OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: New Quarter Backs for the Handball team!

[bigdaddyk88]

Being the GM of Tennessee in the HFBoards mock draft gave me some insight into their draft picks. They do not have a 3rd round pick and only one 4th round pick. So I think they will look to trade down 5-15 places in the 2nd to pick up a 3rd.

And funny enough, if you take the Steelers 51+84 picks they equate to the Tennessee pick which is 38.

That being said, is it really a good idea to trade a 2nd and a 3rd for a less premium position like C?

This is why many feel they will trade down in round 1 and then trade up in round 2.
I also wonder if they flip Leal and Austin for picks

 

[WickedWrister]

Being the GM of Tennessee in the HFBoards mock draft gave me some insight into their draft picks. They do not have a 3rd round pick and only one 4th round pick. So I think they will look to trade down 5-15 places in the 2nd to pick up a 3rd.

And funny enough, if you take the Steelers 51+84 picks they equate to the Tennessee pick which is 38.

That being said, is it really a good idea to trade a 2nd and a 3rd for a less premium position like C?

Yeah or 51 + 98 + a 5th next year or something.

Ike Taylor Reveals Steelers, Mike Tomlin Had Pro Day Dinner With Trio Of Alabama Standouts

It’s been rather quiet so far this offseason regarding Pro Day dinners and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. But thanks to a reveal from former Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor on the latest episode of the “Bleav In Steelers” podcast with host Mark Bergin, we now know of at least one Pro...

steelersdepot.com

Tomlin and Ike Taylor had dinner with EDGE Dallas Turner, CB's Terrion Arnold and Kool-AidMcKinstry at the Alabama pro day. Taylor ran the DB workouts. Also had formal meetings with the CB's at the combine.

Turner probably a top 10 pick, Arnold top 15ish, Kool-Aid top 30.

 

[JTG]

McKinstry is kind of being slept on in this draft process, I feel.

I'm also a proponent of trading down in round 1 and up in round 2.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Or they believe a guy they can get in the 3rd/4th can come in and do a decent job, aka SvP, Limmer, Bortolini, Equakun.

To be honest, I would like to just use one pick on a Center. So either go with J P-J in the 1st or just see how it goes, grap Frazier in the 2nd or SvP/Bortolini/Limmer in the 3rd.

I could really get behind a Jones SVP Mims line.

Plucking three starters for your o-line from a powerhouse b2b champion school would be fascinating.

 

[JTG]

Tanor Bortolini could be a target for Khan also. Wisconsin guy, was the most athletic OL at the combine. Could be a really nice mid-late rounder. Offers C and G flexibility. Dude could be a real gem and he brings a different element too.

 

[wheelz87]

This is why many feel they will trade down in round 1 and then trade up in round 2.
I also wonder if they flip Leal and Austin for picks

Leal/Austin can’t get you any more than a 7th can it?

 

[JTG]

Late rounders at most. With what they make, almost worth keeping them.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Leal/Austin can’t get you any more than a 7th can it?

Why couldn’t they do a pick swap deal like they did with Green

Late rounders at most. With what they make, almost worth keeping them.

They might not make the team this season

 

[JTG]

Why couldn’t they do a pick swap deal like they did with Green


They might not make the team this season

Or they may. For a late round pick, I'd keep them. There is enough there with both. Austin can still be a returner. Leal...I just think he doesn't have what it takes mentally to play football. His draft year, he was a top 5 preseason prospect. The dude just doesn't like football that much.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Or they may. For a late round pick, I'd keep them. There is enough there with both. Austin can still be a returner. Leal...I just think he doesn't have what it takes mentally to play football. His draft year, he was a top 5 preseason prospect. The dude just doesn't like football that much.

Paterson took the kr duties from Ca3 when they draft a wr he will drop to 5th on the roster he doesn’t get any separation
Leal doesn’t have a position ot seems

 

[JTG]

Paterson took the kr duties from Ca3 when they draft a wr he will drop to 5th on the roster he doesn’t get any separation
Leal doesn’t have a position ot seems

We still need him at WR with home things stand now.

 

[Peat]

Austin was never a kick returner. He was a punt returner. Iirc most of the kick returners on the roster haven't been as used on punts. It's not a big thing but its a point in his favour.

But realistically it all comes down to Austin proving he's a better receiver for what Smith wants to do than Watkins, who feels 50-50.

Leal is dead meat, sooner or later, unless he has a big turnaround moment.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

We still need him at WR with home things stand now.

Jefferson was the wr 2 in Atlanta he will be that here to start. Watkins was wr 3 in the Super Bowl with Philly

 

[JTG]

Jefferson was the wr 2 in Atlanta he will be that here to start. Watkins was wr 3 in the Super Bowl with Philly

Didn't see we signed Watkins. Yeah...both of them could go honestly. I'd like to see Austin a bit more before cutting him lose. His college tape was really good.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I honestly don't see anything with Austin that makes me think he'd have notable value. If he was 6'0" with his measurables, I'd have a different tune, but him only being 5'8" really hurts his effectiveness.

