Let's go pick by pick through 7

[stuntmanmike]

I'm picking Sutton smith as the next Harrison and as the guy outa nowhere... look at his three cone and he's as quick as a db or wr and that with the fact he tackled everything in site in college makes me think they got a guy with a good chance not only to make special teams but a guy that can contribute down the road in a big way. im not sure if they are moving him inside, which I think with his quickness, is his natural spot, but him and bush could be pretty dominate down the road. to defend the run pass option you really have to have that cone to cone quickness he shows.

 

[Stryker]

Sutton is position flexible. He plays ILB, OLB, and $B. Watch his tape, and it's sick how fast he is and how quickly he hits the gaps. He's going to have some nice splash plays in preseason this year. Personally, I'd like to see him stick as a ILB, and I think he can make the team there.

Ulysses has to get through Ola, and I think that will be a tough climb.

Not sure if the T will make the team as a T, possibly as a G/T but has to show he can play inside. We don't have Munch to mold that clay anymore, so i'm not holding my breath on late round linemen anymore.

DT has a shot since Big Dan is beatable and LT Walton took a big step back last year.

Snell will be the short yardage back, we've been looking for.

Bush may be our team leader on D in a few short years. I hear he loves going through tape. We need someone who can get the D excited about doing the off field work to get better, and if they do, picking him up helps the entire D. Just like Ray Ray did in Baltimore.

I broke down Johnson, and I'm split on the guy. I think he becomes our returner, but his hand technique is piss poor. He needs to catch 1000 balls a day to fix that lazy hand placement, or a lot of balls will hit the ground. Now he does navigate the route tree well to find open spots using feints and stutter steps, and he is unblockable in the press (much like AB), but he's not polished by any stretch. I would have rather taken Boykin. Giving Ben that big/fast WR he always wanted that can run a 4.4 and jump out of the building?? There's no way I would have passed on that. Instead we got one of the smallest WR in the draft with an average to below average performance on every skill at the combine. Don't get me wrong, his tape shows he's quicker and faster than his measurables, and also show his superior football IQ for how to play the game, get open, and extend plays. I'm just not sold on him until I see him in a game situation with this team.

PS, My writeup posts at 5:30ish

 

[Bobby Bufford]

Again, please show me FACTS. Post all 32 teams “Big Boards” showing him ranked in the 200 range as you claim he was. Or refute the stories of other teams razzing our WR coach for taking him right before they did.

That's all I have to do to prove my point? That's realistic, plausible and sane.

 

[Bobby Bufford]

I'm picking Sutton smith as the next Harrison and as the guy outa nowhere... look at his three cone and he's as quick as a db or wr and that with the fact he tackled everything in site in college makes me think they got a guy with a good chance not only to make special teams but a guy that can contribute down the road in a big way. im not sure if they are moving him inside, which I think with his quickness, is his natural spot, but him and bush could be pretty dominate down the road. to defend the run pass option you really have to have that cone to cone quickness he shows.

First of all the RPO will be a faded memory before long; it gets QB killed (see RG3, ended his career pretty much). NFL Ds figure gimmick schemes out quickly.

Secondly, once Sutton faced big boy competition at the Sr. Bowl (both practice and game), he was ineffective trying to get by big boy level OTs. As a matter of fact, they said he was pretty much fully neutralized and inept.

I'm not saying he has zero chance of making it, but how many times have we seen LBs who were stars in college end up being anemic at the NFL level? But, we did clear the deck in the LB position to some degree so that gives him a better shot at making practice squad or maybe STs.

Also, Sutton doesn't have Harrison's skills. JH was a BEAST with insane power in his lower body, and upper. Sutton is no where near that powerful, and doesn't have the natural leverage JH had. In JH's prime (which was short-lived from late start into getting on the field), he was nearly as good as any LB in the history of the NFL, I'm talking LT-level good.

 

[Bobby Bufford]

Buggs WILL beat Big Dan. Write it down.

Our run D just got a hellava lot better - trust me!

