The ONE player you would trade up for?

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Maybe the "go out with a bang" Colbert move is to trade up for a blue-chip prospect like Gardner, Hamilton, or Davis.

I could get on board with that.

[flippy]

Wouldn't that make him ideal for covering TE, who typically aren't 4.4 guys anyway.

You play him in a zone, let him cover TE/RB and help in run support.

Moreover, sometimes instinct and reaction time help to make up for 40 time... That's why Will Gay and his pedestrian 40 time played a decade in the league.

That's fine and I like him and think he'll be a good player. But I've seen enough offense that can scheme matchups you don't want. Just think of all the times that Spillane is on the field and somehow ends up responsible for covering the other team's #1 WR. That's what I think would end up happening with Hamilton a lot. Even though I like him, I think of him as a good LB in coverage that probably won't matchup well against WRs.

You can make that work, however, I would prefer to see us get a guy like Hill because I think he can cover a WR. Some even project he could be used as a CB. And with the QBs we'll face and the 3 WR sets being the norm, coverage is the biggest area we need an upgrade.

I'd much rather see us go up to get Sauce or Stingley over Hamilton. Or I'd be ok with staying put and seeing if Hill or Booth are available at 20.

Heck, I wouldn't be disappointed if we stayed put and took Booth and Cine 1 and 2. I really think coverage on the backend is important and our biggest area of concern.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Moreover, sometimes instinct and reaction time help to make up for 40 time... That's why Will Gay and his pedestrian 40 time played a decade in the league.

I've always found it funny how some cling to 40 times for some guys. Wouldn't getting a half step head-start because of great instincts account for half a second over 40 yards?

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Heck, I wouldn't be disappointed if we stayed put and took Booth and Cine 1 and 2. I really think coverage on the backend is important and our biggest area of concern.

If Booth fell to 20 and they took him, I'd be ecstatic! He was in my last version of mocks. My personal dream mock is Booth at 1.20 and a trade up to get Corral somewhere around end of day 1, start of day 2. That would make Colbert's final draft a slam dunk, IMO. I don't think any QB is more talented or fits the scheme better.

Having said that, I admit that I go back and forth in Mocking what *I* would do vs what i think the team would do...

Presently in my mocks, I'm leaning toward trying to guess what the team will do (thus the Hamilton pick). If the rumors are true and the groundwork has been laid for a trade up to 12, there's a reason. Since SS is the one position where the team doesn't have a starter, I see this as a very likely scenario if he makes it down there to 12.

One of the things i love is when guys fall due to offseason workouts - those guys typically continue to perform in pads and wind up being a steal in the draft. This kid started the offseason as potentially the top player in the draft.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

I've always found it funny how some cling to 40 times for some guys. Wouldn't getting a half step head-start because of great instincts account for half a second over 40 yards?

Agreed - 40 only matters if you're chasing someone down.... otherwise, I care more about how quickly someone diagnoses, processes and reacts. You can't measure that without pads

[papillon]

Pappy, I think it depends.

Totally, hypothetical, but say you're going up to 18 and grabbing Davis and that cost say a 4th. IMO, you can get "4th round talent" in free agency after the draft

While I wouldn't jump into the top 10, I don't see a problem with moving up a few slots if the guy is THE guy

I wouldn't be against that, I was thinking that the OP meant a major move up to grab a player. I think nearly everyone would be good with moving a few spots to grab a player tat can help immediately.

Pappy

[flippy]

Agreed - 40 only matters if you're chasing someone down.... otherwise, I care more about how quickly someone diagnoses, processes and reacts. You can't measure that without pads

I think it’s just a data point to support or alleviate concerns.

If a player looks good and then measures good, that a nice validation.

If a player looks good, but doesn’t measure well, I think you have to dig deeer into what you expect from the player at that position. The NFL competition gets bigger, faster, etc. so the mental side of the game doesn’t always translate. Actually that’s the hardest part of the transition for everyone.

