Some execs considered Edmunds a top 15 player

[Captain Lemming]

Me personally, the word "panic" never entered my thought process in the Edmunds pick. Clearly, we thought he was the best of the safety lot. And that was an area of need. And the fact that we didn't take ANY linebackers tells you that Colbert didn't think too much of the linebacker corps after the first 4 highly rated guys; Weather we agree with that is another topic.

The Washington pick has me excited to see how fast he clicks with Ben. But I didn't think he was a need pick because I still have Eli Rogers factored in to man that slot position. I thought we'd be perfectly fine with Mcdonald and Rogers running inside stuff and AB and Juju running the intermediate and deep stuff.

I'm sitting on my hands thou..I'm nervous as hell about our linebacker corps.

I share that concern.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

To me a panic move is what happened in '99...

We need a WR...hopefully we get one of the top guys since we are picking so high...

Uh oh, there goes Torry Holt, that's okay, there is still Boston...

Uh oh, there goes David Boston...ummm...ummmm who else is out there?

Troy Edwards? Louisiana Tech? Who the hell is that????

With the 11th pick of the 1999 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers proudly select Troy Edwards, Wide Receiver, Ummm I forget the name of his school but we still take him.

[Slapstick]

To me a panic move is what happened in '99...

We need a WR...hopefully we get one of the top guys since we are picking so high...

Uh oh, there goes Torry Holt, that's okay, there is still Boston...

Uh oh, there goes David Boston...ummm...ummmm who else is out there?

Troy Edwards? Louisiana Tech? Who the hell is that????

With the 11th pick of the 1999 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers proudly select Troy Edwards, Wide Receiver, Ummm I forget the name of his school but we still take him.

I don't even think that was panic...IIRC, Kevin Gilbride insisted on the pick because he thought the drop off after Edwards was huge...oops...

We could have had Javon Kearse in the first and Edwards or maybe Kevin Johnson in the second...Johnson ended up with twice the career of Edwards...

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

The big concern that everyone has is that the Steelers have been very poor at evaluating secondary talent for the last decade or so. It is also concerning that the majority of NFL teams thought Edmunds would go much later.

Fair enough with regards to their drafting record of DBs. As far as most NFL teams having him valued much later, that is not known. What we do know is that the majority of TV draft gurus had him rated lower but we don't know about the majority of teams, and in particular, we don't know if there was one team that would have jumped on him soon afterwards. That's all it takes to lose a pick who you want - just one of 31 other teams to want him. I believe that the Steelers set up their board the way they want players, and Edmunds was at least their 28th rated player for this team. Probably higher, but how high? We don't know.

The thing about the draft gurus is that when they rank players, it is a general ranking, it is not specific to each defensive scheme. They only recently started accounting for the difference between the 4-3 and the 3-4 by grouping 4-3 DEs with 3-4 OLBs and calling them all Edge rushers. Each team has a vision for the player they draft and Edmunds obviously fits the Steelers' vision better than guys like Bates, Reid, and Harrison.

I don't know how this pick will work out, but I do know that the Steelers have made it a point to hit certain criteria in their drafting at least the last three years, and this kid fits that mold. In a nutshell...high character and loves football (two brothers now in the NFL and a dad who was a pro bowl TE). I have little doubt that the Steelers love this guy and were happy to draft him.

[pittpete]

A "panic" move would be to "reach" for a linebacker who we had lower on our board than the Edmunds pick.

[Northern_Blitz]

Me personally, the word "panic" never entered my thought process in the Edmunds pick. Clearly, we thought he was the best of the safety lot. And that was an area of need. And the fact that we didn't take ANY linebackers tells you that Colbert didn't think too much of the linebacker corps after the first 4 highly rated guys; Weather we agree with that is another topic.

The Washington pick has me excited to see how fast he clicks with Ben. But I didn't think he was a need pick because I still have Eli Rogers factored in to man that slot position. I thought we'd be perfectly fine with Mcdonald and Rogers running inside stuff and AB and Juju running the intermediate and deep stuff.

I'm sitting on my hands thou..I'm nervous as hell about our linebacker corps.

