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Ranking the Steelers returning players 1-30

slashsteel

Thank you for everything Franco, R I P.
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(Didn't rank the departed, 1 year suspended, newly drafted & acquired,or injured entire year players)

1 Ben Roethlisberger,QB- if you were expecting Bell or Brown you might have a case. But no single player on this team is more important than Big Ben. He is a franchise QB at the most important position on a NFL roster.

2. Antonio Brown WR- Antonio gets the nod over Bell. As he has been productive longer, and has overall been healthier.

3. Le'Veon Bell RB - If he could just stay healthy down the stretch. At times last year he was the best player on the field.

4 Maurkice Pouncey C- When he is healthy that running game just is down right nasty. I still think he is the teams most talented lineman.

5 Cameron Heyward,DE - Best player on the D for now.

6.Marcus Gilbert OT- In my opinion underrated. His play has improved over the latter stage of his career.

7 Ryan Shazier ILB - He is a up and comer, just watch for it. Provided he stays healthy.

8 Ramon Foster G Steady Eddie Might be higher than some would like, but that O-line is one of the best in the NFL.

9 David DeCastro,G- I would have ranked him higher, but those penalties were annoying.

10 Alejandro Villanueva, OT Moving up the list quickly and could be argued he is deserved of being ranked higher. But a semi short body of work lands him here.

11 StephonTuitt DE - When Heyward went down came into his own. I think there is some younger players who could jump his ranking. But for now he gets my nod at 11.

12 James Harrison,-OLB- Father time, is like the energizer bunny. Although he isn't as explosive as he once was. He still looked like the teams best OLBer.

13 Bud Dupree, OLB- Injury held him back, but I expect a jump to the top ten this year.

14 Mike Mitchell S - I like some of his game, just not the ball hawk that I desire.

15 Sean Davis S -I expect him to slowly rise up the list. Not expecting star status, but perhaps a solid career with above average play.

16 Artie Burns CB- Perhaps a little bit higher than some might list. But I think he showed potential.

17 Ross Cockrell CB -I think the Steelers get solid play from him, although we maybe looking at his ceiling.

18 Javon Hargrave DT Showed real well for a small school third rounder.

19 Sammie Coates WR -A forgettable year. His talent says he deserves to go higher. Last years injury woes had the look of a bust. Which way his career goes who knows.

20 Jesse James TE- A solid blue collar lunch pail type of guy. He gets the starting nod at TE.

21 Vince Williams ILB -Should be a solid starting ILB who could have more tackles than Shazier. I would leave him out of coverage as much as possible.

22 William Gay CB - Gay used to mean happy. I am not happy his play is declining, but he gave us some good moments.For now he gets to keep his number. But that might be coming to a end real soon.

23 Chris Boswell K- Pretty happy with his play. I would like to see improvement over 50 yards though.

23.Eli Rogers WR - Showed well in the slot, but will JuJu steal some of his playing time?

24 Chris Hubbard T/C - I thought he played well when called upon.

25 B.J. Finney C/G I like him as a G.

26 David Johnson TE - Damn good blocker, but not much else.

27 L.T Walton DE - Showed a little against the run, and not much else

28 Roosevelt Nix, FB Gritty blocker, so there is that.

29.Landry Jones QB. He was a yo-yo good and bad. Hobbs will have a lot of say if he stays on the list or not.

30. Jordan Berry P -end this list with a punt. (now the ball is in your court)


missing the top 30

Ayers, Demarcus WR
Chickillo, Anthony LB
Dangerfield, Jordan S
Fort, L.J. LB
Golden, Robert S
Grimble, Xavier TE
Hamilton, Cobi WR
Heyward-Bey, Darrius WR
Johnson, Steven LB
Matakevich, Tyler LB
Maxey, Johnny DE
McCullers, Daniel DT
Mihalik, Brian OT
Moats, Arthur LB
Toussaint, Fitzgerald RB
 
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19 might be a bit high for a WR who has alligator arms and butter fingers

yeah I was tempted to put Coates lower. It was a fight from beginning to finish.

On one hand he showed well when healthy

on the other hand he only showed well when healthy, which wasn't much.

Talent wise top 15, performance last year was deserved a punt off the list.
 
1. Ben Roethlisberger
2. Leveon Bell
3. Antonio Brown
4. David Decastro
5. Cameron Heyward
6. Stephon Tuitt
7. Markuice Pouncey
8. Marcus Gilbert
9. Ryan Shazier
10. Martavis Bryant
11. James Harrison
12. Bud Dupree
13. Mike Mitchell
14. Javon Hargrave
15. Sean Davis
16. Jesse James
17. Ross Cockrell
18. Ramon Foster
19. Alejandro Villanueva
20. Artie Burns
21. Vince Williams
22. Eli Rogers
23. Tyson Alualu
24. William Gay
25. Sammie Coates
26. Chris Boswell
27. LT Walton
28. BJ Finney
29. Chris Hubbard
30. David Johnson

I used a FA signee and Bryant cause hes top 10 talent.
 
