Around the AFCN

[SteelersPride]

Definitely seems like they are gearing up to ramp up their passing game. Now the pressure falls squarely on Jackson to become the QB they want him to be. If not, we could see Baltimore make a trade this season.

They drafted another run-option type QB Trace McSorely from Penn St. So that could allude to Baltimore wanting to stick with the run-heavy/RPO offense. Very confusing!

And their primary backup QB is RG3. Lol

i get why they drafted mcsorley, but NO ONE was gonna draft him. He refused to run at anything other than qb at the combine, and well hes not a pro qb, not even close.

 

[cincygrad]

2 days in the books... let’s check in

Baltimore
1.25 - Marquise Brown, WR Oklahoma
3.85 - Ferguson, Edge Louisiana Tech
3.93 - Miles Boykin, WR Notre Dame

Thoughts: Clearly they are makin a statement this offseason with their offense. Acquiring Mark Ingram and drafting 2 top notch WRs. Wisely got their edge guy before getting too carried away. Interested to see if they grab a TE or bolster their interior OL. Both are still high needs for them. Brown is a boom or bust WR for me. But I love Boykin.

Cleveland
2.46 - Greedy Williams, CB LSU
3.80 - Sione Takitaki, LB BYU

Thoughts: Don’t know how Greedy fell that far, but Cleveland got a gift. He & Denzel Ward are going to frontline a good looking secondary in the AFCN for many years. Takitaki came on my radar last month after combine interviews. Many scouts & GMs were blown away by the kids’ knowledge & smarts. Didn’t grade very well at the combine but he makes up for it with his cerebral game. Solid picks for the Browns, but would have liked to see them grab an O-lineman. After shipping Zeitler off in a trade, they need to shore up the line.

Cincinnati
1.11 - Jonah Williams, OT Alabama
2.52 - Drew Sample, TE Washington
3.72 - Germaine Pratt, LB NC St

Thoughts: Not really loving their Williams pick. He had fallen way out of consensus ranking leading up the the draft. Now that really doesn’t mean much in terms of good or bad, just typically means there were a bunch of red flags. Florida’s Jawan Taylor was highly regarded as the best OT in the draft, but Williams isn’t far behind. Lot of people are going to call it a knee-jerk since it appeared the Steelers pulled the rug out from under them, but I don’t think that’s the case. Yes LB was a need for them, but their O-line was higher IMO. They needed to get help in the trenches. Sample was a curious move. Not really a sexy pick, but an under the radar grab. Dalton loves his TE’s. Pratt was a great grab in the 3rd. Made some noise late in the pre-draft process, and we mocked him to the Steelers in Nos’s Hoop Mock. Solid, rangy ILB with good coverage skills. Pretty sure we’ll see more trench players from them in the next few rounds.

Pittsburgh
1.10 - Devin Bush, LB Michigan
3.66 - Dionta Johnson, WR Toledo
3.83 - Justin Layne, CB Michigan St

Thoughts: Excellent trade value for grabbing Bush. Really hope he pans out, but on paper they got a steal in terms of trade up value. They’ve been scouting this kid for multiple years, and were foaming at the mouth to draft him. Can’t fault them for pulling the trigger when Denver didn’t demand more than what they did. Johnson took a lot of us by surprise. But we know better than to doubt Colbert & his WRs. Tape looks like an AB clone. Love the Layne pick. Very surprised to see a handful of CBs go off the board before Layne. Should be able to push for reps in year 1. TE, RB & OLB are still needs. Hell they could even make cases for K & P so watch out!

I must haven't read the same stuff you did about Williams. I thought he was the consensus first lineman off the board - And in most mocks he was gone by the time the Bengals picked. I thought it was a great pick - To me, he's the Whitworth replacement we needed.

I thought taking a blocking tight end in the 2nd round was a stupid move.... Basically just replacing Tyler Kroft with a guy not much different than Tyler Kroft. Not sure why they did it. I'm intrigued by the linebacker from NC State and I have high hopes for the DT from AZ State.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I must haven't read the same stuff you did about Williams. I thought he was the consensus first lineman off the board - And in most mocks he was gone by the time the Bengals picked. I thought it was a great pick - To me, he's the Whitworth replacement we needed.

