Coaching Is Just As Important As Evaluation: The Importance of the 2024 NFL Draft

Given how much discussion has been made about the past couple of Steelers Draft's, I believe it would be best to discuss the amount of misevaluations over the years using this article here as a guide.


To start out, what I fear that had happened to Kevin Dotson will potentially happen to Broderick Jones; doubly so considering the fact that the Steelers may in fact opt to go for Corner in Round One; possibly even trade up for one given the fact that the team has more than enough resources to do so.

 

I read that yesterday. My only thought it was our front office and scouting department has changed. It’s a bit disengenous to ignore that fact. In a few years look back at the drafts from 23-25 and then write the article. At this point it’s like crying over spilled milk

 

It isn't so much the Scouting Department nor the Front Office. My current hang up with the team isn't its capability to acquire talent but the ability to maximize the talent as a whole. Again, Kevin Dotson is about to become the leagues highest paid guard or at least close to it, Kendrick Green looked a helluva lot better in Houston than he did in Pittsburgh prior to him getting injured and DeMarvin Leal is essentially in no mans land.


I greatly fear for Broderick Jones for he does possess Pro Bowl Caliber potential at Left Tackle... minimum. Placing him in a position to fail all does him little to no favors.

 

Kevin Dotson’s play here wasn’t anywhere near as terrible as some of you like to make it out to be. He was a damn good run blocker. His issues were penalties. The Steelers signed someone they felt was better and got a draft pick for him. I don’t know about you, but I listen to a lot of these podcasts with former players(former Steelers). They all say the same thing it takes 3-4 seasons to really get it for most players. Let’s not try to rewrite history with green. He played what 3 games?

 

I am not saying Dotson's play was terrible. Furthermore, him being the future of the Right Guard position is what should have took place in 2021; something I had pounded the table for repeatedly and doubly so given how the team brought in James Daniels. Given his experience as a Center prior to coming to Pittsburgh, I'd figured that Daniels would man the Center Position and Dotson would stay at Right Guard.


As for Kendrick Green?! As I have been on record now for many years on not just him but all Lineman of both sides, of course it takes three to four years minimum to fully grasp the NFL. Players like Keeanu Benton are extremely rare and should not be used as a benchmark but an exception. Be that as it may, know what the best way to fast track that learning process is?! Place the player in the position he has the most experience in; Green's case being Left Guard. The Coaching Staff, namely Tomlin and Canada, elected to opt for him to be placed in as a Center; one with less than five games of actual experience in College Football. It isn't that big of a surprise Green struggled as mightily as he did in his Rookie Season as said position was not just foreign to him but extremely difficult as well.


In short?! No one is rewriting history with anyone and no one is calling anybody terrible here either. My whole premise of this thread was to explain why the team had, has and potentially will continue to place certain players in spots they have little to no clue about either. This isn't the first time either; Sean Davis as Alex Kozora mentions, Travis Feeney whom the Steelers couldn't decide on whether he was an EDGE or ILB, Anthony McFarland Jr. whom the Steelers cannot even decide if he ever fit into the Scheme to begin with despite Matt Canada going up to bat for him, Kendrick Green already being discussed and presumably Darnell Washington as his usage in the RedZone was not even close to what the Coaching Staff had thought of when they drafted him. Hell, Broderick Jones, for all we know, might share the same fate pending the results of the 2024 NFL Draft.


Scouting of talent isn't the problem. The ability to maximize the talent available?! Another problem all together. The latter isn't a Front Office nor Scouting Problem but a Coaching one. Will this continue with Broderick and Darnell is something that needs to be discussed as the saying goes;


"First time is an accident, second time is coincidence and the third time is a pattern."

 

you’re missing a huge part of this. If the scouting is off then there’s not a lot coaching can do. Teams whiff on players all the time. You’re drafting someone Hmong they can develop into something. The misses for everyone are far more frequent than the hits. If you hit on 2-3 players in a draft that’s a solid draft. I’m not talking superstars here either. Just your average 4 year nfl career. Again,to me with a new front office and new scouting department this article is nothing more than crying over spilled milk. Iirc it’s not spilled milk, but the iPad keeps autocorrecting so eff it

 

I am not actually.


Scouts are the ones who evaluate the talent correct?! Scouts also must verify and confirm if said prospect is capable of being installed onto their system correct?! Once both are confirmed, prospects are brought in via Pre Draft Visits for a further evaluation from the Coaching Staff correct?!


If yes to all three, those prospects are very much likely to be drafted right?! If said prospect is drafted, that responsibility no longer falls on the Scouting Department for they have completed their assignment per the request of the Coaches. It is up to the Coaches to mold these raw Rookies into NFL Players. Coaches must teach these Rookies not just the basics but also install them into their system; one that those Rookies were hand picked to be in.


Now, do misevaluations happen?! Of course they do. Devin Bush Jr is the prime example of what happens when scouts do not take into account other various factors of a player in addition to the competition that said player has faced; very few and far between for Devin Bush Jr. However, the people in the NFL Scouting Departments are among the best of the best at evaluating talent and are there for a reason. For every misevaluation the Steelers Department has had, usually it hits back with one to two hits; Diontae Johnson being one of them from Bush's Draft Class. Successful organizations hit far more than they miss; all the more reason the best of the best of these Organizations have multiple Lombardi's to their name.



As for what has been happening lately?! Simple; trying too hard to fit square peg into round hole. That isn't on the scouts for the scouts aren't the ones creating the game plans. That is on the coaches for trying to have said Rookie attempt to perform something wildly different than what they know.

 

Yep.


Players can only do so much in a scheme that detriments their capabilities.


All I was doing was further highlighting the importance of Coaching. The Steelers did have that overall at one point; oh... of that I am sure. I just hope that the team can get it again.