2014 Draft Rookie Grades

[ATL96Steeler]

Round 1/15...Shazier, ILB...tackles/assists/tfl 24/12/2...earned/handed? the starting ILB opposite Timmons in unSteeler like fashion. Initially he looked good and was on his way to a great season...his foot speed was evident, his tackling was pretty solid...then came the injuries...putting him right back into the starting lineup after the knee proved to be a mistake...long and short.. If he stays injury free and can be a playmaker. I will go C- here.

Round 2/14/46...Tuitt,DE...tackles/assist/sacks 11/6/1...started slowly and imo won the starting job only because Kesiel had a season ending injury and Cam Thomas sucked...That said, as he got more comfortable with playing he showed that he's starter material (already better than Hood)...has a similar quickness and power that Heyward has...B-.

Round 3/33/97 (comp pick)...Archer, WR/RB...WR...targets/catches/yds/TDs 10/7/23/0...RB...carries/yds/avg/TDs 10/40/4/0...struggled in his only real role...kickoff returns. Seemed tentative at first, then too aggressive taking balls too deep and rarely ever getting the ball back to the 20. Pulled from that job, and never really got a legit shot to play RB or WR...getting 1 play and pulled several times...avoiding an F here only because I don't think Haley gave him enough reps to prove himself on OFC...Compounding the failures, Colbert left several CBs on the board with this pick and really needs to rebound this yr....D-.

Round 4/18/118...Bryant, WR...targets/catches/yds/TD 49/26/549/8...started slowly coming out of preseason with an injury...once inserted into the game he had immediate impact. 3rd in TDs behind AB and Bell. This kid really bailed out the entire draft class in terms of 1st yr production...he can play outside and a bit in the slot...imo he will move into the #2 WR position and move Wheaton into slot....B+
Round 5/17/157…Richardson, CB…waived injured. I have to say, I thought Colbert made up for taking a RB/WR in round 3 with this pick…on paper he had the size you want from a modern day CB…F.
Round 5/33/173 (comp pick), OL…waived, signed by the Jets…just a roster casualty to get Vetrone on the 53…I don’t think they intended to lose him…in either case…F.


Round 6/16/192 Zumwalt, OLB…IR…many felt he was going to make the 53…Butler probably knows him better than anyone so we’ll have to see how he does in camp…D-.


Round 6/39/215 (comp pick) MCullers, DT…the initial response to this mountain of a man was size and strength…possibly afraid to expose him on the PS…he showed coach Mitchell enough to make the squad and eventually became active and played some meaningful snaps…With the talk of more 4 man DL fronts, and Cam Thomas not likely to be back, I think he has a good chance to make the team again in ’16…C+.


Round 7/15/230…Branchflower, TE…waived. IMO just too many of the same type of TE on the roster. Blocker with limited athleticism or pass catching ability. F.


I know 1 season is not enough to give a true grade on a draft class, but thru the rookie year…I think C is a fair grade.We'll have to see how this class evolves in the coming years.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Good writeup ATL!

Only grades I would change are F's for both Archer & Zumwalt. Not really their fault as you said. But Archer was given a chance to make an impact on KO's but he was dead last in return average through 7 or 8 games... Pretty pitiful for someone that was drafted as a "sparkplug". Hopefully they can figure out better ways to use him. For now he's an F in my book. Z-man is a curious one. He was late to offseason camps because of school so we didn't get to see him much at all. He battled calf/hammy strains when he was in camp & in the preseason. So not much has been seen other than a few games in the preseason. He has good lateral movement and shows a relentless attitude on the field. He's an excellent piece of clay for Butler & the next LB coach (Olsavsky/Porter?) to work with. But since he had zero impact this season other than scout team duties, I can't give him anything higher than an F.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Thanks...I forgot to add Wesley Johnson's name, and the copy and paste didn't quite go as planned, but readable I guess.

Yeah I was trying to be fair on Zum and Archer, but in terms of production...your grade is closer to the reality.