I thought taking a blocking tight end in the 2nd round was a stupid move.... Basically just replacing Tyler Kroft with a guy not much different than Tyler Kroft. Not sure why they did it. I'm intrigued by the linebacker from NC State and I have high hopes for the DT from AZ State.

Williams... A lot of the predraft stuff had him tumbling out of the top 10-15. Can’t peg what it was but I simply remembered seeing his draft stock fall out of the sky. Some mocks even had him going in the 2nd round. Maybe he tested poorly at the combine or pro day?

 

[cincygrad]

Williams... A lot of the predraft stuff had him tumbling out of the top 10-15. Can’t peg what it was but I simply remembered seeing his draft stock fall out of the sky. Some mocks even had him going in the 2nd round. Maybe he tested poorly at the combine or pro day?

I think the only things I've read are questions about his arm length and athleticism. His production in the SEC was off the charts though.... Reminds me of when the Bengals drafted Whitworth. He didn't give up a sack his last two years at LSU but dropped to the second round because he wasn't athletic enough for the NFL. Anyone that has watched Whitworth wiping out safeties 30 yards down the field on screen passes probably forgot about those scouting reports.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Just scanning the top of the draft for every North team.

BAL...they have not traditionally fared well drafting WRs...assuming the young QB is up to the challenge of improving the air attack, their luck could change with the two kids they brought in.

CIN...under the Lewis regime, rookies were brought along slowly for the most part...I expect that to change under the new HC...Williams and probably Pratt will be starting long before the season is over, Williams could be the week one starter.

CLE...with no 1st round pick and landing arguably the best cover guy in the draft in Greedy Williams was huge. CB is a tough spot for a rookie. But if not day one, he will be starting fairly early for the Browns.

PIT...Bush clearly was the start of something good for the Steelers. I expect him to be a week 1 starter and should be an impact player. Really as many as 3 of the Steeler rookies could see substantial snaps in 2019...the WR and the young CB.

BAL is more dependent on the QB to allow those top picks to perform, but I think each team got better....at least on paper.

 

[cincygrad]

Just scanning the top of the draft for every North team.

BAL...they have not traditionally fared well drafting WRs...assuming the young QB is up to the challenge of improving the air attack, their luck could change with the two kids they brought in.

CIN...under the Lewis regime, rookies were brought along slowly for the most part...I expect that to change under the new HC...Williams and probably Pratt will be starting long before the season is over, Williams could be the week one starter.

CLE...with no 1st round pick and landing arguably the best cover guy in the draft in Greedy Williams was huge. CB is a tough spot for a rookie. But if not day one, he will be starting fairly early for the Browns.

PIT...Bush clearly was the start of something good for the Steelers. I expect him to be a week 1 starter and should be an impact player. Really as many as 3 of the Steeler rookies could see substantial snaps in 2019...the WR and the young CB.

BAL is more dependent on the QB to allow those top picks to perform, but I think each team got better....at least on paper.

BAL... All comes down to how much Lamar Jackson develops this year. I think just about everyone has already mentioned that they can't just continue to run the Georgia Tech offense at the pro level. It should be noted that rookie receivers sometimes struggle.

CIN.... The line has come a long way from the trainwreck it was when Whit and Zeitler left. Since that time they've added Cordy Glenn, John Miller, Billy Price (1st round pick), and Jonah Williams (1st round pick). After all those efforts, its pretty sad that the line is still a big question mark, but here we are.... Regardless, if they get average line play they could have a terrific offense. Tyler Boyd and AJ Green on the outside, Mixon and Gio running the ball and the (frustrating) potential of Eifert and John Ross. The defense still needs lots of help.

CLE.... They seem to have all the pieces. Good, talented, deep, young team. My only question mark for them is the coaching staff. Lets see how they manage personalities and expectations. But damn that roster has really come along.

PIT.... Always thought people didn't talk enough about how much they lost when Shazier had his unfortunate injury. That guy was a game changer. Bush offers promise to get that back. The Steelers are going to be an interesting team this season - I can see them having a 'redemption' season after all the drama to end last year.

 

[CB3UK]

It absolutely kills me seeing Benny go to the Steelers.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

It absolutely kills me seeing Benny go to the Steelers.

