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2018 Official NFL Draft Thread

Offensive Tackle OKORAFOR. Picked in round three by the Steelers. WTF.

Bad shuttle time at 4.8, and only 19 reps on the bench with his size? So he's an under achiever with iffy strength and iffy quickness to slide with a soft attitude? Nice one.

Hahahaha.....you are arguing about shuttle times and bench reps from the combine? You probably have even watched “clips” of this guy as a player....


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”Chukes is going to be the guy to watch if you are looking for a riser in the draft at (offensive tackle). Big, long and athletic. (Those players) go high.” -- NFC area scout on Western Michigan’s Chukwuma Okorafor
 
This is the worst draft I ever seen. We drafted every position that we didn’t need. Unbelievable.


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Seems clear to me that KC/MT don’t think we need the same things we fans think we need

Edmunds will be the “Shazier” fast hitter/cover guy in the middle. Bostic, Williams, Red hold down the other ILB spots, and maybe Shazier comes back in 19. Burnett and Davis hold down the two traditional safety spots with Edmunds officially a “S” but really more like a $backer

Washington replaces Bryant, Rudolph heir apparent, Okorafor replaces Hubbard.

I would have really liked a TE and another ILB but it doesn’t sound like our team has the same vision for our defense that we have for it as fans


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What makes so many of you think that inside linebacker is such a major need? Not like they play 3-4 very often.

You are correct. If the right guy fell sure great. But sub package is king. So if that ILB cant play all three downs how much value does he hold for us. Bostic and Williams can handle the 3-4 ILB role for this team. Edmunds and Burnett both being able to play ILB in sub packages is huge. **** in known passing situations i let them both play ILB and play Davis and Sutton at safety. Haden burns and hilton at Corner. Front four of watt dupree tuitt and heyward..thats a fast defense
 
This is the worst draft I ever seen. We drafted every position that we didn’t need. Unbelievable.


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Well, we needed another safety, a WR, a back up QB is a bonus if he turns out, we needed another OL but I don't have a clue regarding the kid. Overall, I think they filled some big needs. ILB, no they did not, OLB, no they did not. I think Cincinnati took the two guys they were hoping would slide after they took the QB.
 
Rudolph on NFL NET coming up next

Fairly impressive interview. Almost had or I did have the impression he wants to compete for the starting job. Well we all know who the starter is but this guy exudes optimism. I liked the interview, I hope he walks the moxy.
 
I don't think wr should have been a top priority but Washington looks like a beast
 
Good thing the steelers didn't reach for 3rd rounders Reid or Harrison in the 1st.

This is a crazy draft. This seems like a depth draft. There were maybe 15 or so top prospects and then the next 100 guys are all similar in terms of rating so then it all comes down to scheme fit for each team.

It's pretty clear that the steelers did target Safety and ILB first. The ILBs all came off the board so they got their best available safety prospect.

Once Martavis was traded, WR became a big need. They essentially have 3 starting WRs which means they have no depth at all unless you count DHB or Hunter and nobody does.

Washington was clearly the best prospect that also fit a need in Rd 2. That was the right pick.

Now in Rd 3, they still need ILB and Malik Jefferson is probably the only guy worth that pick. The steelers did their homework on him, they met with him, and they passed. Jefferson is a great athlete but he plays like a chicken with his head cut off.

If you cross off Jefferson, then who else makes sense in RD 3?

Sam Hubbard? I'd be OK with that but he's similar to Chickillo,
Double up on Safety? They may have if Bates was available but with him gone, seems like a waste
RB? None really worth a 3rd rounder
TE? I suppose Mark Andrews would have been an OK pick but is he better than James and McDonald?

The Steeleers were very high on Rudolph and when you look at the board, he was a good pick.

Same with Okorafor. This was the point of my thread about this being a tough draft for the steelers. If you attempted a mock at all, you would have seen that you were going to land in some dead spots where there was no value at need positions so going best available could mean not addressing a need.


I think you can make the argument that without a 4th rounder, the steelers should have traded back instead of going for Okorafor. But you know Munchak was involved in that pick. This guy is raw and has pro bowl talent if he can put it together. He may not have gotten proper coaching at such a small school.
 
