Two 8-8 seasons don’t negate the previous twelve which include two Super Bowls. Lots of teams would love to have a rebuilding period like that!
You know, i keep hearing that he’s a “tweener”, but come on…,the guy was the SEC’s DPOY. He’s worth a shot as much as some of these other kids.
ETA: Did he just get drafted by the Rams?
Now the UDFA time comes, which is often quite interesting too. For the record, the Browns have signed 3 UDFA’s so far, and all three of them are WR’s.
Fuck yeah! The Packers in a coup signed Joe Thomas!!!
Oh, not the Brown’s Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas, but the LB from South Carolina State?
Nevermind.
Yeah, but those were Cowher’s players. Go back and look.
Just go back. Let’s look at 2008
Take a look at his drafting of Rashard Mendenhall, in 2008. A wasted first round pick. And he was a waste. Who did the Steelers pass on? Well, Chris Johnson was taken with the very next pick. Matt Forte was taken in the 2nd, as was a guy named Ray Rice. How would Rice have looked in a Steeler Uniform? Jamaal Charles was taken in the 3rd, another back I would have rather had. Besides those guys, the Steelers missed both Jordy Nelson and DeSean Jackson, who were taken in the 2nd.
Let’s do a “where are they now” on Steeler draft picks, 2008…
1st Round - Mendenhall 2008-2012, 2013 with Cardinals, now RETIRED.
2nd Round - Limas Sweed, a bust, hung around until 2010, now with CFL. Played with Sask. RoughRiders and Ottawa RedBlacks
3rd Round - Bruce Davis. Never played in reg. season and was waived 2009. Parriots, Broncos , 49ers, Raiders, and now with CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
4th round - Tony Hills, OT… 2008-2010 3 years with Steelers org, gone. I don’t remember him at all, which means he was probably on the practice squad, then went to Broncos, Colts, Bills and Raiders.
5th. Dennis Dixon, QB. - with Steelers until 2010. Then went to Ravens, Eagles, and Bills
6th Mike Humpal, LB. - cut 2008, resigned 2009, cut 2009. Never played. His career highlight was his nickname was “Turd Ferguson”.
6th Ryan Mundy -DB. Cut in pre-season, 2008 resigned 2009, cut, signed by Redskins, released, now with Bears.
They signed Doug Legursky as an UFA. 2008-2012. Now with Buffalo.
So, they have nothing left from the Draft class of 2008, and the most productive member for them was UFA Doug Legursky.
That isn’t just bad, it is pathetic. And it is one of the reasons the Steelers have slid so badly. This is not the way to rebuild a roster. They are wasting their franchise QB. There is no excuse.
Colbert has swung and missed so many times, I can’t understand how he has a job. If you pick up a Mike Mayock and Mel Kiper draft guide, you could probably do as good a job, if not better job of drafting. Just pick the BPA at the position of greatest need. I’ll wager you would not do worse.
That is just one year. A complete donut for the roster, even for a reserve player. And the 2nd and 3rd rounders ended up in Canada, which tells you all you need to know about their talent level.
One of these days I will go back through all of the Colbert/Tomlin drafts. Trust me, it isn’t pretty… Especially at the beginning.
And if you remember (most people now forget) that Jason Worlids was a major bust and was almost released last year but they kept him and he had a great second half of the season. But how many years did it take him? Was last year his 3rd or 4th with the team? If he plays at or above the level he played at last year, great, but I am not convinced, and the Steelers must not be either… They took 2 more LB’s in this year’s draft, including our number 1.
More openly gay players got drafted than Texas Longhorns.
I didn’t even notice until checking the UFDA sites that Max Bullough was undrafted. Man, I’m even more curious what he did, and if it was the cause of everybody passing on him.
Oh, and I agree with this thought… But I have never believed that Colbert drafts in a vacuum. Cowher certainly had input. I assume Tomlin does too, which is why I have said the Steelers should have kept Cowher for drafting, and Tomlin for coaching.
I think if you look back at those Cowher teams, you see some great teams. The fact that Cowher lost 4 AFC championship games at home as well as one SB before breaking through is incredible. He was so close to being Andy Reid it is scary. But he did know talent, and that team through almost all of Cowher’s tenure was good. I never liked his big game coaching because he is from the Marty Schottenheimer coaching tree. The “play not to lose” philosophy only gets you so far, and Cowher proved that.
Tomlin took a Cowher team to the SB and won in only his second season.
I know we are lucky as Steeler fans. We could have an organization like the Browns, who suck the life out of their fans every year. I do understand that. However, that doesn’t mean we should be content with mediocrity. And I have said this before and i’ll say it again… It took the Steelers 2 decades to find Ben Rothlisberger… How bad will the team be when he is gone, and they can’t find another Franchise QB? So to me, you have to win now… Because when Ben goes, I suspect it will be very tough sledding for a while. Unless, of course, we get very lucky in the draft and find the next FQB.
Agreed with all that. Life without Ben will be tough. I do hope they can build up for another run or two. The one thing I always try to keep in mind watching the draft is you can’t fix an 8-8 team with one pick. I think they would have liked Gilbert or Fuller in the first but after they were gone they took their highest rated guy and just focused on making the team better. No worrying about percieved needs or imaginary draft grades, just getting guys they think can contribute now or later. Part of my optimism is based on last years’ picks as well who should develop into starters soon.