Excited to have him. He’s going to be a tough kid to keep off the field. I think he’ll eat up a lot of RZ work if Conner needs a breather. I hope he slims down though to get some added speed.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Excited to have him. He’s going to be a tough kid to keep off the field. I think he’ll eat up a lot of RZ work if Conner needs a breather. I hope he slims down though to get some added speed.

Scratch that.. he’s 5’10” 225... Losing any of that weight off a small frame could take the edge off his power running style.

 

[CB3UK]

Excited to have him. He’s going to be a tough kid to keep off the field. I think he’ll eat up a lot of RZ work if Conner needs a breather. I hope he slims down though to get some added speed.

You're going to love him. He was excellent at getting YAC. Going to hurt seeing him twice a year against the Bengals.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

BAL... All comes down to how much Lamar Jackson develops this year. I think just about everyone has already mentioned that they can't just continue to run the Georgia Tech offense at the pro level. It should be noted that rookie receivers sometimes struggle.

CIN.... The line has come a long way from the trainwreck it was when Whit and Zeitler left. Since that time they've added Cordy Glenn, John Miller, Billy Price (1st round pick), and Jonah Williams (1st round pick). After all those efforts, its pretty sad that the line is still a big question mark, but here we are.... Regardless, if they get average line play they could have a terrific offense. Tyler Boyd and AJ Green on the outside, Mixon and Gio running the ball and the (frustrating) potential of Eifert and John Ross. The defense still needs lots of help.

CLE.... They seem to have all the pieces. Good, talented, deep, young team. My only question mark for them is the coaching staff. Lets see how they manage personalities and expectations. But damn that roster has really come along.

PIT.... Always thought people didn't talk enough about how much they lost when Shazier had his unfortunate injury. That guy was a game changer. Bush offers promise to get that back. The Steelers are going to be an interesting team this season - I can see them having a 'redemption' season after all the drama to end last year.

BAL...every time I want to write them off they do something unexpected, like win the DIV. I don't think that will be the case this season, for the 1st time in forever they will go to camp without Suggs. His recent production should be fairly easy to replace, but he knew the Steelers OFC like it was his own....always gave the OL fits. Like you said, the challenge in BAL will be transitioning Jackson to more of a pro style OFC.

CIN...the high misses in the draft at OT definitely hurt the OL play. I think the main thing is getting 5 guys that are solid, work as a unit, and keeping them fairly healthy. DEF really took a step backwards and I think that was enough to finally pull the plug on Lewis. Is Hubbard legit? I'm a big fan of Carl Lawson's talent, but with him going on IR and Dunlap being over 30 now, Brian Burns seems like a great fit and come back in the 2nd round for the OL.

CLE...The players are there now for the most part. If they can't running like they want or expect, I can see them plugging the hole at OG next year. The issue in CLE will be playing with expectations for the 1st time in a long, long time under a rookie HC/OC...more or less the same thing you said.

PIT...we have to see how they perform, but clearly this was the most productive FA offseason in PIT in decades. Nelson is not a lockdown CB, but considerably better than Artie Burns, and Barron is a real option for the Mack LB role. Moncrief is not going to make anyone forget about the plays that AB made, but he's a solid vet.

I don't think the Shazier hole would've been nearly as bad if they had addressed the Mack job more aggressively the yr following the injury. So...getting Bush on top of signing Barron will allow them to move Barron to the 3rd S role...if the coverage is better I can see the Steelers rebounding in a big way.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

BAL...every time I want to write them off they do something unexpected, like win the DIV. I don't think that will be the case this season, for the 1st time in forever they will go to camp without Suggs. His recent production should be fairly easy to replace, but he knew the Steelers OFC like it was his own....always gave the OL fits. Like you said, the challenge in BAL will be transitioning Jackson to more of a pro style OFC.

CIN...the high misses in the draft at OT definitely hurt the OL play. I think the main thing is getting 5 guys that are solid, work as a unit, and keeping them fairly healthy. DEF really took a step backwards and I think that was enough to finally pull the plug on Lewis. Is Hubbard legit? I'm a big fan of Carl Lawson's talent, but with him going on IR and Dunlap being over 30 now, Brian Burns seems like a great fit and come back in the 2nd round for the OL.