I'm almost glad I didn't keep watching all the tape this year. Seems like guys were ALL over the place on boards. I probably would have been way too invested and this Steeler draft would have raised my blood pressure a bit.

That said, they got some athletes. When I watched Washington's tape I wasn't overly impressed as a 2nd rounder and I don't like guys without speed or length but he does remind you a bit of Sammie Coates so if the scouts liked him, they would like Washington. Very similar players. And Washington has a LOT better hands but can do the exact same things Coates did the one year he kind of "produced" in 2016. But is even the best Sammie Coates worth a 2nd rounder? Not sure in a "normal" draft.

I do like getting Rudolf. That kid is a gamer and maybe given the Steelers' continuity in the front office and the fact our talent level is almost always pretty much top-20 (while the bottom 10-15 teams wallow in scheme changes and meddling owners), he could succeed. He's arguably the smartest football IQ we now have on the roster and I truly believe that. When you watch the tape he "knows" the situation about as well as any player I've scouted. He is a first down machine and I think they can succeed in the NFL even if he doesn't have Josh Allen's arm.

The guy had a 92-26 TD to INT ration in college while STILL maintaining a career 9.2 YPA. That is premier type efficiency and the stats that kind of matter.

Let the Ravens hope they find the next Michael Vick. I'd rather have boring Eli Manning and win a few Super Bowls.
 
I think you can make the argument that without a 4th rounder, the steelers should have traded back instead of going for Okorafor. But you know Munchak was involved in that pick. This guy is raw and has pro bowl talent if he can put it together. He may not have gotten proper coaching at such a small school.

Great analysis, Tape. And I will put this out there - BEFORE the draft, your analysis is 100% spot on compared to what happened. I honestly believe that you have a better feel for draft picks than Kiper. Kiper looks at some tape, crunches combine numbers, and says, "THIS GUY IS GREAT." He ignores a ton of other issues - character, production, competition, need, ceiling, will, and on and on - and simply pimps so-and-so because he is 6'3" and ran a 4.56 40. Year after year after year after year he pimps guys that blow, and dismisses middling guys that rock.

**** the draft experts. ******* *******. If they were ACTUALLY good at what they do, they would work for NFL teams. Want evidence??? Guys who were ACTUALLY good at predicting MLB production - Bill James, Theo Epstein, Jerry Dipoto, Dan Evans, Doug Melvin, David Stearns, and on and on. - get hired by major league teams. So these draftnick wannabes? **** off.
 
I hope they can get a mack linebacker...like...erm...Genard Avery.
 
That's what i like about Rudolph. So many of these college QBs have gaudy stats by completing tons of short slants that their WRs take to the house against overmatched opponents. Rudolph pushes the ball downfield. He's always looking vertical first then taking the easy throw if it's not there.

He's also not afraid of a tight window. So many college QBs won't even attampt the throw if a DB is within 2 steps of the WR. In the video with Washington above, you can see how he understands how to set up a WR to make plays. He trusts Washington and puts the ball where he can make a play. He's not blindly throwing a jump ball.

You have so many college QBs in these spreads that are just used to leading the WR all the time. Then they get to the NFL and they almost get WRs killed by running them into a big hit. You can see Rudolph understand when to lead a guy and when to underthrow him so the WR can back shoulder or come back on it to avoid the contact.
 
Gerry Dulac says on his Twitter that Rashaan Evans was the Steelers choice in round 1. When he was gone they either didn't have a high enough grade on the rest or feel strongly enough to go up and get one.
 
Rudolph never faced a good defense in college. It’s a different ball game in the big league now.


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Rudolph never faced a good defense in college. It’s a different ball game in the big league now.


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He also never had the weapons he has now with the Steelers. You can't say one without the other.
 
Coach hates this guy.

Maybe Munchak and Fichtner are onto something.

Ask them if they can coach heart. This guy didn’t work out well either. On the slower side and weaker side for a tackle.




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Hahahaha.....you are arguing about shuttle times and bench reps from the combine? You probably have even watched “clips” of this guy as a player....


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In this case I did not watch his clips. But I know what a good work out is and what isn’t.

You don’t!!! If Mayock says his film is average and you understand he didn’t not work out well...use your brain for once.

We needed ILB, or DT/NT over a soft playing Tackle.


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