The jury is still much divided on the performance of Steve McLendon in his first full year at the nose tackle position. Therefore, there is much speculation that the Steelers may look for a more natural nose tackle in the NFL Draft in May.
I say “natural” because McLendon is 6′ 4″ tall and has very good length. This is not the prototypical nose tackle that Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau likes to deploy.
In the 3-4 system, guys like Casey Hampton and Joel Steed have not been taller than 6′ 2″ and have weighed in at well over 300 lbs.
The speculation that surrounds a nose tackle being selected at #15 is centered on Notre Dame defensive tackle Louis Nix III. At 6′ 3″, Nix is just slightly shorter than McLendon but at 357 lbs, Nix has a good 50 lbs on McLendon.
In terms of fitting the role, Nix does this perfectly but I have one huge reservation with taking him or any other nose tackle in the first round.
Why draft a guy who will be on the field far less than half of the snaps the defense plays? Two and three years ago, the Steelers’ defense spent roughly 55% of the time out of their base 3-4 defense. In 2013, that numbered clearly increased as LeBeau moved to more nickel and dime packages to combat more passing offenses.
The Steelers’ Troy Polamalu played significant snaps at linebacker in a year where Larry Foote went down in the first game forcing rookie Vince Williams into action.
Nix may well be the run-stuffing nose tackle the Steelers need but should they or any team invest a number one draft pick in a guy who will not be a three-down player?
I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t have concerns about his overall ability too. Granted Alabama’s offensive line in the 2013 BCS Title game was almost professional but they had their way with Nix over and over. He also showed some inconsistency against other teams that were run heavy as well.
I’m not to the point in the process where I’m advocating one player or position over another but I definitely want a first rounder to be a guy who does more than just contribute. I want to see a guy makes plays on first, second and third downs and not just on a limited basis.
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 Mondays on Trib-Live Radio at 730pm ET talking Steelers and is a blogger for ESPN 970 in Pittsburgh.
44 comments
Nix is very athletic for 340 pounds.
I think it’s probably a moot point anyway once he goes to the combine. I could definitely see him wowing there, and climbing like Dontari Poe did.
It really has less to do with liking or not liking him, I just don’t think we should use a first rounder on him. We need guys that can make and impact on every down.
Have you been watching the NFL playoffs? All 4 teams are there because of power running games and all would have killed the Steelers WITH said power running attack right through the mddle of the defense. Yep, some had to do with Foote going down and the adjustments made at ILB, but don’t kid yourself. The NT position (and I did have hopes for McClendon) stunk. Much rather see him tried at RDE, than another season at NT.
If Nix is available. Take him.
Don’t mistake the running attacks in the playoffs for what offense really is today. This season set records for points, passing yards and touchdowns. Running the ball is still crucial in the NFL but you still need to be able to throw it. People think the Niners won last week by running. It was the passing combo of Kaepernick to Bolden that was the difference.
Nix may be a very good player but wasting a 1st round pick on a guy who plays less than 50% of the snaps is not smart in my opinion.
Difference of opinion then.
Denver was (too me) an outlier and busted the league passing stats. New England ran
the ball all year as did Seattle. San Fran with Gore also ran it all year, unless they were playing Seattle and Carolina…due to their run D. They also lost to both of them (during the season).
San Fran beat GB and Carolinia as much die to Kaeper running as much as his passing.
Baltimore was down because they could not get their running game going and Dalton was exposed in Cincy when they couldn’t run.
Even tho all the rules favor the passing game…the good teams are still running the ball and ya better be able to stop it. The Steelers stopped no one in 2013 and it all started at the “nose”.
JMO
As I said, running the football is still vitally important to a team’s success. My feeling is that you can get a guy to play nose later in the draft rather than the first round. Guys who will receive first round money need to be on the field as much as possible. With the Steelers being out of the base well over 50% of the time, Nix wouldn’t be on the field very much.
we need to draft two pulling guards to acommodate Levon Bell to control the clock better. on DEFENCE WE COULD USE TWO NOSETACKLES AT TIMES THAT WILL CREATE HOLDS FOR THE LINEBACKERS TO BLITZ UP THE GAPS BETTER AND FASTER THAT WILL HELP THE CORNERS ALOT PRESSURE BUST PIPES!!!!! U HEARD ME!!!! MR.MIKE TOMBLIN P/S TRY IT ONE TIME OR TWO HELL OR THREE LOL
Two nose tackles would mean you’re going to the 4-3 and that isn’t happening. DeCastro will continue to get better and I agree. Another athletic guard would be nice.
