his coach must have pushed for him. We must have some special inside info on the kid. Otherwise, I really don't understand why we didn't just take him as a UDFA.
6. Overall, my biggest disappointment is we didn't address our pass rush in any way for the future. I know we got a lot of sacks this last year, but I don't feel like we have the horses to generate consistent pressure without scheming for it. No one on our D Line scares me. None of our LBs scare me. We're going to be in sub packages more often than not. We're going to need to generate pressure with 4 guys consistently. Do we have a grouping of 4 that's intimidating? I'd argue our top 4 guys might be the least intimidating group in the league and that could be our downfall and reason we can't get over the hump. We might just have to score a lot more.
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