Vontaze Burfict in round 1

I'm one that really doesn't watch a ton of college football until this time of the year, cuz I love reading about the draft and watching film. Vontaze Burfict is a guy I'm loving right now, that I think could also be a little bit of a reach at 24... However I don't think there's any way this guy gets past Baltimore, so I'd be okay grabbing him.

http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2012vburfict.php

The guy is as fiery a competitor as you'll find. He has the size to be a thumper in the run game, but plenty of speed. He blitzes extremely well and could move all over our scheme. His skill set is similar to Lawrence Timmons, but I think he sheds blocks to attack the runner better.

His ONLY knock that everyone brings up is he's gotten a lot of flags for stupid penalties (think Chris Kemo)... However he did get less as his college career went on, showing he's trying to mature. His coaches also defend him that he's not dirty, just Super competitive.

I think our pick could come down to him vs. Donte Hightower... IMO Hightower might be more polished, but this guy has a higher ceiling. Thoughts?

 

Agree that Burflict has a higher ceiling, but the only knock on him isn't just that he gets a lot of penalties. My knock on him is that he got benched in his last regular season game, and then again in his bowl game. After deciding to declare for the draft. If a guy can't keep motivated with that much on the line, then he definately raises some question marks in my book.
Will I be upset if we draft him? Knowing Colbert and Tomlin, they're going to do their research, they're going to interview him, they're going to talk to people he went to high school and college with. They're not just going to look at tape and his combine scores, they're going to look at his entire person. And if, after all that, they decide he's the Steelers' middle linebacker of the future, I'll be one of the first to buy his jersey.
Hightower will be there, and I get the feeling Keuchly will be too. If we want a middle backer, its one of those three in the first, or Audie Cole in the second. After that, we're looking at back ups and place holders until the next great linebacker comes around.

 

He was benched b/c of his personal foul penalties.

There's no way Kuechly is there at 24. If he was Tomlin better have someone sprinting to the podium. He's extremely intelligent and would be our QB of the defense very quickly.

 

I don't think he'll be there, SbD, but the two people I see falling in the draft are Keuchly and Martin. Don't know why, just a gut instinct, I guess.

 

I really like Burfict.Reminds me of a young Ray-Ray.I think we should go O-line or D-line in the first though.

 

i watched every game burfict ever played at arizona state. my quick hits:

*after a strong freshman season, he got worse every year
*he was a preseason all-american his junior year and, by season's end, was a conference 'honorable mention' without missing a single game. that's hard to do.
*the arizona state fan base is just happy to be rid of him and his awful attitude. happy as hell he's not coming back for his senior season. that should speak volumes.

 

Kind of a funny quote. I was talking to a guy that knows a lot about the draft and I asked him to break down Dont'a Hightower vs. Vontaze Burfict... He said "Hightower is a Steelers type player, Burfict is a Ravens type player"

 

he's referring to their attitudes. as far as play goes though . . . burfict is more of a cfl player. fat, slow, lazy, doesn't make plays.

suggs is a ratbird. suggs went to arizona state. but suggs was an absolute effin' beast at asu. set the ncaa record for sacks. the guy was a stud. ran around guys, ran through guys, a non-stop motor . . . burfict did nothing at asu. NOTHING.