I saw Nix play against Pitt this past season and he was pushed by a lousy Pitt line that had trouble blocking the whole year. Nix has weight issues. You people are gonna sit there and tell me Nix can maintain his weight on this defense then you are out of your minds. Please stop saying OT cause you obviously think the Steelers will admit there mistake with Adams and Gilbert. I gonna tell you people again IT WILL NEVER EVER HAPPEN.
I never say never, but I saw the same issues when he played Pitt the last two years. I like his hustle but I just am not seeing a guy worth a first round selection.
I get that there are holes on D but unless that guy is someone both Tomlin and LeBeau will start from the moment they hit camp they avoid defense until round 2. Nix has weight issues and if Brian Kelly couldn’t fix that why would any other bother with him. The pats coach tried with Haynesworth and look where that got him. People want to see the Defense get younger but LeBeau won’t change his mind when it comes to rookies and I wish people would see that cause I get sick and tired of having to type the same statement over and over again.
Teams like to spread the Steelers out and make their LBs make plays in space.To me the biggest impact of Hampton and Stead was in the pass..demanding double teams so the ILBs could get that inside Pass rush.McLendon may not be he Steelers typical NT but he did disrupt the middle in pass situations. Al Woods was decent also and I think Ziggy plays better at NT then DE..good thing about all 3 is that their interchangeable another reason why I don’t like Nix or anyway other defensive player #1because we all know there’s a 90% chance they’ll sit 2years and just play special teams. Jarvis was an exception. If they do go Defence #1 you go after a shutdown DB that can play Man to Man or a OLB to replace Woodley. But a Big physical WR for Ben is 1st on my wish list..after that they can go D side 2-7
Thank you blkandgold4life you are by far the only person that I can see on this site that agrees that WR the top need. People keep assuming that I want the Steelers to avoid defense I don’t. What I said was unless they start from day 1 then why bother with Defense in the 1st just so that this team can pick a bum WR in the late rounds of the draft.
Believe me Vittorio, you aren’t the only one who wants to see a WR chosen up in round one. Blkandgold4life makes an excellent point about the impact the nose can have against the pass. I believe we need to have a good one, but no way should we spend a first rounder on it.
You steeldad and Blkandgold4life along with myself are the only 3 people who want WR in the 1st round. Everybody thinks wait until round3 or 4 and get your WR there. Well in those people minds they want Wheaton as there NO.2 and the draft pick to be the NO.3 WR and that is foolish. This is not Seattle or New England where it’s acceptable to have sorry excuse WR’s. This is the Steel City and for Ben he needs that WR help desperately cause if anybody thinks that a mid round WR will do good have a look at WR’s under Tomlin that have been drafted or undrafted and lets see how they turned out.
1.Limas Sweed- a bust who could never catch
2.Dallas Baker-anybody seen him now a days
3.Wallace-wanted more money than he was worth
4.Sanders-dropped more big passes than he made during his career
5.Justin Brown-was there a point in taking him last season
6.Wheaton-coaching staff decided against using him in any capacity
7.Derek Moye-can barley get off the practice squad.
So now I want somebody to tell me what success other than AB has Tomlin and Colbert have had in taking WR’s after the 1st round?
Good stuff Vittorio. It’s hard to argue with the poor drafting of WRs which worries me even if they go for one in the first.
I just don’t want to see us pick a defensive player who will sit for two years. If it’s a defensive player who plays immediately then I could stomach that but I still like WR or athletic TE.
