Good Wednesday to you Steelers fans.
Over the last week I’ve managed to get through an ice storm, power outage and the flu. Lucky me. But then again others have it much worse so some perspective is always warranted. Yesterday in Indianapolis, we started to get a small feel for how the Pittsburgh Steelers have been managing their off-season. Omar Khan gave his first-ever comments at the Combine as the General Manager of the team and it’s clear he’s learned a little from his predecessor Kevin Colbert. The recently retired Colbert had an ability to say a lot without saying much at all. Khan did some of this on Tuesday. He made it clear that the actual Draft day decision making process will come down to him, Mike Tomlin and Art Rooney II. He admitted that Andy Weidl would have input (sounds like he may set the draft board and step back) but those three would have the final say. I find this curious. It’s an easy way to deflect when a pick doesn’t work out. Khan also mentioned that they were very happy with Mitchell Trubisky and that they want him to stay, perhaps beyond just next season. For this to work honestly, several things would need to happen. First, how do they know he wants to stay? Secondly, if he does, then he’s going to have to agree to an extension thereby lowering his cap hit? Lastly, wanting to stay would mean he’s ready for life as a backup. Personally I can’t see that but I’m not him. Either way, this will be an interesting situation to watch.
No-Show’s
Several prominent coaches like Matt LaFluer in Green Bay and Sean McVay in LA are not attending the Combine. Their reasoning is quite simple. They can see everything on TV and get all of the same stats you and I receive. They also claim they’ll have plenty of time to talk to prospects at other venues like Pro Days and visits. The Combine has become a huge financial success windfall for Indianapolis and for TV too. I’m curious to see if this becomes a trend or not.
Tweet of the Day… Alan does a terrific job. Seeing this young man pop up in more and more conversation with the Steelers. Yes they need depth there, but I’d be very curious as to why. Top OL and CB players would have to be off the board right?
Talked to Iowa DE Lukas Van Ness, who is a potential option for #Steelers at No. 17. He has met with the Steelers.
Said he modeled his game after J.J. Watt and I think that fits.
Van Ness was a HS hockey player and said he still plays with a hockey mentality. pic.twitter.com/NaAjFq8EBM
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) March 1, 2023
20/20 Vision
What is it they say about hindsight? It’s 20/20 or something like that? Remember all of those people saying the Steelers should bolster other areas, ride with Trubisky and then choose from a better QB crop in 2023? I was one of them. I like Kenny Pickett, don’t get me wrong, but I’m also not sure he’s THE guy either. Now we’ve come to the part where fans are saying this group of QBs may be overhyped and that it was a good thing the Steelers got Pickett. I don’t know about that but what I do know is that Pickett is out QB – something Omar Khan made clear Tuesday – and he’s got 100% of my support.
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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