It's a shame because his speed plus vertical jump are legitimately great, and he would have been a 1st round talent had he been just 4 inches taller. But as he is, I can't imagine he has any notable value to teams as a WR.

 

[JTG]

The more I think about it, the more I would almost guarantee our pick is Graham Barton if he's there because it gives the organization the flexibility to play him at T or C. Then it opens up the 2nd round pick to be best available T or C if they so choose.

 

[ChaosAgent]

I honestly don't see anything with Austin that makes me think he'd have notable value. If he was 6'0" with his measurables, I'd have a different tune, but him only being 5'8" really hurts his effectiveness.

It's a shame because his speed plus vertical jump are legitimately great, and he would have been a 1st round talent had he been just 4 inches taller. But as he is, I can't imagine he has any notable value to teams as a WR.

Yeah, he's a mid-round pick that has busted so far. Maybe worth a 6th.

 

[Captain Hook]

Man, Barton's testing results relative to centers is very elite.

According to Kent Lee Platte's Relative Athletic Score plugging Barton in at center produces a perfect score of 10.

Per Platte, plugging him in at guard gives him the third highest RAS since 1987. Putting him at center ties him with Creed Humprey for the top spot, who also produced a perfect 10.

Duke's Graham Barton Is An Elite Athlete At Center

Though he spent most of his time as a college tackle, Duke’s Graham Barton is likely ticketed to be an NFL center. It’s where he played as a freshman and where he’s spent much of his pre-draft time working out, including during last week’s Pro Day. Held out during the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine […]

steelersdepot.com

I've leaned tackle or CB all along but I have no issue taking a center if he is special. I just don't want to take one over more valuable positions just because of need. Barton's testing seems to indicate that he can be special though. I think I'd lean him over the other two centers at this point.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Yeah, he's a mid-round pick that has busted so far. Maybe worth a 6th.

Its why i said pick swap like green.

 

[MrBrightside]

Not going to fix this with a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick. For the good that's been done this offseason, and there's been more good than bad, the WR room is just a mess and a Pickens' injury away from being an abject disaster.

 

[Ulf5]

Not going to fix this with a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick. For the good that's been done this offseason, and there's been more good than bad, the WR room is just a mess and a Pickens' injury away from being an abject disaster.

I wonder if Khan is waiting to see what happens with Aiyuk before making his next move. He's certainly not going to bring in 2 new quarterbacks, one a successful vet, and throw a bunch of unknowns out there. And while Pickens has done some good things so far, I'm not sure he's a 100% sure thing yet either.

 

[MrBrightside]

I wonder if Khan is waiting to see what happens with Aiyuk before making his next move. He's certainly not going to bring in 2 new quarterbacks, one a successful vet, and throw a bunch of unknowns out there. And while Pickens has done some good things so far, I'm not sure he's a 100% sure thing yet either.

Agree with all of this. Many shrug this off with a "Smith only uses one WR anyway" sort of justification, but (a) that's impractical, (b) as you note, Pickens is inconsistent and has effort issues already, and (c) you're continuing to not give the QB room the appropriate weapons and support. I don't see Aiyuk happening so I hope all the eggs aren't in that basket.

 

[Captain Hook]

Not going to fix this with a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick. For the good that's been done this offseason, and there's been more good than bad, the WR room is just a mess and a Pickens' injury away from being an abject disaster.

Definitely need some kind of WR2 stopgap. I do think there's WR's in round 2 for sure and possibly round 3 that can grow into WR2 as the season goes along but they still need a stopgap so the rookie can be eased into the role.

The Aiyuk situation that was mentioned is worth monitoring. Maybe the trade price comes down and the Steelers pounce on that opportunity like they did with Fields.

 

[T1K]

Agree with all of this. Many shrug this off with a "Smith only uses one WR anyway" sort of justification, but (a) that's impractical, (b) as you note, Pickens is inconsistent and has effort issues already, and (c) you're continuing to not give the QB room the appropriate weapons and support. I don't see Aiyuk happening so I hope all the eggs aren't in that basket.

We’ve seen more WR trades the day of the draft over the past few years. Off-hand I can recall AJB and Hollywood Brown both being dealt for 1sts.

I’m not necessarily advocating for trading our 1st for Aiyuk, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened either.

 

[Peat]

Sure Khan should be monitoring Aiyuk, but the queue is going to go around the block if the 49ers actually move on. It certainly wouldn't be cheap and honestly, given where the team is in their SB contention window i.e. not, I'm dubious that it'd be worth doing at full price.

And if he doesn't come up with Aiyuk, which feels the odds on scenario, and doesn't come up with anyone else, then things are going to look ugly. When I was saying nothing of value would be lost for trading Johnson, I didn't expect his replacement to be Van Jefferson...

Right now it feels like the Steelers have three important positions to address on the offence and the currency to only address two with certainty, which does not feel great.