OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: Off Season We dont need a QB Edition

[MrBrightside]

McCormick came from an FCS school, was thrown into the fire, and ranked as the 54th guard according to PFF. I don't think it's crazy to assume that he comes in way better this year. Both he and Frazier could really make this whole thing sing if they come to came how I think they will. That right side of our OL will be devastating.

You do realize there are only 64 starting guards and that being the 54th ranked guard is not really refuting my statement that he's likely a marginal starter or swing backup, right? I'm not giving up on him and certainly hope he develops, but the idea that they are all set at RG with him is more wishcasting than it is based on performance to date.

 

[JTG]

You do realize there are only 64 starting guards and that being the 54th ranked guard is not really refuting my statement that he's likely a marginal starter or swing backup, right? I'm not giving up on him and certainly hope he develops, but the idea that they are all set at RG with him is more wishcasting than it is based on performance to date.

Right...so he's a starting caliber. Consider everything else...he didn't fair too poorly

He was starting as a 4th round rookie.

 

[MrBrightside]

Right...so he's a starting caliber. Consider everything else...he didn't fair too poorly

He was starting as a 4th round rookie.

Yes, he is a marginal starter which is what I said in the first place that you're arguing with despite not really seeming to disagree. He was starting because Daniels got hurt, not because his performance warranted it. Again, I hope he develops and it'll be great if you can say I told you so, but the idea that we are ALL SET at OG with him as one of the two and no proven backup is just odd to me.

 

[MrBrightside]

 

[JTG]

Yes, he is a marginal starter which is what I said in the first place that you're arguing with despite not really seeming to disagree. He was starting because Daniels got hurt, not because his performance warranted it. Again, I hope he develops and it'll be great if you can say I told you so, but the idea that we are ALL SET at OG with him as one of the two and no proven backup is just odd to me.

A marginal starter is not a replacement player though. We aren't drafting to replace McCormick. They see McCormick as a starter, and thus far he has played like one. They need a LG for Seumalo getting the boot next year, unless Spencer Anderson makes strides. We also have Nate Herbig. They need to find G depth, but nothing crazy...like a starting RG.

 

[JTG]

Damn. He was an interesting prospect. Super long.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

Yes, he is a marginal starter which is what I said in the first place that you're arguing with despite not really seeming to disagree. He was starting because Daniels got hurt, not because his performance warranted it. Again, I hope he develops and it'll be great if you can say I told you so, but the idea that we are ALL SET at OG with him as one of the two and no proven backup is just odd to me.

They can sign a vet now that it doesn’t affect the comp picks. I’m hoping they go after Sherff.

But in general, what would you have liked them to do differently? The OG draft class was poor. Drafting someone would have been no better than a guy like Anderson.

 

[JTG]

They can sign a vet now that it doesn’t affect the comp picks. I’m hoping they go after Sherff.

But in general, what would you have liked them to do differently? The OG draft class was poor. Drafting someone would have been no better than a guy like Anderson.

Scherff would be really good.

 

[JTG]

Steelers draft has been graded out as a B I'd say on average. I am not sure how much better they could have really done. The Black pick is consistently being said as a reach, but the board I was following had Black right there towards the top.

 

[xlm34]

Steelers draft has been graded out as a B I'd say on average. I am not sure how much better they could have really done. The Black pick is consistently being said as a reach, but the board I was following had Black right there towards the top.

B seems about right to me. I’m not sure there’s a massive amount of upside with the class, but it fell about as well as could be expected. And they avoided the QB pitfall that a lot were concerned about.

My biggest gripe is the Sawyer pick and even that’s kind of minor. If the biggest concern is with a relatively safe 4th round pick, then it was a good class.

 

[JTG]

B seems about right to me. I’m not sure there’s a massive amount of upside with the class, but it fell about as well as could be expected. And they avoided the QB pitfall that a lot were concerned about.

My biggest gripe is the Sawyer pick and even that’s kind of minor. If the biggest concern is with a relatively safe 4th round pick, then it was a good class.

What didnt you like about that pick?

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Throw shit at the wall and see what sticks is what the Jets do. There are reasons why players succeed or fail, just because you can't identify them doesn't mean no one else can.

Well the Steelers haven't shown the ability lately to identify those good players.
They can't even develop a polaroid.

 

[xlm34]

What didnt you like about that pick?

EDGE is an important enough position that I’m not totally opposed to taking guys even if it’s not a position of need. I just don’t think the physical/athletic traits play at the next level as a pass rusher.

He’s a better sub for Watt/Highsmith than Herbig if you want a run defender I guess but Sawyer seems like just a guy to me.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I would prefer a back with more home run potential as my lead back, but others have pointed out before a fair argument that Bell (and we'd be lucky if this guy turned out even close to him) never had breakaway speed, but his vision was great, which allowed for elite consistency.