 

[Muddler]

My two cents:

Shazier was certainly disappointing due to his injuries. Flashed in PS but a total nonfactor during the real games. Your grade seems appropriate though an incomplete is probably in order. Hopefully we'll get to see more of him in the future and see if his speed can compensate for his relative lack of size inside.

I go straight B on Tuitt. When he finally got in the swing of the rotation he started making plays. Certainly looks like a keeper and serious upgrade over Ziggy.

Archer - F. Say what you want about schemes and use, he looked scared and small when he was in there.

Bryant = A. Huge upgrade at WR. We lucked out when he dropped to us in the fourth. Incredible value. Added a necessary dimension to our passing game that opened up all sorts of underneath options for AB, Bell and Heath.

Richardson F-. Another failed late round CB. Steelers better figure out how to scout and draft CBs cause what they are doing now ain't working.

Wesley Johnson - drafting probably alright but roster management definite F.

Zumwalt - Another incomplete but a guy whose skill set looks more like a career STer to me. I liked him in college but not sure he has the size or speed to start for us either inside or outside

I'd probably go with a B for McCullers - He showed pretty well for a 6th Round Comp Pick.

Blanchflower - He's still on the PS and I believe they signed him for next year didn't they? That's probably good enough for a 7th rounder. I'll go C. Either way, it's clear Heath's best days are behind him and they need to upgrade this position. I don't think Blanchflower is the future except maybe the future SPaeth.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

My two cents:

Shazier was certainly disappointing due to his injuries. Flashed in PS but a total nonfactor during the real games. Your grade seems appropriate though an incomplete is probably in order. Hopefully we'll get to see more of him in the future and see if his speed can compensate for his relative lack of size inside.

I go straight B on Tuitt. When he finally got in the swing of the rotation he started making plays. Certainly looks like a keeper and serious upgrade over Ziggy.

Archer - F. Say what you want about schemes and use, he looked scared and small when he was in there.

Bryant = A. Huge upgrade at WR. We lucked out when he dropped to us in the fourth. Incredible value. Added a necessary dimension to our passing game that opened up all sorts of underneath options for AB, Bell and Heath.

Richardson F-. Another failed late round CB. Steelers better figure out how to scout and draft CBs cause what they are doing now ain't working.

Wesley Johnson - drafting probably alright but roster management definite F.

Zumwalt - Another incomplete but a guy whose skill set looks more like a career STer to me. I liked him in college but not sure he has the size or speed to start for us either inside or outside

I'd probably go with a B for McCullers - He showed pretty well for a 6th Round Comp Pick.

Blanchflower - He's still on the PS and I believe they signed him for next year didn't they? That's probably good enough for a 7th rounder. I'll go C. Either way, it's clear Heath's best days are behind him and they need to upgrade this position. I don't think Blanchflower is the future except maybe the future SPaeth.

Stand corrected on Blanchflower...he did stay on the PS. Agree on Heath...most LBs can run with him now in m-t-m, but vs zone, he's still effective, but we need youth to surface soon.

Archer...no push back from me... for 3rd rounder I expected a lot more...I just needed to see more. touches.

Zumwalt...I'm more curious than anything about him...you never know whether you're getting the 100% truth on media reports from coaches. I haven't seen it, but a few that were up at Latrobe thought he showed something in camp.

 

[SteelersPride]

1) C-
2) B-
3) D-
4) B+
5a)F
5b)F
6a) D-
6b)C+
7 F

First great write ups

But with 6 picks graded under a C, and most WAY under a C. Three over a C and only one significantly higher, its hard for me agree with the overall C grade.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

1) C-
2) B-
3) D-
4) B+
5a)F
5b)F
6a) D-
6b)C+
7 F

First great write ups

But with 6 picks graded under a C, and most WAY under a C. Three over a C and only one significantly higher, its hard for me agree with the overall C grade.

Thanks.

