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Looking back at the Steelers drafts...

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by SteelReal, Feb 15, 2021.

  1. SteelReal

    SteelReal Well-Known Member

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    2016 was a very bad year. They might as well had not drafted if it were not for Javon Hargrave who isnt even with the team anymore, because he was the opposite of everybody else.

    Artie Burns 25 CB Miami (FL)
    2 Sean Davis 58 CB Maryland
    3 Javon Hargrave 89 DT South Carolina St.
    4 Jerald Hawkins 123 T LSU
    6 Travis Feeney 220 OLB Washington
    7 Demarcus Ayers 229 WR Houston
    7 Tyler Matakevich 246 ILB Temple

    Maybe it was just the curse of having to pick so late in the draft? It just throws everything off?? Anyways that is all other than that I'm hoping that the Steelers are due for the exact opposite this draft. They are going to need it. They're probably not going to be able to do much in free agency.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2021
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  2. SteelersFanIrl

    SteelersFanIrl Well-Known Member

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    2015 & 2016 were both bad. They had a roster on the verge of a SB run and did nothing to help themselves in either of those drafts. You could argue Bud finally came good and saved 2015 but the window was arguably closed by the time he became really useful.

    2018 not looking too stellar either at this point.
     
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  3. blackandgoldpatrol

    blackandgoldpatrol Well-Known Member

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    missed out on xavien howard, who went early in the 2nd rd
     
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  4. Andy Russell

    Andy Russell Active Member

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    Let’s look back instead to the 1974 draft. Four Hall of Famers out of our first five picks. Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster. Maybe the best drafting by any team ever.
     
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  5. SteelReal

    SteelReal Well-Known Member

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    Looks like Lynn was pick 21 in the 1st so that kinda destroys my theory about picking close to the bottom to start off and creating issues with subsequent picks.
     
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  6. Vox Ferrum

    Vox Ferrum Well-Known Member

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    Noll actually wanted Stallworth in the 1st, the fact he lasted till the 4th shows how far the team was still ahead in scouting traditional black colleges.
     
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  7. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    While it sounds silly to say even now, to say that Artie Burns is the biggest draft bust in the Colbert Era is not as farfetched as one would believe. Even including the likes of Daniel Sepulveda, Jarvis Jones, Doran Grant and even Mike Adams. Again, there are plenty of more examples to this but even then, there has not been a bigger fall from grace after one season than what Artie displayed in his Rookie Season heading into year two.



    The rest of the 2016 Class does look bad on paper but in all actuality, the fact that Sean Davis, Javon Hargrave, Jerald Hawkins and Tyler Matakevich have produced a good amount counts the 2016 Class as a success in my opinion. Now, I would not call the likes of Sean Davis a world level Safety but I believe that, had he been developed and taught correctly as opposed to playing musical chairs with his position, Sean Davis may have actually been a success given his athletic profile. I loved the Hawkins pick coming out and oddly enough, he is still in the league despite his major injury problems. Javon Hargrave was by far the best of the bunch of that class though and cashed in big time. That said, Tyler Matakevich's abilities on Special Teams were not replicated until Robert Spillane arrived. Prior to Spillane, there really was not anyone in the Linebacking Corps who could fulfill that role.



    All in all, the 2016 Draft Class receives a bit too much hate from my perspective. Yes, none of those players ended up as Pro Bowlers but out of the eight picks, 4 were successful picks; Hargrave, Davis, Hawkins, and Matakevich. The other four would be accounted two as failures. The only major reason some fans see the 2016 Class as so bad is due to Artie Burns himself. Even if it is the Quarterback Position, a teams First Round Pick soley does not tell the whole story of a teams draft.



    Think about it in another way, of the Top 15 Picks in the 2016 Draft, ten players are no longer with their respective teams; Jared Goff, Jalen Ramsey, DeForest Buckner, Jack Conklin, Leonard Floyd, Eli Apple, Vernon Hargreaves III, Laremy Tunsil, Karl Joseph and Corey Coleman. However, looking at the rest of their respective drafts, each of those teams found great players in the end; doubly so for the likes of Jacksonville, Tennessee, Miami and Chicago. All four of those teams found great value in the likes of Justin Simmons, Xaiven Howard, Cody Whitehair (a very underrated guard), and Myles Jack to name a few.




    Again everyone, context is key here. I do agree that Artie Burns does indeed put a blemish on this draft. However, to say that this draft is the worst in the Colbert Era is definitely pushing it.
     