To recap my Saints draft:
- Brandin Cooks WR/Flex Oregon State
- Stanley Jean-Baptiste CB Nebraska
- Pick traded to move up for Cooks
- Khari Fortt LB Cal
- Vinnie Sunseri, S Alabama
- Ronald Powell, LB Florida
- Tavon Rooks, OT Kansas State
No center, so either UDFA, trade, or FA shopping is going to happen. Cooks is the heir apparent to the Sproles spot in the offense, and has all the tools to step up and contribute immediately. Needed help at CB, got same with an excellent mentoring situation coming in behind Champ Bailey. Fortt is projected as a weakside ILB, dunno much about him. Sunseri is probably looking at competing for a spot on special teams, but has some upside. Powell is expected to add depth at OLB. Rooks is projected at RT. Probably not going to start unless Strief gets hurt, but may grow into the starting job down the road.
Overall, not a bad draft class. I’m content, if not wildly enthused.
Have the Browns been motivated by watching “Draft Day”?
I would be interested to see what the Steelers board looked like. I was under the mistaken belief that they viewed Dennard as high as Fuller, and a bit lower than Gilbert. Gilbert didn’t figure to be there, so it would come down to whoever was there between Dennard and Fuller. But clearly, that wasn’t the case at all. They really must have had Dennard much lower than I thought.
If all these guys pan out, it is a great draft. But every team can say that. And the truth is, very few players pan out like they are projected to.
Maybe they have someone in mind as a free agent that will fill the CB need. It is wait and see time.
One last note. And this is just a comment about their drafting philosophy… I really wish they would start looking at Pitt players more closely.
They share a facility on the South Side, as well as the Stadium. I think the Steelers have missed out in some terrific players from their own back yard, and you can go back to before Marino to see the trend. Marino is the biggest name that the Steelers skipped in the early 80’s, but by no means the only guy they by-passed.
I put together a list of these missed opportunities and I’ll see if I can find it. But what I think it would do if the Steelers started drafting and signing more Pitt players is that more local kids would go to Pitt, strengthening the program. Also, great high school players from Ohio, NY, NJ, and PA would see a great opportunity to be seen by the pro team that shares some of the same facilities. It would be a great recruiting tool for the Pitt program, and in tuen it would give the Steelers a great pool to choose from
Granted, they wouldn’t get everyone… But they’ve had their share of shots at many of the players Pitt produced over the past 30 years and just skipped them.
In 2009, LeSean McCoy was in the draft. The Steelers didn’t take him, largely because they already had Mendenhall, but they had a shot. And the Eagles grabbed him in the second. Anyone that saw him play and had their eyes open knew he had the makings of an excellent pro. He stood out in every game he played in, and I saw almost every home game in person. He was amazing. I am not a pro scout, but you didn’t have to be to see his talent, and yet they took Ziggy Hood (no longer with the team) at 32. McCoy went 53 to Philadelphia.
That is a Kevin Colbert/Tomlin special.
Drives me crazy, it does. It would be different if they took a guy that was good, but Hood was an underachiever at best.
We can look into this in more depth some other time.
Very happy with the Packers draft. I really like the Adams pick, especially. Rodgers is great at throwing receivers open and Adams seems like the kind of guy who can create some opportunities for Rodgers to place the ball where only he can get it. I also like that we drafted the next Jordy Nelson, says no one. Bradford is a great pickup. My least favorite pick was the TE out of Cal, Rodgers.
Interestingly, Christian Jones is apparently joining the Bears as a UDFA. He actually has an excellent shot at making the roster.
So who had the best and worst drafts?
I’m not thrilled with the Panthers’ draft, but my mind could be changed.
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(28) Kelvin Benjamin (WR) - Big body WR that fills a need. A bit of a reach at 28, but Gettleman had him ranked higher than Marquis Lee and grabbed him. Boom or bust guy. If it’s a boom, he can be a big target for Cam.
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(60) Kony Ealy (DE) - Good value as some analysts had a first round grade on him. Not an immediate need but provides depth at a strength position and is insurance if Hardy of Johnson become cap casualties next year.
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(92) Trai Turner (OG) - Really needed left side help, but he has a chance to start on right side on weak O line. Don’t know a lot about him.
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(128) Tre Boston (S) - Head scratcher. Better players available, and more needs than Safety.
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(148) Bene Benwikere - (CB) - They gave up their 7th rounder to move up for him. I like this pick.
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(204) Tyler Gaffney - (RB) - Another head scratcher. Could have added more secondary depth or taken a flier on an offensive lineman project here.
Overall, I like three of the picks. Cautiously optimistic about another (Benjamin) and disliked two picks.
Overall Grade - C+ with the chance to improve if Benjamin hits.
Ask in three years.
Ed Bouchette says they had Gilbert and Odell Beckham Jr. rated higher and they had Shazier rated much higher than the picks after him. They knew a lot of teams had Fuller as the top ranked corner so they would have needed a run on QBs to have a shot at Gilbert.
Also interesting to note that supposedly Dallas was on the phone with Shazier’s agent and were planning to make him their selection when the Steelers took him.
I’ve been watching more clips of Shazier and Tuitt. They may not start right away but it bodes well for the future of the D. They had to switch to having the Ends press the pocket and have all the linebackers watching two gaps. They may have the right steps in place to go back to two gaps for the linemen and the LBs can be freed up some more. Shazier gets stymied in his gap a lot which is the same problem Jarvis Jones has but on the bright side it was a problem for Timmons in his first year too and they were able to correct it. Tuitt has excellent technique for the 3-4. Strong hands and holds his position without moving towards the line, good balance. Those are all the same things Aaron Smith brought to our line for so many years. We’ll see if he can do it at this level.
My favorite comment from a scout about Packers 7th round draft pick Jeff Janis:
“He’s horrible”.
Heh.
Well, if Tuitt turns into another Aaron Smith, I would be thrilled.
Smith was the most underrated Steeler for a decade until he got injured. Then all of a sudden, people were wondering what happened to our defense.