I hear ya...My logic on "C" overall...to summarize it...yeah, he blew it on the 3rd round, but 2 starting caliber players in Shazier & Tuitt and really a 3rd with Bryant and McCuller being a rotational guy made up for missing on the 5th round and below guys.

Generally speaking, if you can land 2 starters from the draft, it's above average.

 

[SteelersPride]

Agreed I think Bryant will be a home run and McCullers will start just my opinion

 

[ATL96Steeler]

McCullers...could be the reason they're making the change to play some 4 man DL fronts imo...Bryant...teams know about him now...if he works hard, tightening up his routes, getting off press coverage, etc. he will be 2nd in targets next year behind AB.

 

[SteelersPride]

we'll see theres some 3-4 NT in this draft, the kid from washington could be had in round 1...........if they dont take one, we'll see what happens with a switch to 4-3

 

[ATL96Steeler]

we'll see theres some 3-4 NT in this draft, the kid from washington could be had in round 1...........if they dont take one, we'll see what happens with a switch to 4-3

3-4...they will very likely played some of both fronts according to Butler's presser...I don't know what will be considered the "base".

NT from WAS...never seen him play, but heard good things about him...with pass rusher and CB being such big needs, this kid would have to blow their doors off at the combine...and if he does, he might go earlier than 22.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

3-4...they will very likely played some of both fronts according to Butler's presser...I don't know what will be considered the "base".

Mornin' ATL!

From what I've heard from Butler I would go with 4-3 being the base defense... But either way, the Steelers BASE defense consists of 7 gaps being occupied on & off the line by 7 players. That is no different than anyone else. The Steelers play with four down "linemen" often, consisting of both D-lineman & LB's. Their nickel package is mostly 4-2-5. They run 2-4-5 on longer downs. This defense has plenty of multiple looks.

The main question here, for me, is two-fold: 1. Can the team develop, draft and sign quality defensive players, and 2. Can they teach them where to be on the field?

Quite simple really...

It’s not really a schematic issue. Whether you want to pay a pass-rushing DE or a pass-rushing OLB, you’re still going to have to pay a ton for a quality player at that edge rush position. But those players are only as good as the ones around them are in being where they’re supposed to be. I think Butler is going to focus on getting this team back to a "simpler" defense. I think the idea here is to break apart certain assignments and look to get more guys on the field in more understandable situations. They have young, talented players. But they need to be put into simple 1-on-1 situations, and asked to win those simple situations. Depth is also key when doing this. When you have a few great 3-down players, you can work in a lot of talented 1-dimensional players.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Mornin' ATL!

From what I've heard from Butler I would go with 4-3 being the base defense... But either way, the Steelers BASE defense consists of 7 gaps being occupied on & off the line by 7 players. That is no different than anyone else. The Steelers play with four down "linemen" often, consisting of both D-lineman & LB's. Their nickel package is mostly 4-2-5. They run 2-4-5 on longer downs. This defense has plenty of multiple looks.

The main question here, for me, is two-fold: 1. Can the team develop, draft and sign quality defensive players, and 2. Can they teach them where to be on the field?

Quite simple really...

It’s not really a schematic issue. Whether you want to pay a pass-rushing DE or a pass-rushing OLB, you’re still going to have to pay a ton for a quality player at that edge rush position. But those players are only as good as the ones around them are in being where they’re supposed to be. I think Butler is going to focus on getting this team back to a "simpler" defense. I think the idea here is to break apart certain assignments and look to get more guys on the field in more understandable situations. They have young, talented players. But they need to be put into simple 1-on-1 situations, and asked to win those simple situations. Depth is also key when doing this. When you have a few great 3-down players, you can work in a lot of talented 1-dimensional players.

What's Up Face? A few warm JAN days here lately (nearly 65 yesterday and we appear to be heading north of 60 again today. It's a tease though...normal 50s are due back for the weekend.

Still pondering the move west, or are you going to stay in the Burg?

Interesting, yet somewhat expected.

