Home Steelers Draft SteelDad’s 2016 Mock Draft for the Steelers

SteelDad’s 2016 Mock Draft for the Steelers

by Steeldad

I usually leave the draft stuff to Chris who does a damn fine job and puts in way more time than he should but I know he loves it so what am I to do? Well, I get lots of people who ask me if I do a mock and to this point, the only one I do is the full, round one mock Chris and I do together. Finally I decided it was time for me to step into the fray of the mock draft world.

The first thing you need to know is that this is a mock based on what I think the Steelers will do, not what I would do. That can often be really hard to separate but it’s necessary to do if you want a legitimate experience. Therefore I present my 2016 Steelers’ Mock Draft.

Round 1: Karl Joseph, Safety, West Virginia

Any time you hear people throw around names like “Bob Sanders-type” or “Troy Polamalu-like” you pay attention and that’s what I’ve done with Joseph who I believe can be something similar to those guys. Yes, the knee injury is a concern but ACL injuries aren’t what they were 10 years ago. I believe Joseph will have plenty of time to get into shape and could be starting by mid-season. Rob Golden is more than adequate in his stead. Joseph will provide the Steelers with the type of play-making in the secondary they need to turn teams over and send them to the sidelines on fourth down.

Round 2: Javon Hargrove, Defensive Tackle, South Carolina State

This young man was a nice secret a couple of months ago but suddenly he seems to be skyrocketing up everyone’s draft boards and with good reason. At small school South Carolina State, Hargrove dominated the opposition getting six sacks in one game from his defensive tackle position. The Steelers were just one of three teams at his pro day and I think they like him enough to grab him this early. He possesses the ability to play the nose or defensive tackle in a four-man front which is something the Steelers need. He’ll need some coaching, but he’s got all the tools and the hard-working mentality needed to be a multi-faceted guy on the interior of the Steelers’ defense.

Round 3: Pharoh Cooper, WR, South Carolina

The selection of Cooper is not meant as a replacement for the troubled Martavis Bryant as much as it is for the potential loss of Markus Wheaton in free agency next year. Cooper is an outstanding kid who comes from a military family. He’s not a burner and he doesn’t have great size but he’s a very good athlete who relies on short-burst speed and quickness. He also has good experience as a punt and kick returner. I’ll be honest; I’d love Sterling Shepard but I think he’s gone by the end of round two.

Round 4: Tavon Young, CB, Temple

The Steelers played more zone coverage than just about anyone else in the league last season and I don’t see that changing much. Young played in a very similar system at Temple so his zone coverage ability is a major attraction for the Steelers. Fans will likely not be crazy because at 5′ 10″ he appears to be another one of these smallish corners the Steelers seem to collect like beanie babies but this kid plays bigger than he is. He has good ball skills and held up well against some of the Owls’ best competition in 2015.

Round 6: Stephen Weatherly, OLB, Vanderbilt

What would a Steelers’ draft be without an outside backer? With all kinds of questions surrounding the future of Jarvis Jones, the Steelers took a chance on Weatherly who has size and speed and sets a very good edge which is a requirement of a Steelers’ OLB. He’s very smart and uses his long arms and massive hands well. He will need some development but could be a really solid special teamer and eventual rotational player on the edge.

Round 7: Dean Lowry, DE, Northwestern

Pittsburgh struck lightning back in 2002 when a defensive end from BYU fell to them in the seventh round by the name of Brett Keisel. Lowry is similar in size although his arms are shorter. What you can’t take away from this kid is effort. He has the type of motor you want from a defensive end and he is a team player through and through. His numbers in 2015 were actually better than those of Joey Bosa.

Round 7: Cody Kessler, QB, USC

The former USC Trojan was one of the first guys on the Steelers’ radar in the pre-draft process but don’t worry Big Ben fans – this isn’t a replacement pick – it’s a guy that hopefully can compete to be a solid back-up. What Kessler does really well is complete passes within 20 yards which is exactly why Todd Haley likes him. It’s possible he could slip out of the draft but I don’t think the Steelers will wait for that possibility.

