Tony Moss, the fine NFL Editor of the Sports Network breaks down the Steelers 2010 NFL Draft below, and gives the team a pretty solid B-:
1 – Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida (6-4, 304); 2 – Jason Worilds, OLB, Virginia Tech (6-1, 254); 3 – Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU (5-11, 186); 4 – Thaddeus Gibson, OLB, Ohio State (6-2, 243); 5 – Chris Scott, OL, Tennessee (6-5, 319); 5 – Crezdon Butler, CB, Clemson (6-0, 191); 5 – Steven Sylvester, LB, Utah (6-3, 231); 6 – Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech (5-11, 229); 6 – Antonio Brown, WR, Central Michigan (5-10, 186); 7 – Doug Worthington, DT, Ohio State (6-5, 292)
Analysis: Finally, the Steelers take the first-round o-lineman they’ve needed for years. Pouncey can play guard, but don’t be surprised to see him unseat Justin Hartwig and start at center immediately. The Worilds pick was a surprise, both because the Steelers seemed to be set at OLB and because there were a couple of OLBs rated above the Virginia Tech standout on several boards. The third-round pick Sanders isn’t a huge guy and won’t have a Santonio Holmes- like impact, but caught a ton of balls at SMU and has a chance to be involved in the slot. Gibson and Sylvester were similar picks to Worilds but will have to prove their abilities on special teams. Scott was likely selected in the fifth-round due to his ability to play guard and tackle. It was surprising that the Steelers waited until the fifth-round to take a corner, and Butler is a solid player who will nonetheless make no one forget about Rod Woodson. Dwyer was originally a first-round prospect who saw his stock plummet due to a lack of versatility and questionable work ethic. Brown offers some value as a return man. Pittsburgh pulled off a trade with Arizona to re-acquire prodigal corner Bryant McFadden, but let’s remember that McFadden wasn’t the most consistent CB on earth during his first tour with the team.
Bottom Line: Early picks of Pouncey and Sanders made sense, but all the outside linebackers – at the expense of a decent young corner – did not.
Grade: B-
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Mike
April 24, 2010 at 6:59 pm
There is no way this is a B- draft. C- at best in my opinion. Colbert and Tomlin can rationalize all they want about the OLB’s in 2,4 and round 5. No need to pick that many! Maybe they think they won’t be able to sign Woodley? Who knows.
George H
April 25, 2010 at 9:11 am
I suspect that these OLBs will help boost the ST this year.
DrGeorge
April 25, 2010 at 9:57 am
As usual, I concur with George H, with regard to Sylvester and Gibson; in the short-term, they will make their mark on ST. In the longer-term, Gibson and Worilds will be used as pass rushers also, a la Feeney for the Colts. The position of DE has morphed in the pass happy NFL, and speed rushers are replacing the 300 lb. DEs the Steelers favored in the past. Opposing QBs simply had too much time to find receivers last year.
Over all, I’d give this draft a higher grade than B-. There were too many holes to fill them all through the draft, and the McFadden trade was a good stop-gap.
Dwyer is a steal if he gets his head on straight; he is an indication that the staff is intent on improving the rushing performance in short-yardage and goal line situations.
I initially questioned the two WRs, given our depth at that position, but both seem targeted for kick return duty rather than WR play, which fits with Tomlin’s stated interest in getting Logan more touches and giving L. Sweed another chance.
Kolan
April 25, 2010 at 1:22 pm
At first I would give the Steelers a C as well, until I looked at who was available at those picks.
Given the steeler needs in the Second round, they could have gone with WR Tate or LaFell, DT Mount Cody, ILB Spikes or Lee, or OT Brown. They really have a good compliment of WR, Cody is really only a 2 down player. Last year they suffered from lack of pressure when Woodley and MVP were tired.
In the third round, Sanders was a highly rated player by everything I saw he was rated #50 by NFL.com only OT Campbell, DE Wooten and Griffen were graded higher at the steelers pick.
This trend continued in every round that the steelers got very good value at their picks. The only reach was probably in the second round, but with DT being so deep and one OL drafted, they have no depth at OLB.
I would give them a B+
mark
April 25, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Did anyone think that the emphasis on OLB might mean that in the near future, James Harrison could move inside where his lack of height may fit better? The OLB draft “overload” might be in an effort to find the next starter on the other side of Woodley and then move Harrison inside to replace an aging Farrior. The outside pass rush the Steelers love has been great with the current tandem, but with Farrior getting older and Harrison locked up contract wise along with having plenty of gas left in his tank, moving Harrison inside is not so far fetched.
