Dealing with the reality of the situation.....

Okay, as we creep closer and closer to the draft, I can see my dream of getting William Jackson III will not happen.

The guy has shot up the board to a top 14 player now. Bears, Raiders, even the Dolphins have their eyes on him as the only player in the draft who has it all as far as POSSIBLY being a shut down corner.

So, no Jackson, no Apple...Which means guys like Billings, Alexander (gulp), Keanu Neal, Karl Joseph are in play.

I"m all for Billings at this point and then in the second round I'd hope for T.J. Green out of Clemson to be there for us.

I'm pretty bummed by this but we move on.

If we definitey go Billings in round one, exactly where do you want to go in round two?

 

Karl Joseph being one of particular interest.

 

You will be disappointed if you think just because the Steelers draft a CB in rd 1 that he will be a shutdown CB. Any rookie CB is going to get beat often, I just want a upgrade in talent not expecting them to be like Revis or Sherman as a rookie.

 

Your right. But an upgrade in talent means that rookie will get better by seasons end.

 

what would you all think of something like this:

1. davis
2. simmons
3. nassib
4. lowery

the boards have been changing lately. davis is tall and fast, has short area quickness and a hitter and can play corner or safety. he has garnered alot of interest as a corner lately.

simmons is tall and has short area quickness and is rangy and a hitter too.

nassib has speed and size and a great motor.

lowery has speed and size with some decent quicks for his size. all these guys would be pretty good fits for us and this hybrid defense. could anyone see the steelers going this route? it would be interesting.

 

Hey Mac, good to see you dude.

 

Would Keanu Neal be a first though? Has he shot up the board?

I like Neal but I was hoping he would be there in the 2nd.

I saw some stuff with him as a 2-3 round pick if I recall.

 

The recent trades improve the possibility of a cornerback being available at 25. Paxton Lynch may go to the Browns at 8. He certainly won't get past the Jets at 20. Connor Cook may sneak into the first round.

That being said, I worry about the Panthers moving ahead of the Steelers to grab a corner since they rescinded the franchise tag on Josh Norman. I could see the Panthers trading with the Jets, if Lynch is still on the board and the Jets believe he will be there at 30. Even if Lynch is gone, the Jets may settle for Connor Cook at 30, along with the extra picks they would get in such a trade.

If Apple, Jackson, and Alexander are all gone by 25, I would advocate for a trade down, as far down as with the Patriots who have plenty of picks, but none in the first round. Both Burns and Joseph would be a reach at 25, but there is plenty of defensive back talent in rounds 2-4.

I hope (and feel strongly that they won't) select a defensive lineman in the first round, especially one who doesn't project to play end as well as NT. They are not going to draft a guy to play 25% of the snaps (less considering McCullers will get some) and can't rotate with Heyward and Tuitt. They aren't going to implement a 3-3-5 either. The 2-4-5 is the new base, and a 1-5-5 or 1-4-6 is more likely to emerge as a situational formation as would a 3-3-5.

 

nfl draft scout has moved neal into the 1st today.

 

That sucks. I was hoping Neal might be there in the 2nd.

 

Hey Mac,

A good consolation player might be T.J. Green from Clemson.

 

I have no idea who will be there. Watched kipper and mc shay last night and they had us take Vonn bell in the first with apple still on the board.
I thought he was a 3rd rounder? Bottom line is I think we get a good player and a starter in the first. It's 2 thru 4 were we need to hit home runs

 

I've got confidence that Colbert/Tomlin have their finger on the pulse of our needs and how close we are to going to the Super Bowl if they make the right roster moves. Just by who their visiting and allowing to visit us tells me they know what's going on. We've a week to go and I'm really getting excited.

 

i like green. i like simmons. i like bell. i like joseph but i'm not sure he's ready soon enough to contribute early.

 

bell has been a steady 2nd rounder the whole time. simmons has shot up into the 2nd now. if they help the defense, valuing them as a 1st probably isn't out of the question. either way 1st or 2nd or even 3rd i think we end up with a good safety and corner.

 

Not sure where the "experts" have neal & bell.... but in our steelers board draft they both went at the end of the 2nd round and were both passed up by our steelers committee vote.

 

An ideal situation for me if Billings is #1 is Darian Thompson @#2 and Jonathon Jones @ #3

Well, IF Bell isnt there @ 2. His versatility of being able to play nickel cb makes me think he wont be there.

 

I would love this

 

yea i'm the one that had you check him out elvis. i thought the kid was very impressive back then. he was way off most radars at that point. probably because of playing for BC. i'm suprised he stayed ranked that low that long. i'd sure like to have him here.

 

Wait until the 3rd to take a 5'9 CB SteelerNation wouldn't be too thrilled with that.