So if you’re measurably slower and you react slower at the next level, it could be a double whammy working against you.

Do some slow guys work out? Of course. Do they all? Most don’t. And if you have a top pick you need to make sure you’re getting top value. A lot of teams already under value S. Measurables are just another question mark.

Bottom line is it’s just as like the could be Ryan Leaf or the next Jerry Rice. Especially at the top of the 1st.

The more he slips down, the bigger potential risk reward.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

I think it’s just a data point to support or alleviate concerns.

If a player looks good and then measures good, that a nice validation.

If a player looks good, but doesn’t measure well, I think you have to dig deeer into what you expect from the player at that position. The NFL competition gets bigger, faster, etc. so the mental side of the game doesn’t always translate. Actually that’s the hardest part of the transition for everyone.

So if you’re measurably slower and you react slower at the next level, it could be a double whammy working against you.

Do some slow guys work out? Of course. Do they all? Most don’t. And if you have a top pick you need to make sure you’re getting top value. A lot of teams already under value S. Measurables are just another question mark.

Bottom line is it’s just as like the could be Ryan Leaf or the next Jerry Rice. Especially at the top of the 1st.

The more he slips down, the bigger potential risk reward.

Speaking of Rice, wasn't he a 4.7 guy coming out of college?

[flippy]

Speaking of Rice, wasn't he a 4.7 guy coming out of college?

Yup. He was slow. I was thinking he might have even run 4.8, but you are probably right.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Yup. He was slow. I was thinking he might have even run 4.8, but you are probably right.

No clue... i just yanked that outta the air - LOL

[WindyCitySteel]

I've always found it funny how some cling to 40 times for some guys. Wouldn't getting a half step head-start because of great instincts account for half a second over 40 yards?

Kam Chancellor is a comp for Hamilton, ran a 4.7 at the combine, was a great player for years. Tall, rangy safety with great instincts.

I'd like to see 40 times calculated after the player has a running start.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Who is that one player you would use the draft capital to go up ten spots to #10?

Ben Roethlisberger circa 2004

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Kam Chancellor is a comp for Hamilton, ran a 4.7 at the combine, was a great player for years. Tall, rangy safety with great instincts.

I'd like to see 40 times calculated after the player has a running start.

The biggest problem - is the 4.6 guys "get old" faster. A 4.3 guy can play well into his 30's if he doesn't rely exclusively on speed (see: Rod Woodson). A 4.6 guy who is smart has about a 8-10 year ceiling before his lack of speed becomes a problem (see: William Gay).

Granted, I used CB as my examples, but you get the point.

[WindyCitySteel]

The biggest problem - is the 4.6 guys "get old" faster. A 4.3 guy can play well into his 30's if he doesn't rely exclusively on speed (see: Rod Woodson). A 4.6 guy who is smart has about a 8-10 year ceiling before his lack of speed becomes a problem (see: William Gay).

Granted, I used CB as my examples, but you get the point.

8-10 years is a helluva NFL career. That's likely what we're getting out of Watt, who will be 28 this season.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

8-10 years is a helluva NFL career. That's likely what we're getting out of Watt, who will be 28 this season.

right, it is.... and some of that is function of position, injury, etc. With TJ, I'd say it's a function of what the team looks like as he moves into his 30's. It's only worth the beating if you still have passion AND actually have a chance to get a ring.

Slightly off topic, but kinda on....

Right now, this team has a defense capable of a championship - assuming Tuitt and Alualu are there, they could hide the ILB. Edmunds is sufficient. Give this defense to the Bills, Packers or Bengals and they have a ring.

Offensively, QB, WR and o-line are not up to par.

It's kinda scary that I just said that - I honestly believe it. I think that's why I was willing to go all in for DeShaun Watson, even with his legal issues. I think JuJu would have pushed to stay and Watson's mobility would have covered up some of the o-line issues. The team would have been an immediate contender...