Steelers Draft, Against the Grain

The draft has concluded and now we can all shove off the couldabins/shouldabins. Predict the short term or long term outcomes of the new rookies. Forget about who could've been taken instead, what did we get without thinking "draft value". Steelers have the back end round picks, they won't be picking the top cream of the crop guarantees, what is the next best thing? High potential, make picks that could turn into something great, don't pick obvious "plateau" players that peak at low-mid quality, great for a team trying to rebuild, not for one trying to win a superbowl.

1. T.J Watt - Seen a lot of negative talk surrounding this guy, but to me it is just because people are comparing him to other drafts that could've been made, disregard that. This guy is inexperienced and his strength has a lot of room for improvement, put him a year rotating with Harrison (along with the weight room tutelage and work ethic that he's already displaying) on the Steelers defense, I say we see spurts of what's to come midway through this season, by the end of his second season we'll look back wondering how a hall-of-fame caliber linebacker fell through the draft. Only question is does he stay healthy, does he stay on the field, a question that comes to mind with many of the Steelers draft picks in recent years. Overall I think this strategy works out in the end.

2. JuJu - I love this pick, absolutely love it. This guy plays like a 3rd or 4th year NFL possession receiver, he's a physical catcher not afraid to hit. Will give some pressure on the 3rd wide receiver spot, putting Sammie in a do or die scenario will work out well, if he dies then we have a solid #3 Bang'em up physical receiver, if Sammie prospers then he's an upgrade at the 4th rotation over Eli and gained value from the motivation for Sammie, I love Eli but this guys Eli on steroids and growth hormone. Overall, will be a great upgrade to the receiving corps, whether just by adding himself or by elevating the play of the others under Brown, I'm sure Martavis will want to try and prove a point to his worth this season too, he'll need to outshine the newbies combined if he wants the targets he's looking for.

3. Sutton - Could be good, could just die off, depends on his character. Sutton needs to work at the next level but he has the tools to get there. Will be able to upgrade the secondary towards the end of the season in dime maybe nickel packages, should have the skillset to be able to compete against slot receivers, if he gains physicality during his time with the Steelers he could become an amazing press-shutdown corner. If Sutton mans up this is a great pick, if he dwindles then atleast they had the right idea. Steelers to me have been going for alot of high upside players, people who can either become superstars or burnouts, not a bad strategy at all. I say he will achieve being a solid cornerback at the start of his second year, at the end of the third year we will see him shine

3.5. James Connor - I see some people harpin he shouldve been a 5th rounder, I don't see it, maybe mid 4th. Great value for the Steelers in the 3rd round to me, brings some motivation and feel-good vibes to the locker room, great pick just for the morale impact. Great bruising/bully running back, wouldn't be surprised to see him take some snaps infront of Lev as the FB. Great addition to the Steelers team, will put a great smashmouth mix up on their offense with Lev's common use finesse style.

4. Dobbs - Solid pickup, again could have amazing upside. Has enough athletic tools at his disposal to overcome many defenses using his superb intellect and proper use of his arsenal. This dude is smart, and he loves the game, it's what you want in a QB, put in his athletic ability and strong arm and you have a future replacement for Ben. This is the first QB pickup I've seen the Steelers make since Ben that I could get hyped about, though I think before they just wanted a consistent lackluster backup, now they're looking for high upside. Let this guy study the game at the pro level, focus all of his intellect into the game, no school to distract him and this guy will blossom. Noone's putting faith in this pick as anything, but it is the best pick they could've made. If you want a future franchise QB you gotta look for huge upside, if the Steelers are gonna have a long-term QB they want someone who's gonna be top 5 for years. If they help him refine his accuracy this is the steal of the draft, unfortunately with how erratic he is, it is a risk that he cant fix it and that would unfortunately make his arsenal a bit weak.

5. Brian Allen - Very High upside again, with experience he could become a prototype press man coverage corner. Steelers have a theme by going for high upside picks, hoping they pan out. We might forget about Brian until the 2nd season, then he might be competing for the 3rd or 4th slot.

6. Holba the LS - A specialist taken in a draft, what fresh hell is this. But you can't hate the pick to much, get a young guy who has the potential to be a solid fixture LS for years to come and be a rock on the special teams unit. Underrate position to say the least, but I like the pick if only to groom a consistent LS before Greg Warren, (35) inevitably retires. I want to assume he's hinted it to the Steelers and he's not gonna stick around to much longer. Only time will tell, but for now I'll assume the best and say this was a good idea to lockdown a solid looking guy with, again, high upside (however much that can be from the position).

7. Keion Adams - High upside from his athletic ability, but weak in strength and run stopping power. Could develop through alot of his weaknesses with hard work ethic. Probably be atleast 2 years before we hear from him if at all, hard work could bring him out.