Position of need or Best Player Available?

Like a lot of fans I've been wanting the Steelers to go and get a CB in the 1st rd for years. And I've been disappointed for years as they seem to go with best player no matter what the position but now I'm having second thoughts.

Anyway, Burns and Dupree were both considered a reach but they were probably looked at as the best at position when the Steelers were on the clock. I'm looking at how those guys are developing and I'm now hoping the team looks at BPA rather than need even though safety, LBer, and DL are needed badly.

I'd like to hear what you guys think, should they go BPA even if it is on the offensive side? Do we go after a need even if there are better players at other positions available? I'm interested in how others are looking at the draft.

 

Mason Rudolph is the pick I think tbh, and here's why. The dinner and meetings with Guice is a play to check Bell and also to keep other teams on their toes. They filled the glaring needs on D with decent veterans now they'll look to fill the depth with 4-7 rounds on D. This draft is deep with talent on that side of the ball. They quietly met with Rudolph before and after his pro day. He's quite like BEN in many ways both physically and on the field. Ben said he wants to play at least 3 more years which gives the Steelers enough time to red shirt and groom the next franchise QB. (Dobbs or Landry ain't it.) This kid is an unbelievable competitor and will be a monster if given the time to mature. So yeah I think they throw a curve ball this year and draft a QB RD 1. I'll also add that he is the biggest sleeper of the qbs in this draft, go watch some tape on him.

 

I don't think the Steelers typically do either BPA or position of need. It is a blend. They take the BPA at a position of need. If I can get the time, I will go through the roster and we can get a good list together of where the holes are on the current roster. That is really the only way to do this.

For instance, let's look at WR. They basically have 3 or 4 guys on the roster. Right now DHB would be your #4. He is a special teamer only by now in his career. We may bring back Rogers, but who knows what he will be like after the injury. So, here is a position I think we have a need at, but we don't have a high need. If you take a guy #1 at WR, where does he play? You have Brown, Bryant, and Smith-Schuster already in your lineup. We need to target a guy in say round 5 and then some UDFA and see what we can stir up.

S and ILB have had their starter holes filled, we basically have zero holes when it comes to starting positions on the roster, but we have basically zero depth at both of these positions. You want to play Dangerfield or Dirty Red as starters all year? Yeah, me neither. I will do the whole roster as soon as I can get some time.

 

Under most circumstances, Round One is need and every other round is BPA.


This year could be different considering how deep this draft is. Realistically, it can go either way.



One thing is for certain; trades will be en masse in Round One without question.

 

If you have listened to KC for the past 10 years the Steelers always draft BPA LOL. I could actually believe him this year.

 

I hope they draft either safety or ILB, we need depth on defense more than anything else.

 

I don't think there is a question it has to be LB. Vince and matakevich are backups, bostic helps strengthen that spot and could start at one of the two spots, but we do still need another starter at that position. OLB is also a position of need. Moats and harrison gone and chickillo year to year. Then there is Dupree, if they are still trying to decide on him and his 5th year option then a new player is in the mix. We have two starters at safety now. RB, OLB, ILB are all in play I would say. Hubbard? Carter? LVE? Guice? Lewis? Evans I hate to say? Landry? Chubb? Jefferson? These all seem like guys to watch for.

 

Two guys I'm keeping an eye on are Lorenzo Carter and Leon Jacobs. Great speed. Long arms. Jacobs is pretty strong even with the long arms and both could play inside or outside in our defense. That gives us position flexibility from both of them. I think Jacobs was a little out of position at OLB for Wisconsin and would fit much better inside here. Carter brings that length that helps on STs too. He can block kicks as he has proven. Jacobs isn't a 1st rounder but he is moving up. You can't deny his speed and strength numbers, add long arms and ability to play inside and out. He has starts at both in a defense similar to ours.

 

With the signing of Burnett, and maybe Tom Bradley can coach these secondary players up?

I now see Harold Landry/Jaire Alexander in play for Steelers at BPA.

 

Ironically, Landry is one player I do not want.

 

Why, all he does is PRODUCE against high quality talent.

