SCB Steelers Quick Hitters: The ‘Annual Smokeshow’ Edition

Good Friday to you Steelers fans.

OK admit it. When some of you saw “smokeshow” you thought I was talking about some gorgeous chick right??? Sorry to disappoint you because that’s not what I’m talking about. The smokeshow in question here describes how all 32 NFL teams will now start using ‘smoke and mirrors” in the lead up to the Draft next Thursday night. Within the last 24 hours we’ve heard that the New England Patriots are “open for business” in terms of their third overall pick. That basically means that they’ll take the best offer they receive in order to move down and collect more draft selections. Who might be trying to move up? Well, consider at number three there are still going to be some well-regarded quarterbacks available. Do the Minnesota Vikings, who’ve been working tirelessly to collect enough ammunition to move up, pull the trigger to get that high? We know that the Denver Broncos are desperate for a quarterback. They could stand pat at 12 and perhaps take Bo Nix who is largely expected to be there. But then again, there are always surprises. We cannot dismiss the Las Vegas Raiders either as a team that could move up. They might be as desperate for top-level QB play as anyone and what about the LA Rams? Matthew Stafford is close to the end and Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t the future either. Maybe they are one of these teams… While those are things that could happen, there are plenty of things that will be made to look like they’ll happen and that’s why it’s a smokeshow. Teams want other teams thinking one thing about them while they do something completely different. Friendship and trust largely goes out the window over the next week or so for GM’s and Head Coaches.

The Latest Podcast

We previewed the offensive draft prospects for the Black and Gold on episode 365 of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc last night. One of the things brought up that might be of interest to some of you is that drafting a receiver might not mean as much in regards to the Best DFS Sites. With Arthur Smith committed to the run, is using any of his receivers in your weekly games a good idea? We obviously dove into the Tackle and Center positions as well and much more!

Is CAIII in Trouble?

Steelers’ wide receiver and punt returner Calvin Austin III had a decent season in 2023 following a rookie campaign that saw him absent from the entirety of it due to injury. With Diontae Johnson in Carolina and George Pickens the only other guy with Steelers’ experience ahead of him, CAIII looks like a shoo-in to be on this roster in the fall. After further review though I’m not ready to say that. CAIII is limited to the slot and Steelers’ slot receivers have to be able to block. The effort is there but when you’re 180lbs soaking wet, it isn’t easy. The Steelers brought in Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins but neither inspires much greater confidence in the slot but they are both likely a step up. My immediate thought was CAIII’s value as a punt returner until I stumbled on this stat from last year.

Gunner Olzewski PIT/NYG     RET: 24    AVG Per RET: 11.7
Calvin Austin III PIT                 RET: 29    AVG Per RET:   8.5

That’s not good my friends. Yes, Olzewski had the ball security issues which led to his release but Austin III has to be better than this. Therefore, I’m not convinced that he’s on this roster in the fall.

Draft Prep

Click on this link which will take you to all of our Draft Profiles and Mock Drafts. We’ll start rolling out more profiles later this week.