Gorman's 5 thoughts on Steelers' first-round pick T.J. Watt
Kevin Gorman | Friday, April 28, 2017, 11:00 a.m.
http://triblive.com/sports/steelers...ive-thoughts-on-the-steelers-first-round-pick
1. Drafting for need?
After a season in which the Steelers played little brother to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship, they drafted the younger brother of one of the NFL's best players.
The immediate reaction to their selection of T.J. Watt with the 30th pick of the NFL Draft Thursday night is that the Wisconsin outside linebacker fits the profile of pass rusher they so desperately need.
That's my concern, that the Steelers drafted for need instead of taking the best player available. Some scouts gave Watt, a converted tight end, a second-round grade.
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert considered Watt a first-rounder, however, and he joins Jarvis Jones (2013), Ryan Shazier (2014) and Bud Dupree (2015) to become the fourth linebacker they drafted in the first round in the past five years.
Then again, the Steelers had the 30th pick and watched players they supposedly coveted, like Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey, Missouri outside linebacker Charles Harris, Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers, UCLA defensive end Takk McKinley and Miami tight end David Njoku drafted before them.
Watt only needs to be an upgrade over Jones, the bust he's replacing.
2. It's in the family
As far as little brothers go, J.J. Watt said his brother is “further along than I was.”
Consider that the Texans star defensive end is a four-time, first-team All-Pro and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and that's quite the compliment.
Even better are T.J. Watt's NFL Scouting Combine statistics. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds, his 20-yard shuttle of 4.13 seconds was fastest among linebackers, ranked in the top 10 of all players and the top 10 of all linebackers the past five years. T.J. matched J.J.'s 37-inch vertical leap, bettered his broad jump (10-8 to 10-0) and had similar hand and arm measurements.
Difference is, J.J. Watt weighed 292 pounds to T.J.'s 252, and bench-pressed 225 pounds for 34 repetitions to T.J.'s 21.
But if J.J. Watt is proof of his brother's untapped potential, consider that he had 11.5 sacks in two seasons at Wisconsin and has 76 in six NFL seasons.
T.J. Watt had 11.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in his lone season as a defensive starter for the Badgers.
Then again, Jones had 45.5 TFL and 28 sacks in two seasons at Georgia. If you want to compare T.J. Watt and Jones, look at their bench press (Watt 21, Jones 20) and 40 times (Watt 4.69, Jones 4.92). The knock on Jones with the Steelers was more his strength than speed.
3. Passing on Foster
What had me scratching my head was the player the Steelers passed on to take Watt.
San Francisco traded a fourth-rounder to Seattle move into the 31st pick so it could select Alabama inside linebacker Reuben Foster.
Afterward, 49ers general manager John Lynch said that he got two of the top three players on his board in No. 3 overall pick Soloman Thomas, the defensive end from Stanford, and Foster.
That's how highly Foster was regarded. Of course, he hurt his draft stock by testing positive for a diluted sample at the combine and getting involved in an argument with a hospital worker at his medical check.
The Steelers have a pressing need at inside linebacker after allowing Lawrence Timmons to sign with Miami and whiffing on free agent Dont'a Hightower.
Character matters more than ever with the Steelers, especially after losing Martavis Bryant to a season-long suspension and Le'Veon Bell to a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.
That made Watt a safe pick for the Steelers. We'll find out whether it's a smart one.
4. Running the North
The Steelers watched their AFC North Division rivals improve in important ways.
The Browns had three first-round picks, taking Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett first overall and adding the versatile Peppers at safety and Njoku at tight end.
Still, it's hard to believe the Browns passed on quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson when they return only Brock Osweiler and Cody Keller at the position.
The Bengals drafted wide receiver John Ross of Washington, who recorded the fastest 40 time in combine history, at 4.22 seconds. He joins a receiving corps that features A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd.
And the Ravens chose the cornerback Humphrey, adding to a secondary that signed safety Tony Jefferson and cornerback Brandon Carr in the off-season.
Which brings us to...
5. Steelers next picks?
The Steelers still have some holes to fill, and they have the 30th pick of the second round (62nd overall) and the 30th and 41st of the third round (94th and 105th overall) to address them.
Primary positions to address should be cornerback, tight end, safety, running back and defensive end.
Here are the question marks: The Steelers watched Will Gay lose a step but don't know if Senquez Golson, after missing two seasons with injury, can finally contribute as a slot corner.
Ladarius Green's status remains unclear, but the Steelers don't seem comfortable with Jesse James as the starter at tight end.
DeAngelo Williams likely won't be back, so there is a need for a backup to Bell at tailback.
The starters at safety should be Mike Mitchell and Sean Davis but their backups are an issue.
And when Cam Heyward went down with a midseason injury, it exposed the Steelers' lack of depth at defensive end.
But they got the pass rusher they wanted in Watt, and that's a strong start.
Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