Other Late-Round Possibilities: Dean Lowry, DE, Northwestern, Justin Zimmer, DL, Ferris State (MI), Ryan Smith, CB, North Carolina Central, Rees Odhiambo, G, Boise State, Elandon Roberts, LB, Houston, Tyler Ervin, RB, San Jose State

 

You may also like

6 comments

Vittorio April 27, 2016 - 7:00 pm

Marc I have to say other than the Tavon Young pick I really have major issues with your mock draft. Javon Hargrave is your pick when guys like Kenny Clark, Hassan Ridgeway and Charles Tapper are still on the board at that point and not for nothing but only 1 DL instead of 2 shows you have more faith in guys like Lyons, Geathers, Hook, Walton and Matthews than I would. Also did you not hear Heyward say he would like depth behind him so that he can rest for a few plays or are you just ignoring that comment? I’m not a fan of Cooper give me Paul McRoberts of Southeast Missouri State. This guy is 6’2 and will fight for contested catches. Weatherly is your best option for OLB in this draft instead of someone like Tyrone Holmes? Lowry is an option in the late rounds I will give you that but I think they will go OL in the late rounds of the draft. Joseph has injury questions that may bump him down to the 2nd round besides I think they will pick someone else besides him. 1 possible candidate is DeAndre Houston-Carson of William&Mary.

steeldad April 28, 2016 - 12:36 am

Mock drafts are all about debate Vittorio. Hargrave is a guy that can play over the nose and a 3 technique. The Steelers spent almost 75% of their time defensively in a nickel/dime which usually meant four man fronts. The nose tackle is important but not as much as versatility and this kid has it. I don’t think OL is out of the question especially at guard but with Villanueva and recently signed Ryan Harris I think we are fine at OT. I think they only go with one CB because Colbert has made it clear they view Golson as basically a pick THIS year. I can’t rule out an additional defensive lineman but I’m not sure where they’d go for it in terms of rounds with so many other needs as well.

bob graff April 27, 2016 - 9:31 pm

Okay here’s my mock, 1, Keanu Neal s. FL. 2, le’Raven Clark, OT Texas Tech 3, Carl Nassib DE Penn State 4, Malcolm Mitchell WR Georgia 6, Tavon Young CB Temple 7A Morgan Burns CB Kansas State 7B Antawn Woods NT USC

steeldad April 28, 2016 - 12:38 am

Certainly not the worst thing I’ve ever seen Bob. Addresses the needs the team has that’s for sure. I’m not sure I’d take Clark that high and I might want a more polished guy than Nassib but then again the kid works his tail off.

Vittorio April 28, 2016 - 1:03 am

Yes it’s debate but to pass over Clark, Tapper and Ridgeway for Hargrave to me is nuts. Bob I’m not sure why you chose Nassib cause he is one of those guys that has no real defined position. Is he a DE or a Elephant OLB? Once you get past say round 4 the talent of DL drops off and now your picking guys who might as well end up being practice squad guys more than anything else. Since I questioned Marc’s mock draft I’ll let you guys do the same with mine:

Rd 1-25:Andrew Billings
Rd 2-58:DeAndre Houston-Carson
Rd 3-89:Hassan Ridgeway
Rd 4-123:Tavon Young
Rd 6-220:Tyrone Holmes
Rd 7-229:Graham Glasgow
Rd 7-246:DeAndre Washington
I didn’t mock a QB cause there is a chance Gradkowski comes back and the reason for 2 DL is simple both are versatile and play more than 1 spot especially Ridgeway who has said he has played every spot on the DL. So go ahead and tell me your thoughts on my mock draft.

Ben Anderson May 2, 2016 - 7:24 pm

Gotta tell you, Vic. Posts like this make it easy to laugh at your “expert” analysis.
The people who have access to vast ocean of information than the public ever wil, not to mention great scouting acumen than anyone who writes the internet evaluations you base your opinions on saw the draft entirely differently.

Billings was a 4th and is seen as a 2 down player
Houston-Casron was a 6 and is seen as a project who needs to gain weight
Ridgeway was a 4 and has had conditioning and injury issues. He’s not a guy you take in the first two days.
Tavon Young actually was a 4, so you got that right. I’m not crazy about the player because I don’t think the team needs any more tiny DBs, but he’s a good athlete.
Tyrone Holmes was a high 6. Also coorect, aside from the fact that the Steelers seem to be in the midst of a philosophical change in defensive scheme, making Holmes unlikely to be a fit.
Glasgow was actually a 3, not a 7 as you’ve described. He is not a fit on the Steelers though. Glasgow is a guy who relies on brute strength and not athleticism. He went to a team, Detoit, that utilizes a gap blocking scheme, not the Zone Blocking system that Munchak favors. Munch likes guys who have good feet and Glasgow is not one of them.
I actually liked how DeAndre Washington would have fit in as a Steeler. He’s small, but has a well rounded skill set. However, I did not expect him to last til the 7th round. He went in the early 5th.

I look forward to you “changing your mind” on Hargraves.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.