Home 2014 NFL Draft Is Martavis Bryant on the Steelers’ Radar?

Is Martavis Bryant on the Steelers’ Radar?

by Steeldad

BryantIt’s bad enough that we trust the Mel Kiper’s and Todd McShay’s of the world that never played professional football, but now we must decide if we should take a current player’s draft thoughts to heart.

Pittsburgh Steelers’ cornerback Ike Taylor mentioned the name of a Clemson receiver not named Sammy Watkins on his Trib-Live Radio Show this week.

The guy he brought he up was Martavis Bryant who has great speed (4.42) and excellent size at 6’5″ and just over 200 pounds. He is much more raw than other receivers his size however. Interest in Bryant makes some sense if we put two and two together. 

During the football season, much was made on social media of Steelers’ General Manager Kevin Colbert attending a Clemson game. Conspiracy theorists like myself wondered if Colbert wasn’t there to look at quarterback Tajh Boyd or the previously mentioned Watkins. 

While I don’t believe Bryant was the main reason Colbert went to Clemson, I do believe he was noticed. 

Bryant reminds me a lot of Plaxico Burress in terms of how he is built and some of his mannerisms on the field. While he wasn’t one of the Steelers’ 30 invites to during the pre-draft process according to ProFootballTalk.com, I have to believe he is someone the Steelers could look at late in the draft or in free agency should he fall there. 

UPDATE: Bryant was brought in for a visit in late March per our friends at BTSC.

He did have some academic issues and was suspended for a game because of throat-slashing gesture but he definitely fits the mold for a tall, red zone type of guy. His blocking will need tons of work and the Steelers will ultimately have to decide if he is a better option than Derek Moye who also fits the “tall, red zone” bill. 

Bryant doesn’t exactly have great hands either and tends to lack confidence on passes that should be solid receptions. This leads to bobbles and other issues. 

Whether Ike Taylor knows something the rest of do not will not be known until draft day but Bryant at the very least is an interesting late-round option.

(H/T to Alan Robinson at Trib-Live)

Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @steeldad and follow the website at @SCBlitz. He can be heard weekly on Trib-Live Radio talking Steelers and is a blogger for ESPN 970 in Pittsburgh.

 

 

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4 comments

Kevin April 24, 2014 - 6:20 pm

Byrant visited on 3/31/14. Check Steelerdepot.com or behindthesteelcurtain.com. They have lists of all the visits the Steelers had. Both sites have Bryant visiting the Steelers.

steeldad April 24, 2014 - 7:11 pm

Thanks Kevin. The initial list on ProFootballTalk did not have him attending. I’ll update it.

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls April 26, 2014 - 5:33 pm

I like Ike Taylor, but I’m not enthused about Martavis Bryant. Although an argument can be made on his behalf, I don’t like the drops and lack of polish. He looks like a project with some upside, but a “project” all the same. If we’re talking second round, I’d rather somebody more polished and pro-ready: Jarvis Landry (LSU) or Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt).

Everybody wants a 6’5″ receiver, but look at Justin Brown and Derek Moye. Just because a guy is tall doesn’t make him a good receiver in the NFL.

steeldad April 26, 2014 - 6:15 pm

Couldn’t agree more. This team can’t afford projects right now.

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