Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Team Column
| 28 April 2008 |
The 2008 NFL Draft Recap
The 2008 NFL Drafts is now in the books, so lets take a look at who the Steelers added this weekend.
Round 1 – pick #23 – (RB) Rashard Mendenhall –Runs a 4.45 40-Yard Dash . Great Body . Can break tackles as well as pick and slide and weave through traffic. Can also catch the ball. Ran for 1681 yards and scored 17 touchdowns and caught 34 passes for 318 yards and 2 touchdowns last season. In my pre-draft analysis I stated that I thought the only way the Steelers would go running back in the first round would be if all the top tier offensive lineman were gone. Well , come pick #23 the top 6 offensive tackles had already came off the board as well as the top guard Branden Albert. And I don’t think there were many experts out there that thought Mendenhall would still be on the board at #23. Steelers did the right thing and took the best player available and didn’t reach for a need position.
Round 2 – pick #53 – (WR) Limas Sweed –
Runs a 4.45 40-Yard Dash. Has excellent size , very good vertical speed and great leaping ability. Has excellent work ethic and is very driven. A wrist injury his senior year is probably the reason he fell to the second round as otherwise most would consider him a first round talent. Again , a very good player fell in the Steelers laps in round 2. Big Ben lobbied for a big wideout in the off season and I thought they would try to get him one but I had no idea they would have the chance at Limas Sweed in the 2nd round. Again , taking the best player available and not reaching for need.
Round 3 – pick #88 - (DE/OLB) Bruce Davis – UCLA – 6’3” 252 LBS
I really thought the Steelers would go offensive line here but they made a very typical Steeler pick here in taking a college (DE) that is projected as an (OLB) in the NFL.
Round 4 – pick #130 (OT)
Converted TE with some natural athleticism. In 743 pass plays he allowed only 4 sacks and 7 pressures. Steelers finally go offensive line and get a good mid round pick who could develop into a quality player.
Round 5 – pick #156 (QB) Dennis
Slash II – This kid is superathletic. Look for the Steelers to incorporate some special plays to get this guy on the field.
Round 6 – pick #188 (LB) Mike Humpal –
Very productive overachiever. Hard worker who will try to contribute on special teams and provide depth.
Round 6 – pick #194 (FS) Ryan Mundy –
Runs well. Started out at
The Steelers traded down in the 4th round with the New York Giants and picked up an extra pick in the 6th round for doing so.
On paper I do like this draft by the Steelers. If I had to put a grade on it I would probably give them a solid B.
The one need that they did not address in this draft was the defensive line. I hope they work some of their undrafted free agent magic and find a defensive lineman who can come in and provide some much needed depth.
Potentially the picks of Mendenhall and Sweed in the first 2 rounds could turn out to be steals. Coach Tomlins post draft comments mentioned that sometimes you try to protect your QB by giving him more weapons. I’m not sure I’m buying that theory but it could make watching this offense a lot more fun over the next few years.
Of course you never really know how good a draft is until you get a few years down the road but this draft does have the potential to be a good one.
| 15 April 2008 |
Steelers Mock Draft
The 2008 NFL draft is now a mere two weeks away and since last providing my Steelers draft thoughts back in February , the Steelers game plan for the draft has changed given the roster additions and subtractions that have been made.
The offensive line was and still is considered to be the area the Steelers would most like to upgrade. All-Pro guard Alan Faneca, as expected, has left via free agency to join the New York Jets. The Steelers have placed the transition tag on (T) Max Starks and have re-signed (G) Chris Kemoeatu & (T) Trai Essex to 1 year deals. Tackles Marvel Smith & Willie
(OLB) Clark Haggans has signed with
The defensive backfield could use a playmaker as the Steelers finished at the bottom of the league in
Some feel that a future stud (RB) should be drafted but I think the only way the Steelers do that is if all the 1st Round worthy offensive lineman are gone by the time they pick at # 23. The Steelers are hoping that the signing of free agent Mewelde Moore will improve the 3rd down back and short yardage play.
Big Ben has asked for a big (WR) this off season and the team may try to get one in the draft especially after the release of veteran wideout Cedric Wilson.
Another area of dissatisfaction from last season was special teams, so any player they may look at on Day Two will look even better if they have a reputation of being of good special teamer. (LB) Keyaron Fox was signed with the intention of adding depth inside and on special teams.
