2018 Draft...way too early talk

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Just the early vibe I'm getting from this "strong QB" draft is shaping up for PIT to get maybe the 2nd ILB, or 2nd FS off the board.

ILB...I have not done much research beyond the top 3 on most ILB boards...Smith, Evans and Edmunds. I'm curious to see Edmunds run, and agility drills at the combine...with his frame if he can play in space and run with TEs, he could shoot up the board. There are some small school guys out there...a must to upgrade this position in this draft and I think they could land one of the top 2, 3 looks promising, they could dbl dip at ILB.

FS...there is enough talent I think at this position to get a player in the 2nd rd...Justin Reid, is a name we've talked about and several others...I'm certain to be watching the S results at the combine. Gotta get more athletic at FS.

FS... Heard about this kid named Jessie Bates out of Wake Forest. Decided to look him up and my God! That kid is criminally underrated. Great size (a tad wire-framed but still solid), incredible range from sideline to sideline, great tackler, and a very instinctual player. He's been projected in Rds 2-3. As far as top true FS's go in this draft, he is top 5 easily. And he does punt returns. Kid is a helluva athlete. Declaring as an underclassmen is probably the only thing people are worrying about.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

By FS standards he's a little aggressive, but his speed allows him to play that way. He can make up a lot of ground quickly if he's off his assignments.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

By FS standards he's a little aggressive, but his speed allows him to play that way. He can make up a lot of ground quickly if he's off his assignments.

Love the athleticism...yeah, kind of a wirey frame, but he looks like a playmaker on the field.

 

[Yo Tee]

I read the Walter Football mock draft and the USA Today mock draft during my lunch hour. Walter Football has us picking Lamar Jackson, QB from Louisville which I don't think is gonna be available by 28 AND I don't think we should be drafting a QB in the first round this year. USA Today has us trading our first round pick to the Jets for the 37th pick and the 72nd pick, thus picking Marcus Allen, S from Penn State as our first draft pick. Not too sure we will be picking Jackson OR trading our pick out of the first round. I personally think we should trade UP to grab a better CB or S. If we could trade up into the top 15, we could find ourselves getting someone like Denzel Ward from Ohio State or Derwin James from Florida State. I know we don't trade our draft picks but I think its time to change things up a little bit.

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

I read the Walter Football mock draft and the USA Today mock draft during my lunch hour. Walter Football has us picking Lamar Jackson, QB from Louisville which I don't think is gonna be available by 28 AND I don't think we should be drafting a QB in the first round this year. USA Today has us trading our first round pick to the Jets for the 37th pick and the 72nd pick, thus picking Marcus Allen, S from Penn State as our first draft pick. Not too sure we will be picking Jackson OR trading our pick out of the first round. I personally think we should trade UP to grab a better CB or S. If we could trade up into the top 15, we could find ourselves getting someone like Denzel Ward from Ohio State or Derwin James from Florida State. I know we don't trade our draft picks but I think its time to change things up a little bit.

They trade up to get someone they really want such as Troy or Santionio Holmes but it is rare. I agree that trading back seems highly unlikely, especially out of the 1st round altogether. This isn't a team with a ton of holes that needs more draft picks to address. We've been discussing that and we all th8inbk it is very very unlikely a top QB falls all the way the 28th. I think ILB is the bigger need. Spence was a stop gap at best and is a FA. I don't think they need to move up to get a top 3 ILB. Unless you can get a Troy type talent at CB or S, moving up for those positions doesn't make sense either.

When you read some of these mocks you wonder if the writer knows anything about the Steelers current situation. They all act like replacing Ben in 2 or 3 years is a top priority now when you lost a starting ILB that still had 8-10 years left in his career. Seeing Shazier need some assistance to stand and be steadied at the Pens game last week makes me believe he ain't coming back to play this year if ever. An ILB that can start right away is their top priority is beyond me. It has to be. A 1st round CB or S will be useless with a starting ILB the quality of Spence. If they can't get pressure the DB are exposed in this D. And they need to cover RBs and TEs in the flat (something Shazier did). If they let Mitchell walk (and they should) ILB and FS could flop positions so they would be their 1 and 1A needs. If they keep Mitchell (god forbid) FS will drop to 3rd or 4th round.

 

[SteelersPride]

Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch
"The Boise linebacker is going be 6-foot-4 and run in the 4.6s (in the 40-yard dash) at 250 pounds. He's got really long arms and he's going to jump close to 40 inches in the vertical. He is a freaky athlete. Great high school basketball player. He'll get first-round buzz in Indy."

 

[SteelersPride]

THis guy may be my favorite now
JOsey Jewell ILB IOWA

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch
"The Boise linebacker is going be 6-foot-4 and run in the 4.6s (in the 40-yard dash) at 250 pounds. He's got really long arms and he's going to jump close to 40 inches in the vertical. He is a freaky athlete. Great high school basketball player. He'll get first-round buzz in Indy."

Pretty sure I read somewhere that this kid is a very intelligent football player. Incredibly good at reading & diagnosing plays on the field.

 

[SteelersPride]

Pretty sure I read somewhere that this kid is a very intelligent football player. Incredibly good at reading & diagnosing plays on the field.

yeah, and supposedly high motor, gonna put on a good show at the combine, that kid from iowa is no joke too

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

It would be great if at least one of them is still on the board at 28.

 

[Yo Tee]

I like Vander Esch as our first round pick for sure. Jewell isn't even projected to go til the mid 2nd around so we might be able to get both of them. I still think our best bet is to trade up into the top 15 to get one of the top CBs in the draft. We settled for Artie Burns and look where that's gotten us.