jay
April 25, 2010 at 3:08 pm
I agree, Mark….Where in the world did you get that idea:)
mark
April 26, 2010 at 8:47 am
Good call Jay!!! LOL
jay
April 25, 2010 at 3:24 pm
I would also like to add that I too at first thought the draft was a bit lackluster until I let it sink in a little….I still hold that getting Hampton’s replacement at the expense of Sylvester and Butler may not have been a bad idea but that notwithstanding….The Worilds and Gibson move(s) does a lot of things: I think having two guys (Worilds and Gibson) to push Woodley and Harrison plus give them a rest is never a bad idea. Plus position flexibility—Worilds is also built like Harrison who is built like a hybrid edge rusher/ILB in a 3-4. There is now depth on the edge which we haven’t had since Joey POrter was here. I do think Harrison can move inside (he’s built almost identically to Ray Lewis!—only faster—-now that is not in Lewis’s heyday)…We are also rebui…ahem, retooling our defense and getting younger right before our eyes…behind the verterans Troy, Calrk, Ike and NOW B’Mac, there is Burnett, Lewis, Butler (if he makes the team), Gay—okay, maybe not Gay and that safety, Allen who’s still young. Behind the veterans Hampton, Keisel and Smith, we have Ziggy and Sonny Harris (who I heard they really like!). And now, behind our linebackers, there’s these young kids ESPECIALLY if Stevenson Sylvester makes the team to eventually move inside next to Harrison or Timmons (if Harrison does ever indeed move inside, I think he will even if it’s only situationally). Our offense is really young. I LOVE Pouncey!!! And if Ramon Foster can eventually play RT or LT to help Colon move inside with Pouncey…That is, by the way, why I think they keep giving Colon one year tenders. I believe they don’t want to extend him at a Tackle’s pay scale until they move him inside and can pay him less money at a guard’s pay scale. I mean, it may never happen but I think they’re looking into it to see if it can be done and if it can’t, they’ll either pay him or replace him but indication is they really like Colon. I hope Dwyer can make the team to tandem with Mendy because that, as Bill and Ted would say, would be awesome. This was a nice draft, the more it sinks in. Oh, one more thing, Chris Scott, the Tennessee lineman was only the second Volunteer lineman taken off the board to that point in the draft (the other guy, Jacques McClendon, was taken in the round right before); it was a line that gave up the least amount of sacks or something and he can play both T or G….As Rich Eisen would say, “I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin!”
mark
April 26, 2010 at 8:51 am
I agree with Jay on the OL issue. I follow the Vols pretty closely and the O-line has been VERY good the past few seasons. It would seem that getting Scott was a good move, as he was a part of that line and is flexible enough to push at G or T. If Dwyer is allowed to “just carry the ball” and play to his strengths, the Steelers might have the RB steal of the draft!
arrow61095
April 28, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Like many, I have no problem with the level of the talent of the players that the Steelers picked. I do however have a problem with the positions taken.
Round 1: Maurkice Pouncy (C) – I think that he will start immediately (possibly at guard), and will be a pro bowl caliber player. However, I also think that it is easy to find solid interior lineman later in the draft (or at least easier than many other poisitions). John Jerry (OG, Ole Miss) went in the 3rd round. Eric Olsen (C, Notre Dame) didn’t go till round 6. Could we have gotten someone good at another position here and addressed the interior line later in the draft.
Round 2: Jason Worilds (OLB) – Good player. I can understand the need to draft a backup to Woodley and Harrison who will help on special teams, but not when you need a new starter at CB. What percent of snaps will he play while Woodley and Harrison are there? What percent of snaps would a CB play?
Round 3: Emmanuel Sanders (WR) – Great talent. Why draft a WR? You have Ward, Wallace, Randel-El, Battle, and Sweed. How often do the Steelers use 5 WRs? 4 WRs? Shay Hodge (WR) went undrafted. Who would see the field more: Emmanuel Sanders (WR) or Brandon Ghee (CB)(who was taken at the end of the 3rd)?
Round 4: Thaddeus Gibson (OLB) – Really, another OLB. I understand that LBs will help with special teams, but lets look at who went between Gibson and the Steelers 5th round picks: Dominique Franks (CB, 5th-pick 4), Perrish Cox (CB, 5th-pick 6), Cam Thomas (NT, 5th-pick 15).
Round 5: Chris Scott (OT), Crezdon Butler (CB), Stevenson Sylvester (ILB) – 3 picks wasted on future practice squad guys. Sylverster is behind Timmons, Farrior, Foote and Fox. Butler may play special teams since the Steelers are so weak at CB, but I doubt he makes the team either. Just think that for any of these round 5 picks, we could have gotten Eric Olsen (C, Notre Dame).
Round 6: Jonathan Dwyer (RB), Antonio Brown (WR) – Dwyer is a steal, and has a shot to make the team…..then again same could have been said for Issac Redman last year. Antonio Brown = 7th string WR = practice squad. Instead of Brown, we could have got Myron Rolle (SS, 6th-pick 38) who could have provided some depth at safety.
Round 7: Doug Worthington, (DT) – Practice squad.
Conclusion: Drafting the best player available sounds good, but is pretty impracticle. You could easily end up with a whole team of Quarterbacks with no one to throw the ball to….. Or in the Steeler’s case a whole team of LBs with no one to play coverage. Draft Grade: C+