"Athletes" vs "Football Players"

[NorthCoast]

Can't argue with the fact that the Steelers drafted some top athletes. Will they translate to good football players?

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2oxc9JA][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/2oxc9JA]capture[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/191750946@N04/]R W[/url], on Flickr

[WindyCitySteel]

The first five were good football players in college, maybe the last two as well but don't know them.

[Northern_Blitz]

The first five were good football players in college, maybe the last two as well but don't know them.

And with late round guys, I think I'd rather take a gamble on a guy who has the ability but needs coaching vs. someone who thinks the game well but can't get to where he needs to be / do what he needs to do. Ideally, you want both. But those guys go really early.

I'm optimistic about this class, but I remember when we were optimistic about Mendenhall and Sweed too. Although my guess is that hit rates are higher for big guys than for skill position guys (particularly at that time, when I think WR hit rate early wasn't as good as I think it is now).

[NJ-STEELER]

A friendly reminder that Kendrick green scored very well on the RAS scores

[NorthCoast]

And with late round guys, I think I'd rather take a gamble on a guy who has the ability but needs coaching vs. someone who thinks the game well but can't get to where he needs to be / do what he needs to do. Ideally, you want both. But those guys go really early.

I'm optimistic about this class, but I remember when we were optimistic about Mendenhall and Sweed too. Although my guess is that hit rates are higher for big guys than for skill position guys (particularly at that time, when I think WR hit rate early wasn't as good as I think it is now).

Two of the Steelers dropped due to medical.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Can't argue with the fact that the Steelers drafted some top athletes. Will they translate to good football players?

I argue that GOOD players can be either. Elite players are usually both.

And there are exceptions in everything.

There are some guys who are not the highest rated athletes that become elite (Minkah comes to mind).
There are some guys who are highly rated athletes that bust.

In both cases, the difference is work ethic

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Two of the Steelers dropped due to medical.

In the case of D.Washington, he seemed annoyed that he dropped not due to a tear or anything normally considered major - it was some cleanup of soft tissue

[NorthCoast]

In the case of D.Washington, he seemed annoyed that he dropped not due to a tear or anything normally considered major - it was some cleanup of soft tissue

Sounds to be more than "cleanup"....

Unfortunately, the medical concerns are real. Per Walter Football, multiple teams "red-flagged" the former Bulldog and removed him from their board entirely. Washington suffered a foot injury before the 2021 season and again during the 2022 preseason.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 added a knee issue cropped up during Washington's medical evaluations that sounded alarms within the league.

This is so disheartening for Washington, who opened eyes and dropped jaws at the Combine with a 4.64 40-yard dash and measured at 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds. He clocked an elite 4.08 in the 20-yard shuttle and posted a 10-foot-2 broad jump. He's a rare breed of athlete who projected to double as an extra tackle and tight end as he developed his route-running, leverage use and understanding of coverages.

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[SteelerOfDeVille]

Sounds to be more than "cleanup"....

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let's hope it's all done now.

[Northern_Blitz]

A friendly reminder that Kendrick green scored very well on the RAS scores

Yep. Like every other tool, it's only one kind of data point.

[Northern_Blitz]

Two of the Steelers dropped due to medical.

Just like Pickins. I wonder if his encouraging year 1 made us more comfortable with the strategy of taking guys that fell due to injury?

Hopefully they all end up like Heath!

[NJ-STEELER]

Muth had a back injury and I think surgery after his last college season.

Getting clearances medically is an important part of the process