19 might be a bit high for a WR who has alligator arms and butter fingers

Not a lot under him I would put higher. Maybe switch him and Jessie. Vince, maybe, but I'd like to see how Vince performs in a starting role rather than filling in before I put him higher.

I'd flip Johnson and Nix with the caveat "if Nix is healthy" as I think Nix is a better blocker. I'd also flip Finney and Hubbard.
 
both lists are pretty good but if Coates makes the top 30 he has to be behind Rogers.....
 
Coates won't make the team. He lost it. I'd be very comfortable wagering Ayers making the team over Coates this year. If it doesn't happen, I can just blame Ark.

So it's a win/win either way...
 
1 Ben
2 AB
3 Bell
4 Heyward
5 Pouncey
6 DeCastro
7 Shazier
8 Tuitt
9 Dupree
10 Gilbert
11 Foster
12 Cockrell
13 Mitchell
14 Davis
15 Villanueva
16 Burns
17 Hargrave
18 Harrison
19 James
20 Boswell
21 Rogers
22 Nix
23 Gay
24 Vince Williams

got bored
 
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coates would have been on the top 30 for the 1st half of the season. top 51 for the last half of season
 
Some of you guys forgot Bryant.
 
1. Ben Roethlisberger
2. Leveon Bell
3. Antonio Brown
4. David Decastro
5. Cameron Heyward
6. Stephon Tuitt
7. Markuice Pouncey
8. Marcus Gilbert
9. Ryan Shazier
10. Martavis Bryant
11. James Harrison
12. Bud Dupree
13. Mike Mitchell
14. Javon Hargrave
15. Sean Davis
16. Jesse James
17. Ross Cockrell
18. Ramon Foster
19. Alejandro Villanueva
20. Artie Burns
21. Vince Williams
22. Eli Rogers
23. Tyson Alualu
24. William Gay
25. Sammie Coates
26. Chris Boswell
27. LT Walton
28. BJ Finney
29. Chris Hubbard
30. David Johnson

I used a FA signee and Bryant cause hes top 10 talent.


A few comments.

Tuitt at # 6? A bit high.

Harrison at #11? Not at his age.

Jessie James above Foster, and Villanueva? Not a chance.
 
Nit picky, just for fun. Thanks for doing the leg work Slash!

1 Ben Roethlisberger,QB
2. Antonio Brown WR
3. Le'Veon Bell RB
4 Maurkice Pouncey C
5 Cameron Heyward,DE
6 Ryan Shazier ILB - When healthy, he's the best player on our D and close to being the most impactful player on the team.
7 David DeCastro,G
8 Tuitt - Showed me last year he can hold the line without Cam. He's for real, and reminds me of Aaron Smith a lot!
9 Harrison - Yes he's a top 10 player. Why? Because he's also our most intimidating defender. 39 or not, no one wants to get in his way.
10 Marcus Gilbert OT
11 Artie Burns CB - our best corner and I expect a jump this season
12 Alejandro Villanueva, OT Moving up the list quickly and could be argued he is deserved of being ranked higher. But a semi short body of work lands him here.
13 Sean Davis S What he did as a rookie is astounding. I'm expecting big things from him this year as well.
14 Ramon Foster G
15 Bud Dupree, OLB
16 Javon Hargrave DT
17 Jessie James TE best all around TE on the roster and will improve again in year 3.
18 Chris Boswell K - Money inside of 50. What you need is consistency to win games in the league, and he wins them for us.
19 Ross Cockrell CB
20 Mike Mitchell S - He makes more mistakes than I like
21 William Gay CB
22 Demarcus Ayers WR - a lot of you guys are underestimating this guy, but he has the best hands and is the most position flexible WR on the roster other than AB. Plus he should be taking over some return duties on ST
23.Eli Rogers WR Only a slot guy, but is an excellent route runner
24 Vince Williams ILB
25 Roosevelt Nix FB - when he's blocking, someone's going to end up on his back. I'd just watch him on plays when he was lined up as FB. Absolutely kills guys on blocks. Fun to watch!
26 Matakevich, Tyler LB - Dirty Red may get a lot of playing time this season. I'm interested to see what he does in real game action.
27 Jordan Berry P - Good Punter and can get better. This should be his jump year.
28 Xavier Grimble TE - most explosive receiver returning to play TE
29 B.J. Finney C/G young, athletic, could rise to being a starter if he outplays Foster in camp.
30 Jerald Hawkins OT - Redshirted last year with an injury, but has the tools to be a player in this league.
 