After much research, here is what I think would make for a valuable 2008 draft for our Pittsburgh Steelers.
Round 1 – (G) Branden Albert – Virginia – 6’7” 315 lbs – Projected as the best (G) in this draft and has the potential to handle the (LT) position as well. Very athletic as he was a prep hoops standout.
Round 2 – (CB) Charles Godfrey –
Round 3 – (DL) Kellen Dykes –
Round 4 – (DE/OLB) Shawn Crable –
Round 5 – (S) Dominigue Barber –
Round 6 – (WR) Maurice Purify – Nebraska – 6’3” 230 lbs – Good size and red zone ability What is red zone ability, “good nose for the ball in the red zone” “a red zone threat”, had 7 TD’s as a Jr. and 9 TD’s as a Sr.
As mentioned earlier, the Steelers could take a shot at a (RB) with their First round pick if all the top offensive lineman are off the board and if last years draft (The first under Mile Tomlin) is any indication there will be some surprises. (Trading up in 4th round to take a punter)
| 1 Feb 2008 |
Steelers Draft Needs
Within minutes of the Steelers playoff loss to the Jags my thoughts turned toward the upcoming draft in April. I know, it’s still several weeks away but it will be here before we know it.
As I begin to formulate my early wish list of players to draft, I find myself wondering, why do I feel like this team needs help at several different positions in order to get back to the Super Bowl?
After all, this is a team that won their division, finished with a 10-6 record, had only 1 loss by more than 7 points (and that was to
Fact is, between their own free agents and the upcoming draft; the Steelers have some really big decisions to make because in looking at the list of the Steelers opponents for next season they may well have the toughest schedule in the league. They could be hard pressed to go 10-6 again.
With (G) Alan Faneca and (OT) Max Starks being UFA’s and (OT) Trai Essex and (G) Chris Kemoeatu being RFA’s it’s pretty much a given that they will draft offensive line early in this draft. The question will be how early, how often, and at what positions.
Could you imagine if the Steelers lost all four of these guys? They would have to draft at least three O-Lineman unless they picked up somebody in the free agent market which is highly unlikely; this is the Steelers we’re talking about.
My feeling is that Faneca will be gone and out of Starks , Essex , and Kemoeatu they will keep two of the three. So my guess is , they’ll go o-line in either the 1st or 2nd round and then again sometime by no later than the 5th round.
As far as other needs go , I feel like the Steelers need a playmaker in the defensive backfield.
Hines Ward seemed a little miffed at Big Ben’s statement about wanting a big receiver but I’m with Ben on this one. I too like our trio of Ward , Santonio Holmes and (TE) Heath Miller but having that big wideout that creates mismatches is great to have. My dream is for Indiana’s (WR) James Hasty (6’6”) to be there come time for the Steelers pick – the Steelers trade down a few spots in Round 1 to pick up some extra picks later on – and still get Hasty at the end of Round 1. That would be SWEET but that’s probably why that’s not going to happen.
So , here’s what I think is more likely to happen.
Round 1 – (OT) Pittsburghs Jeff Otah or Gosder Cherilus of
Round 2 – (G)
Round 3 – (RB) Matt Forte of Tulane – described as a power back with nimble feet (sound familiar Steeler fans ? ) Not much behind Willie Parker and he’s coming off of a broken leg.
Round 4 – (DE) Brian Johnston from little Gardner-Webb – 6’5” 276 lbs – if he puts on 15-20 lbs he would be an Aaron Smith look alike – (I did say look alike not play alike)
Round 5 – (WR) Paul Hubbard of
Round 6 – (DT-DE) Keilen Dykes of West Virginia – said to be versatile and big enough to play either nose or end in 3-4 defense.
Round 7 – (S) Corey Lynch of Appalachian State – a late round Safety find in an attempt to discard (S) Tyrone Carter who probably set a record in the playoff game against the Jags for missed tackles.
As mentioned before I would love to see the Steelers take (WR) James Hasty in the first round. They could still take one of the top guards in the draft in the 2nd round and then go with a 2nd tier (OT) in the 3rd round such as 6’5” 320 lb John Greco of
Well , those are my draft thoughts here on February 1st , free agency will play a big part in how things change between now and then , so when we get to April l’ll get back with you on my thoughts then.