My Steelers draft thoughts. I'm going to talk about the individual guys and then some trends.
1 - Alvin 'Bud' Dupree, olb, Kentucy - A surprise that he fell to 22. His production didn't match his combine measurables. Looking at his tape, I believe that he doesn't always initiate contact with the offensive tackle when playing the run or pass. He shows it at times, but not consistently. If he can just fire the first shot, he's going to be a beast. Amazing first step and burst. 10 yard split is the same as Amari Cooper. It's going to take a year or two, imo, but he'll be good.
2 - Senquez Golson, cb, Mississippi - A former Red Sox center fielder that has a great feel for tracking the football. And catching the football. Willing and capable tackler. Not the greatest combine numbers and is on the small side.
3 - Sammy Coates, wr, Auburn - A physical beast. Reminds me of Terrell Owens. Dropped a lot of easy balls and caught a lot of difficult ones. Played in a limited offense with a limited quarterback. A little ahead of where Bryant was last year.
4 - Doran Grant, cb, Ohio State - A competitive guy with decent athleticism. Also a willing tackler. Played a lot of zone scheme, as did Golson. That's fine, because that's what the Steelers do, too.
5 - Jessie James, te, Penn State - Big. Really tall, really raw. Mostly a blocker in college, but flashed an ability to run routes and catch. His blocking was adequate, but not great.
6 - LT Walton, de, Central Michigan - About the right size for a swing tackle but could stand to be in better shape. Probably a guy who'll be a project, end up on the practice squad and then be picked up by the Cardinals in mid-season.
6 - Anthony Chickillo, olb, Miami - Played with his hand down in college. Total project at olb. Big, decent athlete.
7 - Gerod Holliman, s, Louisville - Consensus all-american who had 14 total interceptions. Will also lay the wood.
Standing back and looking at these guys, a few trends stand out.
Firstly, both of the olb picks are big guys. Could this be a sign that new d-coordinator, Dick Butler, will use an 'elephant' position? If Chickillo makes the squad, the answer is a definitive yes.
The Steelers drafted 3 defensive backs. They're all good to great tacklers. They also all showed an ability to defend and intercept the football in the air. Good news, imo.
The biggest weakness of the offense last year was red zone scoring. Both of the receiver picks are big guys that should be able to pluck lobbed footballs.
For the second year in a row, the Steelers got a couple of highly rated sparq guys, in Dupree and Coates. Last year, it was Shazier and Bryant.
Overall, not the most exciting draft. Hopefully it does provide years of productivity at a few areas of need.