All I hear from every draft site I go to it’s this “They can get WR in the mid round based on there recent success of drafting those WR’s”. To me that is the biggest load of garbage I ever heard. Everybody wants Benjamin well have you read his report if not here is the jist of it: Raw route runner, not always on when it matters. Robinson is younger version of Boldin and based on what has recently happened that is not a good sign. Jordan Matthews and Street are being questioned on there speed. Beckham is a younger version of cotchery and why draft him if you want the old one back under contract? So somebody explain to me what evidence does anybody have to suggest that the Steelers should ignore these 3 guys: Watkins, Evans and Lee in favor of a Defensive player who won’t start under LeBeau his rookie year or at best 3 years or take another OT when if they did that it meant they screwed up with Adams and Gilbert and ask yourselves this: when was the last time the Steelers admitted to a mistake?
I am “one of those people who think they should get a WR in the 3rd or 4th rd”. NOT because they have had success beyond the 2nd rd. Btw, you ask “what success has Tomlin & Colbert have had in taking WRs beyond the 1st rd?” Then you make a list thats laughable! Wallace was a terrific deep threat for the Steelers, the fact that he wanted more money than he was worth DOES NOT make him a bad pick. Baker & Brown were VERY late picks (I believe 6th/7th rd) Moye wasnt even a Steeler draft pick. Wheaton never had much of a chance between missing OTA’S/ injuries/ and playing behind Brown/Sanders/cotchery. Speaking of Sanders, I thought this year, (his first as a starter, he had a pretty productive season), that being said I still expect him to sign elsewhere. My reasoning for drafting a WR in the 3rd/4th rd is due to the terriffic depth at WR this year. I would prefer someone such as an EBRON/GILBERT/HAGEMAN/TUITT type of pick, in the first, then go from there. I just dont see nearly the same type of calibre type of talent in the 3rd or 4th rd of the 4 players Ive just mentioned as I see depth wise at WR.
We’ll agree to disagree on Wallace because I saw him as a very average receiver. Take away his speed and he doesn’t even get drafted. I think Brown more than proved who the right guy was to sign long-term. As for the list provided by another reader, there isn’t anything else one can do about it. Those are the guys that have been drafted. They are what they are.
I agree that Sanders had a good season but he’ll want too much money to stay here. I’m with you on Ebron. Would love to see him be the pick.
At the end of the day, PRODUCTION is all that matters, and Wallace produced! For you to say “take away his speed, and he doesn’t even get drafted” really makes no sense. Thats like saying “take away Dan Marinos arm strength/release and hes not a first round pick” or “take away Megatrons size, and hes not the best receiver in the league”. The bottom line they have those gifts and helped them be the players they were/are. BTW, Im not putting Wallace in that class, but I think you get the point.
I understand your point. We just have a difference of opinion in regards to Wallace’s talent and worth. No worries.
Wallace’s production dropped of primarily because of Brown but also because he felt he was worth what guys like Megatron and Fitzgerald were worth and that’s laughable. I want no part of TE. This is not a 2 TE league. TE is a QB’s safety blanket, a guy who will make a big 3rd down catch and someone who occasionally causes a matchup problem and nothing else. NE ran that 2 TE offense and look where they are now. One is in jail and the other is constantly hurt. Cincy will fail trying to run that type of offense and the same will apply to the ravens. Forgo D until the 2nd round and that is where you can try to fix those holes. WR is the best choice when it comes to the 1st round. You say there’s value in the mid rounds at WR but I say who. Jordan Matthews- bigger version of Brown , Street- good route runner and hands but that’s about it. What Paul Richardson, Josh Huff- slot guys for any team. Beckham-younger version of cotchery but what good is that going to do for this team. I want this team to make WR there 1st pick cause once the top 3 are gone you have a bunch of guys who are either like Brown or Sanders. By that I mean either they become guys that turn a 10yrd catch into a 20yrd gain or they end hurt or dropping big catches. I still stand by what I have said about wheaton- when he was healthy the coaching staff never bothered to use him in any way, whether that be, KR, PR or using him in trick plays.