 

He was great in 2016, I think he led the NCAA in sacks. He was injured in 2017 and didn't produce the same stats.

 

He's put up quality numbers at the combine.

 

Sorry guys. My head must not have been screwed on right. I was thinking about the OLB from GA. Him I don't like.

 

hey don't feel bad, I have had maybe too many Birthdays. Transpose numbers forget names

 

Lorenzo Carter or Justin Reid as I see it currently for us. Not too sure even if teams who are desperate for Linebackers are sympathetic about something as a 40 time as others are in the top 20.


Unless Mike Vrabel, Marvin Lewis or even Jason Garrett have other needs, I believe Pittsburgh's chances obtaining Leighton Vander Esch is likely not going to happen now.



Oddly enough though, if I had a choice??... Justin Reid. Morgan Burrett does allow us to run the dime defense but having J.J. Wilcox as a primary option scares me. Reid being that primary option as a starting safety is a much better proposition assuming Sean Davis moves to Free Safety.



Should Sean Davis stay at Strong Safety then Jessie Bates is the next best option.

 

Brian Allen or sutton with Burnett and Davis would let us run the dime well. Hilton, burns, haden. Sensabaugh, Wilcox. I'm leaning more towards a bigger SS with speed. Edmund's, flowers. Maybe a true FS later on. Maybe they are leaning towards a big fast CB that can tackle well. Many choices. Allen and sutton though I feel will get a shot instead of leaving them grow dormant on the depth chart.

 

I hope we don't draft a QB in the first.

 

I guess it all depends on what people consider positions of need. Even though we signed Burnett and Bostic I would still consider both positions of need. I also put RB up there with what we are going thru with Bell and oline has to be in consideration. I think we go BPA of position of need which I feel could be ILB, OLB, oline, RB, S and even WR although with our record at WR I am not looking for one in the first. I also look at the depth in this draft class and I see S as a very deep class and OLB not so deep so if a guy like Carter is there I would consider him.

 

I do think they like Malik golden. We will see if he expands on the pretty good preseason he had last year. LB with speed is a must. Probably two would be better. We shall see but we have some options already here many are not giving a chance yet. Just to pick someone different for the sake of change isn't always a smart way to go. I want to see what some of these guys can do before we just make a pick because many think they will be better because they are new. I want to see keion Adams, Brian Allen, Sutton, huguenin, golden. We may not need more.

 

The big question is do we have the time for that, the Ben clock is going tick tock tick tock. What if we ignore say OLB in the draft and FA and give Adams a shot at backing up and we lose a starter like last year? Then we have to worry about if he can dandle it no thank you, I am all about seeing what he can do but with us being so close I want plan c in place as well. IMO we don't have the time to hope guys on the practice squad can fill in when needed. I do not want to see another replay of the ILB position from last year and before anyone says well injury was the problem yeah it was but not having players in place for the "next man up" was the real problem. jmo

 

The Pats picked up 23.. they need QB, ILB So if the ILB's are gone before 23.. Mason Rudolph may not be an issue for us to deal with he could be a Pat.

 

I don't think Colbert is in a panic as some fans are of we have to win before Ben goes and foresake the future to do that. He did draft these guys, like Adams and Allen and sutton. He did bring back golden for another shot as he did huguenin. We kept guys that showed up last year early and now they have a year under their belts of learning.

Whomever they draft this year will help us win in some respect. It is an on going saga. We have never thrown away the future to win now or we would be bringing in more FAs like some of these other teams try to do.

 

I am not talking about throwing away the future on FA's I am talking about throwing away the future because we don't have players ready, for example Moats. I am also not talking about Sutton cause he payed last year, I am more worried about guys like Adams and Allen being counted on as sterters is needed and I am not ready for that. I am fine with them being on the roster for depth but no way do I think a guy can come in this year from the practice squad and end up being starter material. If that was the case the Steelers would have moved Kelsey up from the PS to help us last season when we were so bad at ILB. I agree we need these guys (Adams and Allen) but just for depth and I am hoping we draft others for this spot as well.