In related news, a local landscaper came by the Steelers' offices and dropped off a large stump, who the Steelers signed in hopes of beating out Dan McCullers.

 

[Steeltime]

Secondly, once Sutton faced big boy competition at the Sr. Bowl (both practice and game), he was ineffective trying to get by big boy level OTs. As a matter of fact, they said he was pretty much fully neutralized and inept.

That is a fact. He has a lot to improve on. However, the guy's 3-cone, ability to bend around the corner, and undeniable quickness are basically undeniable. Can he beat NFL tackles right now? No. Does he have the skill set to be able to beat NFL tackles? Yes, he does.

The biggest criticism - rightly - of Jarvis Jones in the first was that he ran a 4.85 40, had a woeful broad jump, poor high jump. He simply did not have the tool set to become an NFL pass rusher.

Smith is a 6th round pick, with tremendous quickness around the corner, some elite numbers (6.75 3-cone best of all LB'ers tested, 4.69 40, 25 reps). Take a guy with that skill set and see how he turns out.

Oh, and his college numbers include three blocked punts. His speed and cutting ability make him a very likely special teams improvement.

 

[Bobby Bufford]

Those guys were available in the 6th and 7th rounds for a reason. I like selecting an edge rusher who was incredibly productive in college, who looks like he is on fire when playing, who will probably help on special teams, and who posted some pretty impressive combine numbers (best 3-cone by a significant margin, 25 reps). If he were 6'3", 255 lbs. and posted those numbers, he would be gone in the first round. So he helps on special teams, is too small to be an edge rusher, and was overwhelmed by offensive lineman during the senior bowl. Again, that's why he was there in the 6th round.

As for Buggs ... he was available in the 7th round for a reason. I believe he stands a chance of being on the field for pass rush skills, replacing Grave Digger. If not ... he was a 7th round pick.

So selecting a guy who is going to help special teams, has some very intriguing physical tools, was productive in college, but has a lot to work on in the 3rd round? D. In the 6th round? B+. Selecting a guy who can rush the passer in the A-gap, but who has conditioning issues, and does not have significant physical tools in the 4th round? C. In the 7th round? B at worst.

We can debate grades, I guess I was grading on the chances of them making the team and contributing. But, if you grade it on where they were picked, I guess the grades could be a tad higher. I agree with your above points.

But help me out here (a much larger discussion). Why does it feel like we used to find more studs in the later rounds than we do now? I mean, the draft used to be how many rounds? And we still found UDFAs who became stars even with all those extra picks in play. And we certainly found solid players past the 7th round. Yes, AB was a 6th rounder, but it seems under this regime, we find little after day 2 most of the time.

 

[Steeltime]

But help me out here (a much larger discussion). Why does it feel like we used to find more studs in the later rounds than we do now? I mean, the draft used to be how many rounds? And we still found UDFAs who became stars even with all those extra picks in play. And we certainly found solid players past the 7th round. Yes, AB was a 6th rounder, but it seems under this regime, we find little after day 2 most of the time.

The biggest explanation as far as I am concerned is that all NFL teams now scout like the Steelers did years ago. The blue-chip sleepers are known to all teams, not just a few.

Even then, the Steelers do reasonably well later in the draft. Jaylen Samuels looks legit. He was a 5th round pick. Okorafor was the 92nd pick (3rd round), and looks like a starting NFL tackle. Conner was the 105th pick (end of 3rd round). Jesse James was pick 160 (5th round). Vince Williams was pick 206 (6th round). Kelvin Beachum was pick 248 (7th round). Antonio Brown in the 6th.

Pretty good selections over the past 9 years, and we'll see how this draft turns out.

 

[Hines57]

Pretty sure we had some inside info on Buggs, considering Dunbar was his coach 2 seasons ago. Buggs is legit if his motor is running.

I think Buggs makes the team. He may damn well push Big Dan off the roster too. Big bodies like that don't go on the practice squad because someone will swoop in and sign him.