Yes, Wallace’s production fell off with the emergence of Brown, but given the great production that Brown has now shown (100plus rec/1500 yard season), Im not sure you can expect huge #s from whomever the starter opposite will be. Look at the top guys around the league right now (Megatron/Fitzgerald etc) the Wrs opposite them are not exactly putting up big #s (you can only spread the ball so much). Throw in a guy like Miller, plus Spaeth, who is not a receiving threat, but when he returned, was on the field approx 50% of the time (not bad for a league that “isnt 2 TE”) and then there is Bell, who next year (barring Injury) should be good for 60 plus grabs, I just dont see the value at #1. And yes there is good value at WR in the mid round, who you ask? Not including the “big three” or the other 5 guys you mentioned (that makes 8) some of the names to keep any eye on between now and the draft: Davante Adams/Kelvin Benjamin/Chis Boyd/Martavias Bryant/Brandon Coleman/BrandonCooks/Donte Moncreif/Jarvis Landry/Alan Robinson/De Anthony Thomas (just to name 10 more). Granted some of these guys are smaller “slot type” guys, but they will be drafted and eat up draft slots.
Lets look at some of these guys you mentioned. Benjamin-is seemingly everybody’s favorite but he is like Patterson: Raw Route runner and not always a high motor. Landry is no better than Beckham. Moncrief ran noting but vertical routes so that makes him a taller version of Wallace. Bryant was a disappointment this entire season, other than Georgia game what did he do. Adams has size but I’m not intrigued by that guy. Cooks is another version of Wheaton and everybody said that Wheaton had speed, well what exactly did the Steelers do when he was healthy? Nothing at all really. Robinson is another Boldin and you saw how Boldin performed very recently. Coleman is a good name but had bad production which is now bringing questions of “is he really that good or was a 1 year wonder?” I say screw those mid round WR’s. If Lee or Watkins or Evans is there at 15 then take him. I’m sick of tired of this team picking mid round WR’s cause it just ends being bad for them. AB is the only mid round WR who did no wrong since he’s been her. Wallace dropped a lot of passes just Sanders. Wallace felt that he belonged with those guys but when he had to show it he failed in that attempt. Look at the other WR’s the Steelers drafted and you tell me how did that turn out for them. You picked Baker and Sweed and where exactly are they now in this day and age. I told you Sanders dropped big passes and that is no lie you can ask radio host in Pittsburgh and you’ll get the same answer. Those other WR’s on the roster can be the slot guy but they need a legit NO.2 and other than top 3 I see no one who will fill that role. Sorry I just don’t see it and I have seen this entire WR draft class and reading a fair amount on reports on these mid round guys that just make me say “this is the best you got” If this team ignores WR it means that they don’t want Ben to have anybody good. You give me all these WR’s but I counter that by saying” have you seen the ones that came through here”. Wallace became a baby his last year and a lot fans remember that along with the big drops more than the catches and yds he had. I keep saying that WR is the best 1st round choice but all of you seem to have this blind faith in WR’s who the Steelers never wanted to use regardless of whether they were hurt or in the starting lineup. If they wanted to use them they would done so a long time ago.
I can see this back & forth with you is going on and on. I suggest you go into this draft with an open mind in terms of who the Steelers might take in the first rd. As I have, ie Hageman, Tuitt, Ebron etc, otherwise you may end VERY disappointed, Mr “Big three”.
All I can tell you guys is that right now we don’t have a clue where this team is focused for round one. Colbert was interveiwed at the Senior Bowl Monday and most of his comments centered around cornerbacks. This time of year I’m just throwing out talking points and I’m glad to see it has you two talking!
I do have an open mind when it comes the rest of the teams draft picks but when it comes to the 1st round I see it as WR and if they go TE then what was the point of signing back speath? Hageman is someone who could in the 1st but more likely the 2nd round is where he would end up at. Notre Dame products should be avoided or have a warning sign that says:proceed with caution when taking this player. I have tried to see the value of these other WR’s but there are more questions with them than answers. Colbert mentioned depth at the CB in the draft which practically says” I see CB value in the mid rounds” Look at guys like Huff, Herron, Richardson and Campanaro: all of them are short and would be slot guys. Bryant who played opposite of Watkins is probably not going to be drafted. Coleman has size but lack of production is what is killing him and the dude is 6’6 so how can you not produce. Beckham as I have said is younger Cotchery which makes no sense. If you take him then you can’t sign Cotchery and have 2 of the same guys on the roster if you do. Unless that Defensive player will start his rookie year then why go that route again in the 1st round?