I think it's a bit like last year where we have reasonable starters and little depth. Hoping for a healthy season for our LBs.

[NorthCoast]

....... but I do know that the Steelers have made it a point to hit certain criteria in their drafting at least the last three years, and this kid fits that mold. In a nutshell.........

That's the point of my post... their criteria for DBs is suspect to say the least... on the other hand, they clearly have an eye for WR talent...

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

That's the point of my post... their criteria for DBs is suspect to say the least... on the other hand, they clearly have an eye for WR talent...

Do you guys think the FO has been undervaluing "above the shoulder skills" when drafting DB s the last few years?

[Steel Maniac]

That's the point of my post... their criteria for DBs is suspect to say the least... on the other hand, they clearly have an eye for WR talent...

There is no doubt that selecting secondary talent has been a Colbert's short coming.

[squidkid]

Some might have been surprised to see Terrell Edmunds go in first round but NFL teams were not. Spoke with several execs/coaches this week and all said he’s a first-round talent. One likened him to a skinnier Keanu Neal. Another said he was a top-15 player in the draft.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 1, 2018

lol....who are they and why didnt they take him then?

[Captain Lemming]

To me a panic move is what happened in '99...

We need a WR...hopefully we get one of the top guys since we are picking so high...

Uh oh, there goes Torry Holt, that's okay, there is still Boston...

Uh oh, there goes David Boston...ummm...ummmm who else is out there?

Troy Edwards? Louisiana Tech? Who the hell is that????

With the 11th pick of the 1999 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers proudly select Troy Edwards, Wide Receiver, Ummm I forget the name of his school but we still take him.

Yeah, what idiots.
We dont draft unheard of unheralded guys like Troy Edwards anymore....at least not early. Look at the description of Washington.

He isnt the tallest, doesnt run a 4.4 but he LEAD THE NCAA in receiving. He became one of the most prolific receivers in college football history, earned All-American honors and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft ......

Wait 1999? Must be a typo.....Wait....that WAS Troy Edwards?

Washington LEAD THE NCAA in receiving yards in 2017 but Troy Edwards had a whopping FOUR HUNDRED MORE yards receiving (Troy had 1996 in 98 ) than Washington who was NCAA leader this year.

Fact is, when the Steelers drafted Edwards he had just completed THE MOST PROLIFIC RECEIVING SEASON IN NCAA HISTORY.

Edwards 1996 yards receiving was bested since then ONCE. He remains number 2 all time in receiving yards for a season.
Edwards STILL OWNS THE RECORD for TD receptions in NCAA history with 27 in 1998 (he had 34 total TDs).

For his career Edwards is 10 all time in yards, 3rd all time in TDs.......and he only played 3 seasons of college. Everyone ahead of him played 4 seasons.

On a "per game" basis Edwards was unquestionably the most prolific receiver in NCAA history.

He did not turn out to be a "great" NFL receiver but he was far from a "reach" where we picked him.

[Slapstick]

Troy Edwards is why people look at level of competition....

At Louisiana Tech, Edwards feasted upon lesser competition....to his credit, what put him over the top was one incredible game that he had against Nebraska...

If Edwards had been drafted in the second, like Washington, nobody would have cared...I mean, are people still angry about Will Blackwell who was drafted just two years before Edwards? Nope...

[Buzz]

lol....who are they and why didnt they take him then?

Yeah. If the Steelers hadn't taken him at #28, who else would have drafted him in the first round? I don't think any of the remaining 4 teams would have.

[feltdizz]

Yeah. If the Steelers hadn't taken him at #28, who else would have drafted him in the first round? I don't think any of the remaining 4 teams would have.

why didn't teams draft Rudolph in the first round if he was considered a first round talent by us and some other teams?

Also, only one other safety went before Edmunds so maybe teams had more pressing needs and had guys rated higher at other positions who were available to draft?

[Steel Maniac]

Yeah. If the Steelers hadn't taken him at #28, who else would have drafted him in the first round? I don't think any of the remaining 4 teams would have.

boom.............................