- Joined
- Apr 8, 2014
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1(20)- Troy Fautanu OL Washington
I do like Fautanu as a football player. He’s aggressive, agile, good feet, natural knee bender, keeps his head up. And while he was my last first round rated lineman on the board at that point I had him as a fringe tackle as he may have to move to guard. And he isn’t a dominating run blocker so if he remains at tackle it might be the same issue as we have with Jones. Capable RT but should kick over to LT. And if he ends up not being able to play tackle due to his size and has to kick inside, well we drafted two other interior lineman and then still don’t have a RT. Now we do have Daniels coming up on free agency in 2025, and Isaac Seumalo in 2026 so we will have players to replace them if needed. But the final grade on this pick could be an A+ if he immediately starts at RT and stays or a B if he kicks inside. The other issue is his knee. I heard some rumors that his knee might have long term issues. They said it cleared medically but if it doesn’t hold up and we missed that then this pick becomes an F. Lots of questions about his future so with that said I’m giving this pick a B.
2(19)- Zach Frazier OC West Virginia
Love Fraziers toughness, heavy hands, and understanding of leverage. Should immediately be an asset in run blocking. And this draft has a theme and the theme to me is Justin Fields is the long term vision of this team. They are pounding the rock with Harris and Warren. Then giving Fields RPO’s. If Wilson starts it’s for one year and the rumors of the Steelers signing Fields long term I feel are true. I think he gets a Jordan Love type deal. Not a ton of guarantees but a high salary and incentives.
Anyways, back to Frazier. Frazier is as dominant as they come as a run blocker but he’s a little inconsistent at pass blocking. He bends his waist a little too much and overall isn’t a dominant athlete and doesn’t have great length. I had Frazier as a third round prospect because of that. Now you can coverup a center a little more in the pass game but there’s going to be one on one matchups and he’s going to have to work hard on becoming a player that wins those. The good news is he’s a hard worker and if I were to bet I would guess he puts in the hours needed to refine his technique and mask up those physical limitations as much as he can. So overall I am giving this pick a B.
3(20)- Roman Wilson WR Michigan
Now let me start off by saying I had Wilson as a later third round pick. But the way the draft fell I thought there was value elsewhere and maybe some more versatile receivers as well. That said Wilson is a true fire slot only player who might be a one trick pony but he does what he does well. He is your cross, drag, slant slot guy who does a great job of getting the ball in his hands and turning up field for yac. He also is a great blocker… surprise lol, and that again fits the theme this team is going for. I don’t see Wilson ever being a thousand yard receiver. He’s going to be that low end 400 and maybe sneak out a 900 yard year once in his career. He’s a piece of a puzzle not the center piece of an offense. His contested catch rating was the worst in all college football so he needs space to get the rock. Opposite of GP. So that said I give this pick a C+.
3(35)- Payton Wilson ILB NC State
I thought Wilson would go much higher but after finding out he’s missing an ACL I understand why he might not have even been on some draft boards. But at the end of day two I feel the risk is very much worth the gamble. I think we are pretty set at ILB this year but that affords Wilson the opportunity to learn and get reps in specific situations. In his last two seasons he had 30 tfl, 10.5 sacks, and 4 interceptions. We can definitely use him in specific situations year one. And actually depending on Holcombs recovery Wilson might get some extra reps early on. Next year is likely when Wilson has his best opportunity to start. He and Queen would make a formidable duo. Due to the knee concerns I’ll knock this from an A+ to an A-. But a phenomenal pick.
4(19)- Mason McCormick OG South Dakota St
I love the player, love the value, but because of the fact we went two offensive and potentially two interior linemen already I am a little confused about this one. My guess is they, like me, had McCormick as a late 2nd or early 3rd round grade and the fact he’s on the board and he likely was discussed at 51 when we drafted Frazier was too much value to pass on. McCormick and Frazier have the opposite weaknesses. McCormick is an exceptional athlete with great size. Frazier is an average athlete with average to below average size. Both are very durable and strong. McCormick’s ability to get out in space and pull will be a huge asset in the run game. The depth the Steelers have inside is second to none. I give this pick an A-.
6(2)- Logan Lee DL Iowa
I spoke about Lee a lot predraft as he reminded me of Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith. Not going to be flashy but they do their job and makes the team better. Lunch pale kind of mentality. A lot of this draft hinges on Lee as I felt OL and DL needed addressing and depth. Lee needs to put on about 15lbs or more functional muscle weight. He can set the edge but struggles against bigger mauler type tackles and adding some sand to his pants will make that task easier. He holds his own as a run defender. As a pass rusher he actually has a few moves to go along with his power and bull rush. I feel he can get on the field this year if he can get his weight up over the next few months. He should at very least put Loudermilk and Leal on notice. And could push someone off the 53 man. I give this pick player and value a B+.
6(19)- Ryan Watts DB Texas
Watts fits in with the JPJ and Cory Trice mold. Long and physical. Personally would have went a different direction but here’s the good and bad of Watts. Physical at the LOS getting jams and redirecting his man. Does a decent job of keeping up and staying in the back pocket of his guy. Doesn’t have the foot speed to change direction with quick twitch athletes. Great in run support and willingness to tackle. Might have to transition to safety in the NFL. I’ll give this pick a C+.
Overall I give this draft a solid B. Khan seemed to reach on need a little and that might have left the team in need of a RT, CB, and outside WR which are all positions that the team needed before the draft. I would have loved a 2023 draft where we had needs and we hit them with our first three picks. This year we have players but question marks about them being able to fill those holes. I feel long term he definitely set us up with a great interior line for the foreseeable future. Maybe last year set expectations too high. Lets hope Fautanu can be that starting RT and maybe CA3 can be that outside receiver too GP and then Roman can just do what he does at the slot.