When I say “an open mind” to the draft its the first rd Im talking about. Dont get me wrong, if the Steelers happen to select Evans, I will not be disappointed, (the guys a beast). Re some of your other comments: “if they go TE, what was the point of signing back Spaeth?” Really? you”re comparing aguy like Ebron to Spaeth? The idea of drafting Ebron is two-fold: 1. As the “heir apparent” to a 32 year old (with a currently big cap# Miller). and 2. A dimension (a true field streaching) TE, that Ben has never had. Also, I would be SHOCKED if a guy of the skill set of a Hageman (6″6 318 lbs/Explosive) 3 down player slides out of the first rd.
I hate the idea of a 2 TE set. If added another dimension then why did it fail with Gronk and Hernandez? For a short time they were good but it fell apart so fast the Pats have never recovered. Gronk is constantly hurt which does not bode well for other TE’s. i.e. Graham, Miller. Hernandez was a bad dude since his Florida days but nobody knew that until recently. I could care less about a 2 TE set.. Miller is a guy who you can rely on for big 3rd down plays, occasional red zone TD’s and his blocking ability is more necessary than his catching ability. I didn’t say important I said necessary. I have an open mind it’s just that I see WR as the only option in the 1st. Lets look at the other positions: OT- they go there they will admit to a mistake with Adams and Gilbert, Any Defensive position in the draft will never start his rookie year or at the very least 2-3 years. Does any fan have that kind of patience when it comes to that. There 2nd TE is more of a insurance option. That means if it ever comes to spaeth or any other TE on the roster there more or less a check down option. Hageman may fall out of the 1st round. The guy is no the border of being a 1st round pick to being a 2nd round pick. The Steelers will wait at least a couple of more years before they talk about Miller’s replacement.
You may hate the idea of a 2 TE set, but Todd Haley does”nt (the last time I checked, he was the OC) so you might want to get used to it. Honestly some of the stuff you say is just unbelievable: “Gronk is constantly hurt, which does not bode well for other TE’s” What does that got to do with the Steelers selecting a TE? I could sat “there are so many primadonna wrs in the league, over the last few years, so I hope they dont select one in the draft!” Does that make sense to you? You keep saying “I have an open mind, its just that I see Wr, as the only option in the 1st”. But if I was a betting man, I say they go elsewhere, IE Ebron/Tuitt/Hageman/Gilbert etc. (Maybe even in a trade down, since you dont think any of these guys would be worthly selections for the Steelers @15.
I think those guys are good and will succeed but no matter what defensive player at any position they take they end on the bench for about 2 years then see siginifcant playing time. You say Haley likes it but he is only the OC he has no say in the draft. I’m sure he has talked to both Colbert and Tomlin about a 2 TE set but I’m doubting they want to got that route. It takes 2 to trade, plus the Steelers don’t have enough picks to make trades. You have seen how this 2 TE system has turned out. The pats ran it for 3 years but now look at them. One can’t stay healthy even if he tried, the other is in jail. The ravens ran it and had success in 2012 but that was because of Boldin, Smith, Jones and Rice. Now look at this past season: Rice somehow forgot how to run the ball(Not my words the experts have said that) You trade Boldin which made more sense for the 49ers than the Ravens. Smith and Jones become less effective and there TE situation goes down before the regular season starts. I know hat I said but I’ll clarify: I have an open mind to the other rounds, but as the 1st goes either they give Ben help or they will end again 8-8 regardless of the D. Manning’s defense was basically hurt the whole year and now there in the superbowl. The pats lost Wilfork, Mayo and Talib there 3 best defensive players and they end in the AFC Title game granted those teams were better but still they got there. Ben has no help on the outside other AB. If this organization is trying to convince fans that a WR core of AB, Wheaton, Cotchery is good enough to win they must really hate the idea of giving Ben some help at that spot. I heard that Colbert was impressed by a slot guy out of Wyoming, wow he must be really desperate if he is that impressed with a slot-guy. I hear people talking about giving wheaton a chance this year to prove himself why? I know he was hurt most of the time but what about when he wasn’t? There were times where Wheaton was on the field but the coaching staff just ignored him. He could have done a better job of KR than what they had but did they consider that option no. Instead they felt Felix Jones was a better option at KR than Wheaton was. During the Miami game they could have thrown a fake pass towards Wheaton. Twice on that 4th down Wheaton was all alone and uncovered but they choose not to take at least a chance on that and instead punt. So I fail to see the point of having Wheaton if they never wanted to use him in the 1st place. That clear enough for all of you, is it clear enough that you people understand where I coming from with this?
