WR's

Yes

 

KC Conception, Omar Cooper Junior Jnr and Chris Bell.

But Concepcion by a wide birth. He is a slot/ Z WR who has potential to be top tier. Antonio Brown type potential. And at average a Jaylen Waddle - Jameson Williams type.

Speed, athleticism and route running are all elite. Antonio Brown route running ,Jaylen Waddle speed with DK Metcalf's hands.

Gonna hate the drops, but lots of house calls will make up for it

 

Concepcion, and Cooper Jnr are worth a 21. But so are many Tackles. And

 

I don't think they are worthy of 21. I would rather have McDonald NT at 21 or better yet, Thieneman if he is there. At 53, I don't believe either WR will be available. I don't really want Concepcion even in the 3rd. It's because his drop rate is a legitimate concern with 19 drops against 186 career catches, particularly when working over the middle into traffic and absorbing contact. Suspect hands is always a massive negative for me. I have never been a fan of taking a WR in the 1st round unless they are exceptional and a huge over other positions. The same goes for RBs. That's not to say I am dead set against a WR in the first round.

 

If one of Tyson Tate or Lemon are still there at 21 you have to take him. I don’t think any will be there unfortunately.

 

Especially because I don’t trust DK much more than a year or two longer. Not impressed.

 

I don't think any of the Nose Tackles get taken in the 1st... Not special enough.

Personally, here is my positional value

Tier 1: QB
Tier 2: Tackle, D. End/pass rusher
Tier 3: Corner, WR, DT
Tier 4: Guard, Safety
Tier 5: MLB, Nose Tackles, RB
Tier 6: C, TE


I'd be hard pressed drafting a Tier 5 or 6player in the first round. And absolutely NEVER do it in the top 15.

Now, focusing on the Steelers, the only tier 1 QB is out of reach. So I'd be drafting from either Tier 2 ,Tackle ONLY (as we have an abundance at pass rush) or a Tier 3 if a higher quality one than the best tier 2 guy falls to us.

Thus if I were to rank how I'd attack this draft, it would look something like this:
1. Mendoza 2.Mauigoa 3. Proctor, 4. Delane 5. Freeling 6. Tate 7. McCoy 8. KC Conception 9. Fano 10. Tyson 11. Ioane 12. Cooper Jnr 13. Boston. 14 Caleb Downs 15.Thieneman 16. Lemon. 17. Sony Styles 18. Kenyon Sadiq 19 Caleb Lomu 20.

Frankly, if everyone in my top 12 is gone, I'd strongly consider trading out for a 1st next year. Oh by the way Concepcion (plus his drops) is still my #2 WR. I'll take his drops over Tyson's injury history. Also, he his more of a hands catcher, so his drops are probably concentration related rather than bad hands. Not that it matters. They are still an issue. I get that. But he is so good at everything else. Just a value guy all around.

 

Tyson, maybe. Assuming Concepcion is not there. Lemon is a No for me. I want someone who can be more than a slot in a year. I dont see it with Lemon. Like you, I want out of the DK deal sooner than later. So if this is DK's last year, I'd be fine with it If we have a developing stud and Pittman as 1a and 1b. Id like that to be Concepcion and if not one of Tyson, Cooper or Boston. Not Lemon though. He is going to be a slot only guy at the next level. And I am not sure he becomes Amon Ra St. Brown like many keep hoping.

 

Mine is a little different. We just signed a starting WR and CB that are above average.

BPA at WR, OT, G, S, NT, ILB in the 1st round. At 21 I don't think the value at WR will be above the value at other positions. Also, with signing of Pittman it eases the need.

We do not have NT or ILB. Benson is a DE in a 3-4. Queen is horrible and will probably be traded away. Wilson is having issues getting through blocks. We do not have a starting LG.

Yes, it's a weak draft for franchise QBs.

Every position is open at 21 except K, P, C and TE. At 21, I feel the players with the most value that will be available would be S, NT, G, OT and ILB. I assume the top 3 WRs will be gone by 21. Concepcion, IMO, he 2nd round material because of hand issues. I really only like Tate in the 1st. The other WRs have question marks.

You would take Concepcion over Thieneman at 21? Out of the players that could drop to 21, I would rank Ioane, McDonald and Thieneman the most valuable.

 

I only like Tate. The others have question marks that make them a liability.

Tyson has medical red flags all over the place. Knee in 2022, collarbone in 2024, hamstring that is still lingering into the pre-draft process.

Lemon is not fast and could have trouble getting off the line in the NFL.

 

there are really only two multi-role receivers amongst the top group. the rest are either X or slot. mccarthy said he wants a multi role guy that he can move around. cooper and benard are those two.

 

Concepcion over Thienemann? Yes. Over Macdonald? Yes. Over Ioane? That one is a tougher question. Positional value says Yes. But Ioane looks a surer bet to succeed than the others. And Guard is almost as important a position as WR. So I'd view him more favorably and might bend and pick him. But certainly Concepcion over the Safety and DT. I don't see those 2 as uniquely special. And their positional value makes them less worthy than KC to me. Granted, I have a far higher grade on Concepcion than most.

 

The school reported Lemon forty time pro day 4.46

 

Concepcion and the dropsies are too concerning for me.

 

With hand-held timer. Generally, they are off by 0.1. Film shows he isn't fast. I don't know if I would want to invest a 1st round pick in Lemon. That's just my meaningless opinion.

 

And Tate ran a 4.53 at the Combine but he's considered WR1 in this draft.

 

Tate out of the possibility. Lemons not but highly improbable.

So, let’s say Lemon falls to the teens range, I could see Khan moving up to get him.

 

You can get away with a 4.53 when you're 6'3'', run good routes, and win in contested catch situations. He's along the lines of Puka, Higgins, or Adams.

It's a lot harder to overcome a speed issue when you're 5'11'' and 195 lbs. I don't think Lemon's size and speed are an issue, because he's going to be a slot receiver in the NFL. You're hoping Lemon turns into Amon-Ra St. Brown. I would be fine with Lemon as our pick. I prefer Cooper Jr. as a player, but that's just a personal opinion.

 

I'll take the 2nd best S over a WR with catching issues, for the first pick? McDonald is arguably the best NT in the draft in regards to taking on double teams. We have no NT, but we do have two starting WRs. It really just depends on how the cards fall. It's possible that Fano could be available at 21.

I understand, we all have our favorites going into the draft.

 

That would be a bad move, IMO.

 

Yes, but Tate is a 6', 3" WR. "Tate is a polished, technically sound receiver who wins with precision, body control, and an understanding of coverage structures that most college wideouts simply do not possess." I don't think Tate is the end-all-be-all WR. I have never been a fan of taking WRs or RBs in the first round unless they are very exceptional or there is a major need. That being said, I am not saying Lemon is chopped liver.

 

That's fine but the other poster called Lemon slow when he ran a faster forty time, it also helped having Jeremiah Smith on the other side for Tate .

 

Chris Bell will probably be one of the better WRs in this class. He probably won't even play in 2026 because of the ACL. I would look for him to be a 3rd round pick because of that.