CLE...The players are there now for the most part. If they can't running like they want or expect, I can see them plugging the hole at OG next year. The issue in CLE will be playing with expectations for the 1st time in a long, long time under a rookie HC/OC...more or less the same thing you said.

PIT...we have to see how they perform, but clearly this was the most productive FA offseason in PIT in decades. Nelson is not a lockdown CB, but considerably better than Artie Burns, and Barron is a real option for the Mack LB role. Moncrief is not going to make anyone forget about the plays that AB made, but he's a solid vet.

I don't think the Shazier hole would've been nearly as bad if they had addressed the Mack job more aggressively the yr following the injury. So...getting Bush on top of signing Barron will allow them to move Barron to the 3rd S role...if the coverage is better I can see the Steelers rebounding in a big way.

CLE... Just heard Cowherd’s cast yesterday and he brought up a great point on Cleveland. They have a lot of difficult games this year ON THE ROAD, whereas Pittsburgh has the majority of their difficult games at home. That is why he picked the Steelers to win the division over Cleveland, by a 1 game margin no less. Browns have all the talent in the world to compete with anybody, but with that coaching staff & so many polarizing talents, they may find themselves filled with frustration before long. They are going to need some solid leadership to get them through those difficult times, which is something they may not have. And with new coaches that could snowball on them.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

CLE... Just heard Cowherd’s cast yesterday and he brought up a great point on Cleveland. They have a lot of difficult games this year ON THE ROAD, whereas Pittsburgh has the majority of their difficult games at home. That is why he picked the Steelers to win the division over Cleveland, by a 1 game margin no less. Browns have all the talent in the world to compete with anybody, but with that coaching staff & so many polarizing talents, they may find themselves filled with frustration before long. They are going to need some solid leadership to get them through those difficult times, which is something they may not have. And with new coaches that could snowball on them.

I have CLE at 9-7, maybe they can squeeze out 10 wins...much tougher schedule with several primetime games.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I have CLE at 9-7, maybe they can squeeze out 10 wins...much tougher schedule with several primetime games.

I’m hesitant to sign up for anything more than 8 games right now simply because of all the unknowns in their coaching staff. It’s just not a good recipe on paper. But fwiw, I do want Cleveland to be contending for the playoffs this year. They are an exciting team and brings better competition to the AFCN.

And I’m not sleeping on Cincy this year. Sure the defense looks like a bit of a mess, but their offense should be vastly better than it was last year. And they don’t have Marv holding them back anymore. They could surprise a lot of people.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I’m hesitant to sign up for anything more than 8 games right now simply because of all the unknowns in their coaching staff. It’s just not a good recipe on paper. But fwiw, I do want Cleveland to be contending for the playoffs this year. They are an exciting team and brings better competition to the AFCN.

And I’m not sleeping on Cincy this year. Sure the defense looks like a bit of a mess, but their offense should be vastly better than it was last year. And they don’t have Marv holding them back anymore. They could surprise a lot of people.

CLE...that's not what Browns fans want to hear, but fair statement imo. You can't blame the fans when you hear stuff like Ryan Clark had to say...he's all in on CLE winning the DIV.

In spite of the talent overhaul, this talk of them winning the DIV I think is premature. NYJ, and AZ are the 2 road games they will likely be clear (more than 3 pts) the favorite. Home games vs LAR, SEA, and PIT will be challenging as well.

CIN...even more baffling why they went OL in the 1st with maybe the top 5 edge guy on the board. I've seen a top 10 OFC with a crappy DEF not make the playoffs...(ATL in '18) so I'm not sure what to think, but if the DEF doesn't rebound I'm more inclined to say they won't get back to the dance this season. I have a sneaky suspicion that the FO support for Dalton is waning...he needs a good season to be a lock for 2020.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Bostic was a good player in his one yr in PIT, but it's pretty clear that he's a run stopper 1st, 2nd and probably 3rd.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Adam “Pacman” Jones announces his retirement

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

General post from our own @SteelersPride ...

Report: Lamar Jackson killing it at OTA's

Thought it belonged in here as well. Things aren’t looking too good for Lamar. Everyone is supposed to look good in shorts, right?

 

[cincygrad]

Like clockwork, the Bengals lose their first round pick before the season gets going. Somewhat ironically, the last Bengal first rounder to make an impact in year 1 was Tyler Eifert in 2013.