My FINAL Mock of the Year

After months of switching around with boards fluctuating rapidly here is my final mock of 2012. Comments/critiques welcomed.

(2) Amini Silatolu - OG - Midwestern St *TRADE DOWN*
I think Hightower and Poe will be gone at 24 so we move down with Tampa who's moving up for Doug Martin. We get Tampa's 2nd and 3rd, they get our 1st and 4th. This is a guy I love and I think our front office will too. He reminds me a little bit of two guards we've taken recently which are Keith Williams and Chris Kemo... Now obviously I think Silatolu will be better than those two, but he has a mean streak like those guys. He buries dudes in the run game, but what the Steelers will really like is he has ridiculously quick feet. We've lacked someone that can pull like Faneca since he left (from the guard spot, Pouncey can pull very well), but this guy can come close. I think he wouldn't be as dominant in the run game against better competition but he has quickness you can't teach.

(2) Derrick Wolfe - DE - Cincinnati
I thought hard about Mychel Kendricks at this pick, but in my opinion he's a poor man's Timmons and I don't think they're a good fit next to each other. I graduated from Cincinnati last June so I've seen a lot of Wolfe, and love that he's getting so much attention as of late. He reminds me so much of Aaron Smith... but I have no idea where to mock him. I've seen him as low as the 4th round, but I honestly think he might be gone by our 2nd round pick. He's like the prototype size for a 3-4 end, and has a great rip move. He was a very good interior rusher at UC, and he has a great motor. Hard worker, tough, all the things you want in a DE in our system. I know we've gone DE a lot lately, but I'm starting to wonder if Ziggy is going to stick and I think Wolfe is a guy that if we trade down to accumulate picks could be a great luxury pick.

(3) Lamichael James - RB - Oregon
I'm torn between James and Isiah Pead, but I think James could drop due to his size. We don't need him as an every down back though. Haley gets his Jamall Charles since he has his Thomas Jones in Redman. It seems like when a new coach comes in they get a pick somewhere to work with (see Lake last year with 2 CB's). Whether people like it or not we're going to take a RB in this draft and I think anything after the first round is open for it. I love Redman as part of a 1-2 punch but he just isn't athletic enough to be a workhorse. We could use a home run hitter to pair with him. People are all over James' lack of size but he was a baller at Oregon. Don't over-think it, just take a guy that makes winning plays.

(3) Josh Chapman - NT - Alabama
Chapman may go earlier than this but there's talk that the NT position could be getting pushed down the board because they're "2 down players," which I don't really agree with. I think the NT is the key to the 3-4 defense. We need to stuff the run to get into 3rd and long situations. We're a scary D to face on 3rd and long, so the first 2 downs are important while that NT is out there. There's a lot of NT's I like later in this draft so this is a pick I don't feel great about, but he fits the range.

(5) Greg Childs - WR - Arkansas
We love drafting position players. Childs has slowed down recently because of injury but performed well at his pro day with a solid 40 time. I think we possibly look for some size at the WR position in the draft and Childs has it at 6'3.

(6) Vontaze Burfict - ILB - Arizona St
I know a lot of people are going to hate this pick... But I read an article recently that said something like less than 20 percent of 6th round picks pan out in the NFL. So about 6 of the 32 picks actually stick... So teams should take gambles on "boom or bust" players in these late rounds. You're probably not going to get much out of the guy anyway so you might as well draft whoever has the highest ceiling. Burfict HAS potential, he looked like a top 10 pick early in his career, and still a 1st rounder late in his career. I read an article about him in ESPN magazine this week that was pretty good. They talked about how he is immensely shy and uncomfortable in front of cameras, so the ASU coaching staff kept him out of the media for his whole college career, which could be part of why he bombed the combine interviews so bad. They also told the story of when ASU upset USC in his career, and he and Matt Barkley had been jawing before and during the game. Burfict picked off a Barkley pass in that game and Barkley tackled him... Burfict got up and helped Barkley off the ground and slapped him on the helmet before running back to the sideline... He's not a terrible kid, so I think he's worth taking a shot on this late.

(7) Blair Walsh - K - Georgia
Was hoping we'd go after Alex Henery last season, but he went too early. That may happen again, but I don't trust Suisham. He's been an NFL journeyman for a reason, it's time to get rid of the band aid and get a real, longterm solution. Walsh slumped a bit as a senior, but he has range up to 55+ yards.