I envision a down 4 of Tuitt, McLendon, McCullers, Heyward....JJ & Shazier as OLBs...definitely a better position for JJ imo...with Timmons in the MLB spot.

What this does imo is allow for flexibility on the draft pick...they could go traditional 3-4 OLB like a Dante Fowler or Nate Orchard, or more of a hybrid edge guy like a Danielle Hunter or Preston Smith.

Regardless...a simpler approach will allow these young guys to use their athletic ability more as you said...I'm looking forward to it.

 

[SteelersPride]

JJ better show something if he wants to start

 

[ATL96Steeler]

JJ better show something if he wants to start

True...I'm sure Butler has already inked in a few positions but it's a clean slate with a new DC I would think.

At the same time...if they do play a lot of 4-3...the OLB roles will change a little...sacks won't be as big a part of the job which imo kind of favors JJ...he's never going to be a Steeler 3-4 OLB in the mold of what we've enjoyed for decades.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

What's Up Face? A few warm JAN days here lately (nearly 65 yesterday and we appear to be heading north of 60 again today. It's a tease though...normal 50s are due back for the weekend.

Still pondering the move west, or are you going to stay in the Burg?

Interesting, yet somewhat expected.

I envision a down 4 of Tuitt, McLendon, McCullers, Heyward....JJ & Shazier as OLBs...definitely a better position for JJ imo...with Timmons in the MLB spot.

What this does imo is allow for flexibility on the draft pick...they could go traditional 3-4 OLB like a Dante Fowler or Nate Orchard, or more of a hybrid edge guy like a Danielle Hunter or Preston Smith.

Regardless...a simpler approach will allow these young guys to use their athletic ability more as you said...I'm looking forward to it.

It's still pretty frosty around here. Had a few rainy days but back to the cold. I think the move is probable. Wifey is on board. I fly out there for an orientation/meet&greet of sorts next month. Haven't accepted the job or made anything official though. It's still in the works. But changes are on the horizon.


Scary thing about those 4 on the D-line is you can mix & match them just about anywhere on the line to give a bunch of different looks. McCullers would probably be the only person that 'needs' to stay inside. But if you think about it, McLendon Heyward & Tuitt are about the same size and same level of athleticism. Same could be said about the LB's too. Timmons is so damn smart that he could play anywhere on the field. Shazier played all over at tOSU. Butler could definitely create some easy-win matchups whenever he needed to. But that sounds more like a Lebeau thing to do. I definitely think that moving to a simplified defense is the way to go.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

It's still pretty frosty around here. Had a few rainy days but back to the cold. I think the move is probable. Wifey is on board. I fly out there for an orientation/meet&greet of sorts next month. Haven't accepted the job or made anything official though. It's still in the works. But changes are on the horizon.


Scary thing about those 4 on the D-line is you can mix & match them just about anywhere on the line to give a bunch of different looks. McCullers would probably be the only person that 'needs' to stay inside. But if you think about it, McLendon Heyward & Tuitt are about the same size and same level of athleticism. Same could be said about the LB's too. Timmons is so damn smart that he could play anywhere on the field. Shazier played all over at tOSU. Butler could definitely create some easy-win matchups whenever he needed to. But that sounds more like a Lebeau thing to do. I definitely think that moving to a simplified defense is the way to go.

Weather has turn from sugar to s---...but we saw it coming and just rain, no real biggy, killed my golf plans for tomorrow though...should be raining/drizzling well into the early AM I here.


Fantastic! Glad to hear that. Cross country moves are a big deal...Her being on board makes it a lot easier...wish you guys the best with that.

I think it will be a much more active front 7...on the DL...once McCullers gains more technique and confidence...not many OGs can handle him one on one...the OL will have to double one of them, 2 big athletic DEs and Shazier/Spence on the blitz off the edge, and JJ/Timmons from the inside...they should get more pressure than the past 2 seasons.

As long as the LBs tackle well and we get the back 4 straighten out...this has the makings of a stronger DEF than this past season.