You say Haley has talked to Colbert & Tomlin about a 2 TE set, but Im doubting they go that route, they already are doing it approx 50% of the time. This isnt something new that MAY happen, its part of their cuuent offense under Haley. You also say the Steelers dont have enough picks to make trades, Im talking about a TRADE DOWN, you know, where you would ADD PICKS, not trade them away. (If the opportunity arises). You also keep bringing up the New England scenario how one guy Gronk (is always injured) & the other guy (Hernandez) is in jail what does that got to do with the Steelers possibly selecting Ebron in the first? That he might be injured a lot? or he might end up in jail? (Thats a pretty lame reason not to draft a TE in the first). Again Im not saying TE should 100% be the way they go, I think it should be in the mix. Btw, the way you talk about Wheaton (not thinking he really deserves a chance this year) all I have to say is THANK GOD your not running this team! Otherwise you would have cut guys like Worilds/Heyward heck even Troy based on their rookie seasons. In the cases of Worilds and Heyward, it took longer than that. Jeez, have some patience.
I will make this real easy for you to understand my position on Wheaton: everybody has said give him this 1 year to prove himself, I say Why? All I hear was he was hurt and never got the chance. That is a flat out lie and everybody knows it. They could have made him there KR but instead went with Felix Jones as there KR. The Miami game is another time where he could have made an impact but the Steelers decided against it. The chance to run a fake punt in that game had a 50/50 shot of working but they went against that. Look at the tape and you will see that he was opened and uncovered not once but twice and they check out of it into punt protection mode. There were times during the 2013 season where the coaching staff could have used Wheaton to make an impact but they didn’t. So why is everybody so freaking sure that his 2nd year will be any better than his rookie year. My position on the 2TE formation is this: It will fail. The pats ran it and now it’s failing them big time. the ravens ran it but there ring came from there 3 WR’s not Dickson and Pitta. If this team is going to ignore WR in favor of a double TE receiving set then it will blow up in there face. Why trade down? They have no 3rd pick and who knows if any compensatory picks come there way so why even go that route? I have said over and over again that I realize there are holes on D I do not deny that, but you know as well as everybody else does that no matter what defensive player regardless of position they will also take the same amount of time to develop. Ben is no spring chicken anymore and he can’t keep waiting for talent to develop. I trust LeBeau in what he is doing, the question is does everybody have the patience to wait on talent to develop and honestly I don’t think so.
Re Wheatons playing time in his rookie season (beyond the injuries) 1. Brown/Sanders/Cothchery all had career years in 2013. and 2. Todd Haley just isnt a 4 wide guy in his formations, both here and in K.C. When you look at those 2 things, how much playing time do you think he could have had? Not to mention he was a rookie/missed OTAs/injuries. And AGAIN, 2 TEs is just PART of what they run, go through any game last year youll probably see 8 to 10 different personell groupings throughout the game, 2TEs are part of it. Oh, and on your “Big three,” dont be shocked if Watkins and Evans are gone before 15, and Lee isnt exactly a “giant”.
Well nobody said Lee was a giant, I certainly never said that. It’s beyond the 4 WR set. I said he could been there KR but they chose to have Jones back there rather than Wheaton. I mentioned the Miami game where there 2 chances for the Steelers to run a fake punt pass down the field towards Wheaton. Heck the CBS announcers mentioned it and saw it as well. Those 2 TE formations I can deal with cause most of them are running plays to begin with, but the idea of having 2 TE threat’s is something I just flat out don’t like. Watkins could definitely be gone but Evans I highly doubt it. Just on the fact that Bridgewater, Bortles and Manziel are all top 10 picks along with guys like Clowney, Matthews, Mack, Barr, Nix, Gilbert and guys like that could very well go before Evans is off the board. If no WR is there I will accept a trade but only if it gets them out of the first round. You can say that’s stupid and foolish and will never happen but it’s the way I feel. I see no DT, DE, CB or S that Dick LeBeau will look at and say “Yeah I’ll start this guy over my trusted veteran”. I would rather wait until round 2 for Defense to come into play then take one in the 1st and see the fans complain that he’s not playing, and I know the same could be said about any defensive player taken by this team in any round but it’s the 1st round picks that the Steeler fans have the most to gripe about these days.