I do like Fautanu as a football player. He’s aggressive, agile, good feet, natural knee bender, keeps his head up. And while he was my last first round rated lineman on the board at that point I had him as a fringe tackle as he may have to move to guard. And he isn’t a dominating run blocker so if he remains at tackle it might be the same issue as we have with Jones. Capable RT but should kick over to LT. And if he ends up not being able to play tackle due to his size and has to kick inside, well we drafted two other interior lineman and then still don’t have a RT. Now we do have Daniels coming up on free agency in 2025, and Isaac Seumalo in 2026 so we will have players to replace them if needed. But the final grade on this pick could be an A+ if he immediately starts at RT and stays or a B if he kicks inside. The other issue is his knee. I heard some rumors that his knee might have long term issues. They said it cleared medically but if it doesn’t hold up and we missed that then this pick becomes an F. Lots of questions about his future so with that said I’m giving this pick a B.
2(19)- Zach Frazier OC West Virginia
Love Fraziers toughness, heavy hands, and understanding of leverage. Should immediately be an asset in run blocking. And this draft has a theme and the theme to me is Justin Fields is the long term vision of this team. They are pounding the rock with Harris and Warren. Then giving Fields RPO’s. If Wilson starts it’s for one year and the rumors of the Steelers signing Fields long term I feel are true. I think he gets a Jordan Love type deal. Not a ton of guarantees but a high salary and incentives.
Anyways, back to Frazier. Frazier is as dominant as they come as a run blocker but he’s a little inconsistent at pass blocking. He bends his waist a little too much and overall isn’t a dominant athlete and doesn’t have great length. I had Frazier as a third round prospect because of that. Now you can coverup a center a little more in the pass game but there’s going to be one on one matchups and he’s going to have to work hard on becoming a player that wins those. The good news is he’s a hard worker and if I were to bet I would guess he puts in the hours needed to refine his technique and mask up those physical limitations as much as he can. So overall I am giving this pick a B.
3(20)- Roman Wilson WR Michigan
Now let me start off by saying I had Wilson as a later third round pick. But the way the draft fell I thought there was value elsewhere and maybe some more versatile receivers as well. That said Wilson is a true fire slot only player who might be a one trick pony but he does what he does well. He is your cross, drag, slant slot guy who does a great job of getting the ball in his hands and turning up field for yac. He also is a great blocker… surprise lol, and that again fits the theme this team is going for. I don’t see Wilson ever being a thousand yard receiver. He’s going to be that low end 400 and maybe sneak out a 900 yard year once in his career. He’s a piece of a puzzle not the center piece of an offense. His contested catch rating was the worst in all college football so he needs space to get the rock. Opposite of GP. So that said I give this pick a C+.
3(35)- Payton Wilson ILB NC State
I thought Wilson would go much higher but after finding out he’s missing an ACL I understand why he might not have even been on some draft boards. But at the end of day two I feel the risk is very much worth the gamble. I think we are pretty set at ILB this year but that affords Wilson the opportunity to learn and get reps in specific situations. In his last two seasons he had 30 tfl, 10.5 sacks, and 4 interceptions. We can definitely use him in specific situations year one. And actually depending on Holcombs recovery Wilson might get some extra reps early on. Next year is likely when Wilson has his best opportunity to start. He and Queen would make a formidable duo. Due to the knee concerns I’ll knock this from an A+ to an A-. But a phenomenal pick.
4(19)- Mason McCormick OG South Dakota St
I love the player, love the value, but because of the fact we went two offensive and potentially two interior linemen already I am a little confused about this one. My guess is they, like me, had McCormick as a late 2nd or early 3rd round grade and the fact he’s on the board and he likely was discussed at 51 when we drafted Frazier was too much value to pass on. McCormick and Frazier have the opposite weaknesses. McCormick is an exceptional athlete with great size. Frazier is an average athlete with average to below average size. Both are very durable and strong. McCormick’s ability to get out in space and pull will be a huge asset in the run game. The depth the Steelers have inside is second to none. I give this pick an A-.
6(2)- Logan Lee DL Iowa
I spoke about Lee a lot predraft as he reminded me of Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith. Not going to be flashy but they do their job and makes the team better. Lunch pale kind of mentality. A lot of this draft hinges on Lee as I felt OL and DL needed addressing and depth. Lee needs to put on about 15lbs or more functional muscle weight. He can set the edge but struggles against bigger mauler type tackles and adding some sand to his pants will make that task easier. He holds his own as a run defender. As a pass rusher he actually has a few moves to go along with his power and bull rush. I feel he can get on the field this year if he can get his weight up over the next few months. He should at very least put Loudermilk and Leal on notice. And could push someone off the 53 man. I give this pick player and value a B+.
6(19)- Ryan Watts DB Texas
Watts fits in with the JPJ and Cory Trice mold. Long and physical. Personally would have went a different direction but here’s the good and bad of Watts. Physical at the LOS getting jams and redirecting his man. Does a decent job of keeping up and staying in the back pocket of his guy. Doesn’t have the foot speed to change direction with quick twitch athletes. Great in run support and willingness to tackle. Might have to transition to safety in the NFL. I’ll give this pick a C+.
Overall I give this draft a solid B. Khan seemed to reach on need a little and that might have left the team in need of a RT, CB, and outside WR which are all positions that the team needed before the draft. I would have loved a 2023 draft where we had needs and we hit them with our first three picks. This year we have players but question marks about them being able to fill those holes. I feel long term he definitely set us up with a great interior line for the foreseeable future. Maybe last year set expectations too high. Lets hope Fautanu can be that starting RT and maybe CA3 can be that outside receiver too GP and then Roman can just do what he does at the slot.