There are several tiers:
1-3 AllPro
3-7 ProBowl
8-12 Impact players
12-20 Solid pros
20-30 Average/slightly above.

We are fortunate to have so many in the 1-7 slot, and many in the 8-20 range are young guys capable of moving up.




Championship!
 
22 Demarcus Ayers WR - a lot of you guys are underestimating this guy, but he has the best hands and is the most position flexible WR on the roster other than AB. Plus he should be taking over some return duties on ST

I don't know how you can dismiss Coates and say this. Coates had actual KR returns rather than potential to do so. After being injured. If you look at his averge , on the few he had, it would have put him in the top 10 in the league

Even with a ****** last 11 games of the season, as I stated before, not one WR in the league had more 40+ yard reception's during the year. Zero. Prior to the injury, he had very good production. Injured his fingers and it stopped.

Simply not enough info to say he has not recovered.
 
I don't know how you can dismiss Coates and say this. Coates had actual KR returns rather than potential to do so. After being injured. If you look at his averge , on the few he had, it would have put him in the top 10 in the league

Even with a ****** last 11 games of the season, as I stated before, not one WR in the league had more 40+ yard reception's during the year. Zero. Prior to the injury, he had very good production. Injured his fingers and it stopped.

Simply not enough info to say he has not recovered.

I'm not worried that he's not recovered. Last year he already showed me that he has poor hands and a propensity to drop (even when healthy). Now that his fingers are bent away from his palms, I don't see his hands catching improving.

Bryant will be taking his YPC numbers this year, he has better hands, more speed and more elusiveness. Bryant truly is a freak at receiver. Moss-esque.

Coates has potential, he just needs to turn it on between the ears. But with Hunter, JuJu, Bryant, Hamilton and Coates all vying for the Z receiver, I fear he loses out on the numbers game. His best chance of making the team is beating out DHB on special teams coverage units. He showed he can be quite good there as well.
 
I think you are misrembering his pre-injury stats.

First five games was 61,3% as Rec/Targets. Doesn't seem great, but Antonio's is 66.1. In comparison 5% difference between a superstar like Brown and anyone else, doesn't seem that bad.
 
There are several tiers:
1-3 AllPro
3-7 ProBowl
8-12 Impact players
12-20 Solid pros
20-30 Average/slightly above.

We are fortunate to have so many in the 1-7 slot, and many in the 8-20 range are young guys capable of moving up.




Championship!

As long as some of our top players 1-10 are pass rushers and DB's, I agree. That and let's get home field because we just to not play well on the West coast or in Cheatersville, New England.
 
I think you are misrembering his pre-injury stats.

First five games was 61,3% as Rec/Targets. Doesn't seem great, but Antonio's is 66.1. In comparison 5% difference between a superstar like Brown and anyone else, doesn't seem that bad.

The catch percentage is not just drops. That's throwing the ball toward a receiver and it hitting the ground instead of being caught. Inaccuracy, Passes Defended, Interceptions, OOB. Coates has a fine percentage, but his sample size is much lower. What he did with those 21 catches is amazing in the first 4 games, but dropping 1 or 2 passes per game stalled drives and took TDs off the board.

I think he is tradable due to his great early season numbers, and we are flush at WR. I would be fine with letting him go for a draft pick.

The other problem with Coates is, he can ONLY play the Z receiver position.

Right now we have:
Bryant at the Z
DHB can play the X or Z (and Y in a pinch)
JuJu can play the Y or Z (I'll wait for camp to see if he's X capable)
Ayres can play the X, Y, or Z
Hunter Z only
Hamilton Z-primary

The only locks on this team are AB at the X, JuJu at the Y, and Bryant at the Z
Rogers is a Y only receiver, and should make the team.

You now need backups at the X (Ayres or DHB) and the Z which is now between Ayres, Coates, Hamilton, Hunter, and DHB.

If it's my job to coach the WRs, Ayres has a spot due to position flexibility. DHB is the next most versatile receiver we have. He can also play all 3 positions plus he's a ST ace. I honestly thing Coates has to outplay DHB at ST coverage to make this team.

If the Steelers were on board with Coates, they wouldn't have picked up Hunter or drafted JuJu. It's just a numbers game that I don't see him winning.
 
Board: You are ranking a center too high on the list, cut Pouncey and play whatever back up is behind him. :eyebrows:
 
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