Mock Draft: 7-round prediction has Steelers taking back-to-back ILBs

Read this and I'm just hoping this guy is wrong. We don't address our secondary til the 3rd round? That's not smart at all. Will we trade? Probably not. We will just sit and take what's left like we always do, but it's be nice for this organization to try and get some of the best talent in this draft.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I like Vander Esch as our first round pick for sure. Jewell isn't even projected to go til the mid 2nd around so we might be able to get both of them. I still think our best bet is to trade up into the top 15 to get one of the top CBs in the draft. We settled for Artie Burns and look where that's gotten us.

Mock Draft: 7-round prediction has Steelers taking back-to-back ILBs

Read this and I'm just hoping this guy is wrong. We don't address our secondary til the 3rd round? That's not smart at all. Will we trade? Probably not. We will just sit and take what's left like we always do, but it's be nice for this organization to try and get some of the best talent in this draft.

As easy as it is to say "trade up" I don't think you fully comprehend what that would take to get there. Trading into the top 15 would likely require giving up 3 draft picks. That's basically a King's Ransom. And I don't think any of the CBs in this year's draft are worth that. I don't see a "Jalen Ramsey" type gamechanger that would be worth giving up that much for.

 

[SteelersPride]

There’s lb depth in the draft, what about secondary first??

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

There’s lb depth in the draft, what about secondary first??

If by secondary you mean a FS, then yes!

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

There’s lb depth in the draft, what about secondary first??

As Face said above, none of the CBs in this draft are game changers. The Steeler D needs game changers at LB to be effective. You expect game changers in the 1st 2 rounds. The more I think about this, if we assume for now Watt is a game changer and Shazier is done with playing football. They need to get 2 game changing ILBs (upgrading over V Williams is needed too) and 1 ROLB if an upgrade over or future replacement for Dupree is also needed. I think as we've discussed, Dupree so far is OK, but has not been the game changer they expected. Of course signing Bell or not and dumping Mitchell or not factors into all this.

We all know the secondary no matter how good will be hung out to dry if they can't get pressure from and cover ground at the LB positions. So, even if they don't resign Bell and cut Mitchell the #1 priority is and remains ILB.

To sum up, they have to go ILB first. They don't really have a choice. Now I expect the usual smoke screen to hide that fact but we all know it's true. Hopefully, everyone else falls for the smoke screen.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

As Face said above, none of the CBs in this draft are game changers. The Steeler D needs game changers at LB to be effective. You expect game changers in the 1st 2 rounds. The more I think about this, if we assume for now Watt is a game changer and Shazier is done with playing football. They need to get 2 game changing ILBs (upgrading over V Williams is needed too) and 1 ROLB if an upgrade over or future replacement for Dupree is also needed. I think as we've discussed, Dupree so far is OK, but has not been the game changer they expected. Of course signing Bell or not and dumping Mitchell or not factors into all this.

We all know the secondary no matter how good will be hung out to dry if they can't get pressure from and cover ground at the LB positions. So, even if they don't resign Bell and cut Mitchell the #1 priority is and remains ILB.

To sum up, they have to go ILB first. They don't really have a choice. Now I expect the usual smoke screen to hide that fact but we all know it's true. Hopefully, everyone else falls for the smoke screen.

Well said Ewa!

ILB is the #1 priority, with FS close behind. I'm hoping they make a play in FA for a FS. But going ILB & FS in this draft where the depth is solid at both positions is going to be a great plan if FA doesn't pan out. Would love to double dip at LB in this draft.

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

If by secondary you mean a FS, then yes!

First round, NO. 2nd, maybe.

 

[Ewa PGH Fan]

Well said Ewa!

ILB is the #1 priority, with FS close behind. I'm hoping they make a play in FA for a FS. But going ILB & FS in this draft where the depth is solid at both positions is going to be a great plan if FA doesn't pan out. Would love to double dip at LB in this draft.

Thank-you, Face!

I liked the mock draft Terry posted. I'd be happy with it if it happened that way even if I think a couple different choices could be made in the late rounds. They've gone after FA FS in the recent past so I expect them to try that route first and draft a S if that doesn't pan out. I'm just praying they sign Bell and we don't have to work RB into this. I still think ILB would be first but no Bell moves RB to second ahead of FS. Or maybe into 3rd behind ILB & FA???

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

First round, NO. 2nd, maybe.

That is definitely the more ideal scenario. I was only meaning that its the only case I can see for a 1st round pick to be for the secondary.

 

[Yo Tee]

As easy as it is to say "trade up" I don't think you fully comprehend what that would take to get there. Trading into the top 15 would likely require giving up 3 draft picks. That's basically a King's Ransom. And I don't think any of the CBs in this year's draft are worth that. I don't see a "Jalen Ramsey" type gamechanger that would be worth giving up that much for.

Trading into the top 15 would allow us to get a prime talent in our secondary while giving up what? A 2nd, 3rd and 4th? I'm willing to make that trade. We also have 2 5ths and 2 7ths. Trade away a 2nd, a 4th and a 5th. I don't care. We need young talent in the secondary. There are two or 3 guys that would be worth it. Obviously, Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best available but I don't see us trading into the top 10 to get him. But Joshua Jackson from Iowa, Denzel Ward from Ohio State, Donte Jackson from LSU, Mike Hughes from UCF and Carlton Davis from Auburn are the next best 5 and are all projected as possible 1st round talents. We need one of those guys or else we just muffed this draft when it comes to our secondary.