Home Quick Hitters SCB Steelers Quick Hitters: The ‘Common Thread’ Edition

SCB Steelers Quick Hitters: The ‘Common Thread’ Edition

by Steeldad
steelcityblitz.com

Good Wednesday to you Steelers fans.

If you’re the type that tries to figure out who the Steelers will draft with their first round selection each year then you probably already know there are some common threads they follow. For instance, During the entire Kevin Colbert regime, only one did they take a player in the first round who wasn’t from a Power 5 school. That of course was Ben Roethlisberger in 2004. They also look for highly athletic players, especially those who score well on the ‘RAS‘ which is commonly used by teams each year. The player chosen in the first round of the Draft also comes from a team that finished its’ season ranked in the Top 25 of college football. More often than not, these players have been in for personal visits and have spoken to the Steelers at the Combine and/or their Pro Days. Keep in mind that all of these threads only apply to the first round. So if you’re looking at some of the top prospects often mentioned with the Steelers then keep these things in mind. Parris Campbell and Dawand Jones of Ohio State fit the categories as does Joey Porter, Jr. Peter Skoronski of Northwestern does not fit because his team didn’t finish in the Top 25. All this said, what we do not know is whether Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin will stick with that routine.

Uh-Oh

I know many of you are fans of the Steelers taking USC and former PITT star wideout Jordan Addison but that possibility took a serious blow yesterday. Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan did not, I repeat, did not attend the USC Pro Day. Instead they attended the one in Ames, Iowa for Iowa State. You read that right… I can’t recall the last time Tomlin was at Iowa State’s Pro Day but choosing that over USC should be a bit alarming. I’m not suggesting this 100% means they won’t take Addison but there are very few occasions in which the Steelers took a player that they did not see at a Pro Day. Food for thought I guess…

Tweet of the Day… Absolutely true. I do not understand these people.

 

Bon Retour

That’s French for “Welcome back” for those of you who don’t know the language. It just seemed fitting considering the Steelers welcomed back cornerback James Pierre (get it? “Pierre?”) yesterday. This wasn’t a huge surprise. Pierre has logged important minutes as both a starter and a reserve and he’s a very important contributor on Special Teams as well. This does not affect the team’s approach to the Draft either.

The Waiting Game

So you may be wondering why it’s taking so long to bring both Terrell Edmunds and Zach Gentry back. To be blunt, it’s about money. In the case of Edmunds, the players at his position who have already signed have pretty much laid the foundation for what he should be offered. The problem is that last season he had arguably his best season making just $2.5 million on a one-year deal. If you’re him, you believe you deserve a substantial raise and multi-year deal. That’s fair but is it in line with how other safties have been paid? Chauncey Gardner-Johnson just got a one-year deal for $8 million from Detroit. Most would say that Edmunds isn’t as good as he is. Damontae Kazee signed a two-year deal for $6 million to remain in Pittsburgh. Clearly Edmunds deserves more than he does. Therefore, Edmunds and his agent have demands that aren’t being met and the truth is, they aren’t likely to either. In the case of Gentry, he simply has to wait his turn. There are several tight ends with better numbers than him who are still unsigned as well. Foster Moreau, Austin Hooper and Cameron Brate are just a few. Therefore, I believe it will be some time before he decides where he’s going.

Prospect Profiles

We’ve started our NFL Draft Coverage here at SCB and the first of our Position Profiles is out. We’ve made the decision that rather than make extensive profiles of each player, we are doing smaller ones and grouping them by position. This allows us to easier update information as Pro Days and the Combine provide more info.

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