Hey, I hope Evans is there @ 15 (he is one my half dozen guys that I like in the 1st rd) either @ 15 or in a trade down (for one of the half dozen).
People can continue to say this to me but I will always believe they just it want that way. WR is the best 1st pick. Colbert has 1 hit on a WR in the mid rounds under Tomlin and that’s AB. sure you can mention Wallace but a lot of people remember him as they guy who turned down a contract extension and who sulked cause he felt he was better than Brown. If he really believe that then he should have backed it up with his play but as I recall his production dropped off the last 2 years and then got paid 60 mil for doing literally nothing. Everybody loves this idea of waiting for a WR in the mid rounds but I fail to see why. Both Austin and Patterson were both 1st round picks in 2013 and both the Rams and Vikings didn’t wait till the mid rounds for there guy to show up they took there guy when he was most available so why do most people think that both Lee and Evans won’t be there at 15? 3 QB’s right now are top 10 picks: Bridgewater, Manziel, Bortles. Clowney, Barr, Mack, Clinton Dix should all be gone by 15 along with guys like Gilbert, Robinson and Matthews so someone tell me how could either of those gus=ys be gone by the 15th pick?
Regardless of the circumstances of how Wallace left, when you look at his whole body of work as a Steeler, he was an OUTSTANDING 3rd rd pick. (But I do agree with the Steelers not re signing him, based on what he got from the Dolphins). I also thought Sanders had a pretty productive season (his first as a #2 guy). (Also a 3rd rd pick), but I suspect hes a goner too. So whether you consider Wallace or Sanders “hits” or not as mid rd picks, in reality by definition they were. Re Evans & Lee”s availability, I hope your right.
That is true but as I said before if Wallace wanted more than what Brown all he had to do was prove it and unfortunately he did not. I understand your skepticism about Evans and Lee but look at some of the talent that is out there: Clowney, Barr, Gilbert, Denard and even the OT’s there as well. Everybody seems to love Benjamin but from the reports I have read they think he should have stayed at least another year. He is raw like Patterson but Patterson has what most people call a high motor. It means that Benjamin doesn’t always seem to care when he’s out there on the field. I have tried to think of other options at 15 but ask yourselves this: If that 1st round pick was going to start then don’t you think it would have been obvious by now? Sure this team needs help on Defense but what are the odds 1 of those guys start there rookie year?
I do think at least 1 of Evans/Lee will still be there @15. If not, some very good talent will have slipped to the Steelers spot (nothing wrong with that). Im not looking at what side of the ball the Steelers need more help, thus thats the way they should go in the first rd. Instead, Im looking at the draft as a whole, and hoping they can (ultimately) can fill 3 to 4 spots. If the draft starts with Evans @ #1, Ive got no problem with that.
I have tried to look at defensive guys that I think could make an impact early but that guy has to convince LeBeau he can handle the job from the get-go and to me I doubt there is one. If they can’t find a NT type guy then I say give Woods chance and let him run with it or stick with McClendon. OLB is another hole cause as told by html.nicepickcowher.com they suggest that they let Worilds go and wait until 2015 for the pick to come in. So how does approach the defensive holes if they lose Worilds and let Woodley go?
[…] Louis Nix III of Notre Dame has been mocked to the Steelers more than any other player. If you’re a regular reader of my stuff then you know I think taking a nose tackle here is a wasted pick because they aren’t every down players. […]
[…] were all in agreement that we wouldn’t be fans of Nix, which SteelDad wrote over a month ago. We also all felt that the Steelers won’t go that direction in round […]
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