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Dark Horse First Round Pick?

Discussion in 'The Bill Nunn Draft Room' started by HugeSnack, Mar 9, 2012.

  1. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    Who's your dark horse candidate? Not really who you think we probably will pick... but every year there are zany picks that you didn't see coming. Sometimes involving trades. Some good, some bad. If we are one of those teams this year and we take someone totally unpredicted... who is it?

    Rules:

    -We can trade up, trade down, or stay where we are.
    -It can be any position.
    -It cannot be any of the following guys, because they are not really dark horses: Hightower, Glenn, Adams, Konz, Zeitler, DeCastro, Poe. I included DeCastro and Poe even though I think they are so far ahead of us and it would definitely be a surprise if we got either of them, just because they've been talked about so much. I'm looking for someone that no one really considered that much realistically at any point in time, whether because they were deemed too high for us, too low for us, or a position we didn't see coming, or just someone out of left field.
     
  2. GB_Steel

    GB_Steel Well-Known Member

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    Hmmmm, I guess Kuechly. I have a funny feeling that karma will make an appearance and the Eagles won't select this guy, just because everyone thinks they will.
     
  3. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    My stab at this is a high trade up for Luke Kuechly, into the 14-15 range. I can see them falling in love with him, seeing him as the Patrick Willis type. Smart, instinctive, tough against the run, athletic against the pass. Do it all. Land Kuechly and start him from day 1, let him be the signal caller and don't make Timmons worry about it. Then they can both just do their thing and the LB position is set.

    It would be pricy, but could be worth it. Does anyone really miss the 3rd and 5th rounders we traded away to get Troy Polamalu? I can see them doing it again for what they think is a special player, and they definitely value Farrior's position.
     
  4. bigsteelerfaninky

    bigsteelerfaninky Well-Known Member

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    Seeing how our pass defense hasn't been very good I am going to go with

    Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
     
  5. 322 Steeler Fan

    322 Steeler Fan Well-Known Member

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    I think that the Steelers will probably draft a talent that falls, and not a need. Hopefully it is a talent that falls and is a need: Guard or D-line. I am thinking a safety; there is a lack of press.
     
  6. steelersrock151

    steelersrock151 Well-Known Member

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    Im going to say Jonathon Martin, T, Stanford, For some reason I see he and Keuchly fallling, but I think Martin may actually fall to 24.
     
  7. gpguy

    gpguy Well-Known Member

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    So you'd have them trade down into the 2nd round then?
     
  8. GB_Steel

    GB_Steel Well-Known Member

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    I was thinking Martin as well. And I could see him falling more than Kuechly. Martin could very well be this years Bulaga; a mock draft top-10 talent who falls into the 20's on draft day.
     
  9. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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  10. Steel_Elvis

    Steel_Elvis Staff Member Mod Team

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    My dark horse is Mark Barron, S, Alabama. He is a top 10 talent who may not be able to work out before the draft due to a double hernia operation, or if he works out may not be at his peak athletically. If he falls to #24, he will almost certainly be the best player on the board. I love our starting safeties, but Ryan Clark turns 33 in October, and Troy could be one concussion away from an extended absence or retirement. Barron is primarily a strong safety, but can also play free safety at a very high level. If he is there at #24, he makes great sense for long-term value (depending, of course, on who else is left on the board). I think we can get a guard and an ILB who are just about as good as the late first round guys in rounds 2-4, so I would rather take a top talent like Barron than reach for an o-lineman or ILB in R1. In saying this, I am projecting that Glenn will be gone, and Hightower, while good, doesn't offer the same level of value as Barron IMO.
     
  11. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    Some good answers. I would be thrilled with Martin falling all the way to us, but he won't. I would trade up for him if he makes it into the late teens though.

    Martin - Gilbert - Pouncey - Foster - Colon .... would be pretty sweet.

    Barron's another one I could see, if our top guys are gone. Dennard would be interesting, if we trade down. Hopefully if we trade back for him, we trade up for Zeitler or another top guard in the 2nd.
     
  12. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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    it sure looks like they are looking at the 2nd rd. RB's. peed , miller and i've seen james name come up. millers closing in on the 1st. he does have kick return skills too. if they get one of the LT's they may wait till round 3 for the G. :cool:
     
  13. Da Stellars

    Da Stellars Well-Known Member

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    Dark horse pick is usually a position you don't expect. That would be TE, RB, or WR on offense.

    I would be surprised if they went out and drafted Silverback's replacement at OLB or Clark's replacement a years or two early....
     
  14. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    Silverback's replacement is on the roster in Jason Worilds.

    I don't care how good the player is; if we spend our first pick on a TE, RB, WR, DE, or OLB, I'll be pissed.
     
  15. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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    markelle martin was inching up toward the first also. he just had his knee scoped and didn't run, so he dropped a little. i think when he runs he'll be a name back up there too. i like his game over barrons. he's a little bigger and faster too. he can play both spots. we could use a young new safety. :cool:
     
  16. SteelByDesign

    SteelByDesign Well-Known Member

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    Mark Barron or Coby Fleener
     
  17. SteelByDesign

    SteelByDesign Well-Known Member

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    Trent Richardson is the only one out of those positions I'd be okay with... Dude is the next Adrian Peterson.
     
  18. NecessaryRoughness

    NecessaryRoughness Well-Known Member

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    If one of the teams with a high pick signs Wallace, and Matt Kalil is gone, I'd absolutely draft Richardson.
     
  19. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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    could gilmore possibly be there for the pickins? would you go this route as a replacement for ike down the road? :cool:
     
  20. numbah58

    numbah58 Staff Member Mod Team

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    This..
     
  21. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    If it's Fleener I will poop with rage. I get how he could help us, but with all our positions of need and given how set we are at tight end (we underutilize the one we have, a guy who the Steelers organization calls the best in the game). If you'd rather think of him as a WR than tight end, well we don't need one of those either! Add to that he's mostly considered a 2nd round pick right now, maybe borderline 1st, so it's not even like he'd be a value steal...

    If we got him in the 2nd round without trading up, I might be okay with that. Depending who we get in the first. But it would still mean giving up on Saunders.
     
  22. SteelByDesign

    SteelByDesign Well-Known Member

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    The name of the topic is dark horse... I don't see it happening, nor would I be all that excited about it either but just saying...


    Like it or not, we will get a TE in round 2-4 in this draft and Saunders will be gone... remember I said it ;)
     
  23. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    Whose stupid idea was that??? :hmmm: :hmmm:

    I'm just kidding. I appreciate all the answers, and they are good ones. Fleener's an excellent choice for a dark horse, but that won't stop me from crapping all over the idea of doing it! :thumbs_up:
     
  24. Wardismvp

    Wardismvp Well-Known Member

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    Barron,safety Alabama. Troy's replacement when he hangs them up in 2 years.
     

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