(7) Landon Walker - OT - Clemson
A very smart and hard working guy that has been said should impress in the interviews. Had an up and down college career.

(7) Chad Diehl - FB - Clemson
Steelers gets their road grader to put in front of Redman finally. Tomlin said they're open to bringing in a fullback and they get probably the best blocking one in the draft. He's not very versatile but I don't think a FB needs to be.

(7) Darius Fleming - OLB - Notre Dame
We take one every year, so gotta get one in here. Fleming has impressive tools but under achieved in college. Maybe our coaching staff can build him up.

 

I like the out of the first round trade. That I think is a good one. Who you take I am sort of...ehh, about. I don't think we need another DE or RB this early in the draft. That all being said, I struggle with what are target really is. We have guys at each position, guys who played for us last year when we went 12-4. Upgrading guys is only bonus. I would love to come out of the draft with: 3 OL, 1 NT, 1 ILB, 1 S, and 1 WR. In addition, getting a P and K with the extra #7 picks.

 

I like the idea of trading down for multi reasons.

Your 1st pick is ok. The 2nd pick-derrick wolfe I don't like. I like him but think we have enough DEs plus he's being overdrafted here. He'll be available in the 3rd, possibly early 4th. Kendricks is also a reach a #2, he'll be there in the 3rd also.

RB James or Pead might not be there in the 3rd when we pick. If Pead is there I say get him. I'm thinking when we pick in the 3rd it'll be down to Polk,Pierce and turbin and I'm thinking Pierce is the better pick here.

I just don't want Burfict,period. Unless he's an UDFA. His issues are well documented, he has a world of potential but he is not slipping but Falling hard and fast for a reason and those articles are just damage control in my opinion. Here's another take on Burflict. He had the Slowest 40 for ALL LBers at the combine with a time of 5.08. Add to that he refused to rerun his 40 at his pro-day. Of the 48 DL @ the combine 36 of them outran Burflict. There will be better athlethic LB late in the draft to groom.

Cajun-

 

I respect your guys' opinions. Wolfe is a guy I think just makes too much sense to take a pass on. I agree if we don't trade down we probably just can't take him unless it's in the 3rd or later.

I was expecting that reaction on Burfict... I still think he's worth a 6th or 7th.

 

I actually like Wolfe. I don't think he'll be available in the 3rd and am positive he won't be there in the 4th. While I agree we have plenty of DE's, I wouldn't be against replacing Hood at this point. He hasn't shown me enough and he's had plenty of time. I think it's time to consider that we could do far better at that position.

I agree that James probably won't be there in the 3rd. We don't need him anyway. We have a very quick pass catching RB in Mendy, we just need to use him right. Use him and Redman in tandem, with Mendy getting most of the carries as well as lining him up out wide at times too. Use him like NO used Sproles. If we do take a RB in the middle rounds, I hope it's Robert Turbin. I like that kid.

I'd be happy with Burfict in round 6 or 7. Generally those picks don't turn into much anyway, so taking a boom or bust player isn't a bad idea. Worst case scenario we cut him before week 1. Best case, he learns from our veterans on defence and turns into the force he was early in his college career.

 

Wolfe is tricky, because I actually love him and think he'll be good value in the 2nd... But we all know that he'll be #4 until Keisel leaves. That's not much playing time at all. We're just too stacked. He's not about to leapfrog Ziggy or Heyward. In the 3rd I might just take him for the hell of it, but probably only if "my guys" at positions of need are all gone.

 

i think snack is right , wolfe is a tricky guy for us. i too think he will go in the 2nd. he had a quicker time in the short shuttle and the 3 cone as well as verticle jump then hightower had. thats quick for a guy his size. not just hightower either thats as quick as some db's and safeties in this draft. he could fall into that BPA group for us too. if he's there at our pick in the 3rd ,we would have to snatch him. keisel does have a way of missing games during the season sometimes in chunks. i'd rather have the kid then having to play against him. that was alot of my theory in him having some time as at least one of the backups at NT and at DE or even just in certain packages. it depends on how high they are on our backups like bryant and woods and a few newer guys we have brought in. they are some guys that had good college careers. tough call on him.