Good Wednesday to you Steelers fans.
In the 20 or so seasons that Kevin Colbert has been running the war room of the Pittsburgh Steelers some things have been very evident especially at it pertains to the first round. For starters, only one time has the team drafted a player outside of the Power Five conferences and that was 2004 when they selected Ben Roethlisberger out of Miami, OH. Colbert and Head Coach Mike Tomlin also have a pretty impressive pattern going for themselves. Since they’ve been together they’ve selected a player whose Pro Day they attended every year since 2009 when they selected defensive lineman Ziggy Hood out of Missouri. For reference, these two attended the following Pro Days this year. Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Florida State, Georgia, Auburn and Notre Dame. Let me pause for a minute. Right now there’s a lot of buzz around Tulsa Linebacker Zaven Collins going to the Steelers at 24. While I grant you that this has been an incredibly strange year due to the pandemic, Colbert/Tomlin did not attend his Pro Day and Tulsa is not a Power Five school. Another important fact is that they also have a penchant for choosing players who played on teams that finished in the top 25 final poll and Collins’ Tulsa team doesn’t check that box either. To go a stretch further, Colbert/Tomlin have rarely gone outside the Power Five in their first two rounds of nearly every draft. Ultimately, what all of this means is very little. The pandemic has changed so many things that an aberration here in their Draft paradigm is more likely than ever. Medical checks haven’t been the same and nor have workouts and personal meetings. What I have discovered in my research is that there are very few guys from those nine schools who are a fit at 24 but we’ve been surprised before in the first round haven’t we?
Tweet of the Day… CBS Sports’ Adam Schein is one of the worst people in the industry to discuss football. I’ll give him credit for one thing though. He knows that when he talks bad about the Steelers (which is all the time) he gets clicks. Other than that he’s a jackass.
surprise.
Schein hammering the Steelers. https://t.co/vtSbdmbdW2— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) April 28, 2021
Minkah
In what can only be the least surprising news of the new year, the Steelers have exercised Minkah Fitzpatrick’s fifth year option. All he’s done since coming over from Miami is be All-Pro in two straight seasons. Our attention now turns to Terrell Edmunds. His fifth-year option is not nearly as guaranteed. His play has improved each season but the question of whether or not he’s worth the option is a fair one.
Positions
Rather than tell you right now who my final mock has in it, I’m going to tell you the positions that will be drafted. This also assumes there aren’t any trades. With seven selections I see… WR, RB, ILB, EDGE, TE, CB, OL being taken. Speaking of positions, Ian has done a terrific job of going through each of the Steelers’ positions and needs. Check out all the info in the link below.
Draft Content
We probably don’t put out as much content compared to other Steelers’ sites but I guarantee our content is original and first rate in terms of opinion and analysis. Our Draft coverage is no different. Here’s a link to get you geared up for next week.
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Have a great day Steeler Nation!
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