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  8. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    One will also never see a team do that again. While he was not a draft pick, Donnie Shell was a UFDA and apart of that 1974 Team. So realistically, one can make the argument that the Steelers had the greatest Offseason in North American Professional Team Sports History.
     
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  9. Disco1981

    Disco1981 Well-Known Member

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    Not arguably, because there is no argument... Seriously, somebody give me a draft, in any sport...that comes " close " to that 74 draft
     
  10. Disco1981

    Disco1981 Well-Known Member

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    Actually, how about this run....

    1970 - Bradshaw, Blount...
    1971 - Ham, Mullens, Dwight White, Larry Brown, Mike Wagner, Fats Holmes...
    1972 - Franco, Furness...
    1973 - This was the " bad " year...JT Thomas, Lauren Toews...
    1974 - Already mentioned...

    Incredible run...............

    * Oops forgot...1969...Greene, Kolb, LC Greenwood!!!!!!!!!
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2021
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  11. Maddog78

    Maddog78 Well-Known Member

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    Xavien Howard taken 13 picks later.

    Kevin Byard taken 6 picks later.

    I'm assuming they scouted all of those guys, just huge misses on their two most important picks.
     
  12. S.T.D

    S.T.D Well-Known Member

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    I still think J. Jones was the worst pick in Colbert reign.
    Also thought S. Davis never had a real proper chance . T. Edmunds gets every chance, and I think he's pretty bad.
     
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  13. Jball

    Jball Well-Known Member

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    Man, I can remember us in here watching the draft, thinking we had WJIII wrapped up. Then three wr's go in a row to destroy it all.

    We quickly changed gears, after 10 minutes disbelief, and I can't remember our consensus after that.

    We were all in on Jackson. There was no contingency plan. It was in the stars. And of course it had to be a division rival. lol
     
  14. MeanJoeBlue

    MeanJoeBlue Well-Known Member

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    I am not normally part of the "blame the Steelers' coaches" crowd, but I make an exception for Burns.

    Most analysts pointed out that Burns was a very raw player. To reach his true ceiling, the team should have sat him his rookie year, break down his game, and gradually build up good pro techniques.

    Instead, they started him from day one, so his bad habits (that would limit his ceiling) became more deeply entrenched. Short-sighted by the coaches.
     
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  15. S.T.D

    S.T.D Well-Known Member

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    Agree, but I think it's because they were desperate 4 an outside CB at the time. So they used him 2 early. IMO
     
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  16. SteelerJJ

    SteelerJJ Well-Known Member

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    It's a crap shoot. 1974 got us 5 Hall of Famers counting Shell. The very next season the draft netted one starter, Dave Brown who lasted a year.
     
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  17. SteelersFanIrl

    SteelersFanIrl Well-Known Member

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    Given how good the offence was at times through 2016-18 and how bad the pass defence was during the same period even one of those guys could have been transformative.

    That team was not far off Super Bowl caliber. Shame
     
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  18. FootballAnalyst98

    FootballAnalyst98 Well-Known Member

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    I'm still in pain from BLAKE BORTLES putting up 40 on them
     
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  19. Rel

    Rel Well-Known Member

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    A lot of teams missed on those same guys.
     
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  20. Rel

    Rel Well-Known Member

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    Not saying you’re completely wrong but Burns didn’t start until about half way through his rookie year. The passing defense was so bad that year that it seemed more of a we need a spark move.
     
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  21. defva

    defva Well-Known Member

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    We had way better scout teams back then and with Cowher then we do now.
     
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  22. MeanJoeBlue

    MeanJoeBlue Well-Known Member

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    You are right that I shouldn't have said "started".
    But they did practice him as if he was expected to step in at any time (like the 9 starts), which is pretty far from breaking down his game to get rid of bad techniques.
     
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  23. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    With the trade of Carson Wentz, 11 of the Top 15 picks from the 2016 Class are no longer with their original teams. Again everyone, context here.
     
  24. Vox Ferrum

    Vox Ferrum Well-Known Member

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    Put a small asterisk for Randy Grossman, one of those small cogs a team needs and possibly the only other UDFA to get 4 rings.
     
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  25. Vox Ferrum

    Vox Ferrum Well-Known Member

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    Besides Robin Cole I forget how many years it was before another drafted Steeler (after '74') made all pro, which he made in '84.
     
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