Who is really in play at Pick #30?

says a lot here. big fast safety is in play with penetrating quick big interior linemen. not the conventional 4-3 but the two down hybrid we've been seeing built on.


http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/04/film-room-hybrid-safety-transform-steelers-defense/

obi, jones, nicholson, peppers.

wormley, watkins, alualu added, antoine.

taco on the outside, kpassognon.

all these types would fill roles in this hybrid D.

 

I think what we are seeing in the visit process, is that they are confident in their two boundary corners (Burns and Cockrell), and are focusing on Nickel and Dime package players who can cover the slot (both in the form of corners to cover traditional slot WRs, as well as safeties who can come down in the box and cover TEs.

Kevin King is strictly a boundary corner.

 

This years draft, more than any other will feature a lot of surprises, with an abundance of talent minus QBs and several teams holding more than 10 draft picks there is no predictability in this draft which will make it intriguing and a MUST SEE for draft niks????

 

Safties who can come in and focus squarely on slot and tight end duties huh?


Sounds like Obi Melifonwu to me. I would not be disappointed.

 

Pretty much what I said about Jabrill way back when the media was livid about him.


Now I do think Obi is a far better choice and likely in play at 30 (I still believe he makes it there) but if Obi is not on the board by then, take BPA and nab Josh Jones round 2.


Speaking of Josh Jones, I believe NFL Network had a mock of him going to Houston in round one. Would not surprise me if he does.

 

Why do you think Obi is a far better choice? Just curious. I haven't seen a ton on him, but everything I've seen he doesn't really stand out. Looks reactionary. Doesn't appear to be the athlete on tape as he was at the combine. Peppers stuck out big time.

I will say he looked solid in coverage and Peppers didn't have a lot of tape in coverage. Maybe it's a scheme thing? They aren't very similar players imo, so it makes sense that people would like one more than the other.

I wouldn't hate Obi as the pick, but I very much prefer Peppers

 

why peppers? his coverage is why i don't want him. he will have to be able to cover as a safety for us. we are almost asking this type of safety to learn two positions in this hybrid, peppers hasn't mastered one yet. he's just basically a good athlete. in the nfl they all are. more polished receivers will eat him alive i'm afraid.

 

Much like how Bud Dupree was not tried and tested as a 3-4 edge rusher at Kentucky either. Bud moved all over the place, even in his final season.



Much of what made me like Peppers is that he has not settled into a position yet but does have the instincts that one cannot teach. Should those instincts be harnessed early on, Jabrill and Sean are essentially having a discount year three Polamalu in the NFL for the price of two


The main reason I would want Obi is that now you have two combo safeties who can neutralize any offensive threat our rivals may pose. Yes, Obi does not have Jabrill's instincts but makes up for it with high levels of athleticism and steady play.



As you said SteelCity, either one for pick 30 would be fine by me. I am just leaning more into the Obi camp considering he really matches up to what Tomlin looks for in propsects.

 

Peppers just sticks out more. On the field he looks way more instinctual, way more explosive. I don't see Peppers struggling to cover in the NFL. He wasn't asked to do it much in college and he probably wasn't properly coached to do so. He's so good at everything he's been asked to do, I have no doubt that he can learn to be a good cover guy. He'd be a true hybrid and would do all kinds of awesome stuff in our defense. The type of stuff we miss by not having Polamalu on the back end (not comparing him to Troy, just that he will likely be a similar style of player in our defense). I think the impact he would bring to our defense could take us to a new level on defense. He is very scheme dependent imo, but he could be special for us.

obi is a way different player. He's more of a SS/FS type instead of a SS/LB/ATH like Peppers. I don't hate his game. He'd be a fine FS choice for us at 30. Solid match up against tall TE's and could play some center field. Doesn't do anything really poorly but doesn't wow me in any area. I think he will be a solid starting S for someone, I just like Peppers' ceiling a lot more.

 

sorry i just don't see it. there is no way he and troy are in the same conversation.

 

I think a lot of people forget that Troy really was not
a good pass defender EVER. It would be so nice to
have an option to select a Malik Hooker and see a real difference
maker and forget about OBI and Peppers. Both of who will be gone by our pick at 30.

 

Jones would have to be our starting QB for 10 games for that to happen.. then maybe next draft we can pick one up in the top 5.. But then we would need to draft a QB.. So Peppers looks good.

 

Never tried to put him there. Peppers is a polarizing prospect for sure. Some love him, some hate him. All preference

 

Idk that's a totally fair assessment. He had two seasons of 7 INT's and one with 5. He wasn't asked to man people up, he was a free wheeler and I remember him making plenty of plays defending the pass. Lots of zone.

Unfortunately we have less than zero chance at hooker. I would love to have him, but no shot. The reason why we talk about Obi and Peppers is that there is at least a reasonable shot that one or both of them are available to us at our pick. Hooker is better than them both, but he's going top 10

 

troy wasn't that bad, hell 19 picks in 3 years, really? a lot of guys don't do that in a career. God we are spoiled. LOL. it was also a different league then and a much different defense than we are trying to move to. you can't make these comparisons of what was and what is going forward. it's becoming a lot different and so is the skill set needed. again i hope it's not peppers.

 

Pro Football Focus graded Polamalu as ranking second against the run among safeties since 2007 and third versus the pass.

 

32 interceptions. thats some pretty good work in my book and not a guy who struggled. that was in 12 seasons as a SS. woodson had 38 as a steeler in 10 seasons here.

 

That's a fantastic video. Thanks for the share. I'm a big Peppers fan and really think he would thrive in our system. I like that last bit where they said he would likely be the slot corner in a nickel defense. He is an excellent blitzer, can man up, is a plus defender against the run... he would allow us to get very creative again with our defense, especially in the nickel (which is the new base NFL defense). He could give us the flexibility to take our defense to a new level.

If I had the decision... he'd be ours if he was available at 30. In a heartbeat

 

It's definitely possible. He's hard to project in a range. He could go 15-40 imo.

The draft is always such a crap shoot. You never know what's gonna happen. I trust that KC and crew will make a good selection