If this guy can at least see and hit holes at a more consistent rate than Najee did, I'm ok with the pick, especially if Warren is still featured enough for his speed to still be a consistent enough threat in the run game.

People comparing him to Bell are out to lunch. That's not him
I'm just underwhelmed by the pick. I'm not *unhappy* with it, it's just plain vanilla in a class with every flavor of ice cream available at the position.

And, "in the late 3rd" in an ordinary draft year, absolutely a great value. In this draft class of RBs? It's an ok, unspectacular, high floor pick.



Best analysis I heard:

Nate Tice: Johnson (6-foot-1, 224 pounds at the combine) plays and runs like if you took a shrink ray to Derrick Henry; a big, long-striding back with good vision and an upright running style who can rip off big runs when given a lane, but whose upright style also leads to them getting tripped up or absorbing big hits a bit too frequently. Just like Henry, Johnson becomes a load as he builds up steam, but his long strides can limit him in tight spaces or if he has to adjust quickly because of backfield penetration. But, when given a clean lane, Johnson does a great job of reading running lanes, planting his foot and getting north

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Herbig is entering year 3 and is only a situational pass rusher he isn’t someone who can fill in if highsmith or tj go down. I like the rotation and limit potential of TJ and Cam early snaps

Definitely feels like a shot across Highsmith's bow

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

They ranked 6th in the NFL in run defense in 2024.

This team suffers from recency bias and "tradition" deficiencies.

So yes the fact they got gashed for a billion yards sends the message they are weak there. It also doesn't help that there's some silly Steelers mantra etched into this franchise's brain that you "run the ball and play good defense".

This helps address that issue.

 

[Peat]

People comparing him to Bell are out to lunch. That's not him
I'm just underwhelmed by the pick. I'm not *unhappy* with it, it's just plain vanilla in a class with every flavor of ice cream available at the position.

And, "in the late 3rd" in an ordinary draft year, absolutely a great value. In this draft class of RBs? It's an ok, unspectacular, high floor pick.



Best analysis I heard:

Nate Tice: Johnson (6-foot-1, 224 pounds at the combine) plays and runs like if you took a shrink ray to Derrick Henry; a big, long-striding back with good vision and an upright running style who can rip off big runs when given a lane, but whose upright style also leads to them getting tripped up or absorbing big hits a bit too frequently. Just like Henry, Johnson becomes a load as he builds up steam, but his long strides can limit him in tight spaces or if he has to adjust quickly because of backfield penetration. But, when given a clean lane, Johnson does a great job of reading running lanes, planting his foot and getting north

I don't get agreeing with a comp with Henry and then saying he's vanilla. In this age of the NFL, I'm never gonna say a guy with his explosive run potential - and when a dude has 6.3% of his runs go for 20+ yards in college despite seeing stacked boxes 50% of the time, I believe in the potential - while being 220+ lbs is vanilla.

I'm excited by him. Great scheme fit for one thing. Saw a lot of people ranking him right at the top of that RB class (he was Brugler's RB3). Fantastic yards after contact and explosive run stats. And I look at the video and I see a guy whose power and contact balance make him super tough to bring down, which I like, and who seems to make good choices about running lanes. What more do people want?

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

This is a crazy one and it’s just from highlights not actual tape but I see a slower Kamara with Johnson tbh

Both guys are balanced through contact but aren’t bowling balls. Love to cut upfield

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I think Black is probably more like Daniel McCullers than a mid-round gem, but he has special size - like if they can coach him and develop him, he could be a problem for other teams with his dimensions.

Black is nothing like McCullers. McCullers sucked and couldn't move. Black actually has pass rush juice and he can chase down plays (including screens). Black could potentially play 3 downs in my book, but he's fantastic at clogging the middle on run downs.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I don't get agreeing with a comp with Henry and then saying he's vanilla. In this age of the NFL, I'm never gonna say a guy with his explosive run potential - and when a dude has 6.3% of his runs go for 20+ yards in college despite seeing stacked boxes 50% of the time, I believe in the potential - while being 220+ lbs is vanilla.

I'm excited by him. Great scheme fit for one thing. Saw a lot of people ranking him right at the top of that RB class (he was Brugler's RB3). Fantastic yards after contact and explosive run stats. And I look at the video and I see a guy whose power and contact balance make him super tough to bring down, which I like, and who seems to make good choices about running lanes. What more do people want?

I think you're mistaking the word vanilla as something bad.

The Steelers like the straight line RB's lately for some reason and that's what vanilla is in this case. It's not bad to have on occasion, but if you get continual doses and it doesn't move your offense's needle it's a problem. They had no one more vanilla than Harris. Granted I think this dude has way better vision than Najee (not a hard thing to do). so I'm hoping for less yards lost on the field.

I'm just tired of vanilla and these straight line guys. Warren to me didn't get enough touches last year and I fear he'll get the same treatment this season. Felt they could have gotten a more dynamic RB in R3.

 

[pistolpete11]

I think Black is probably more like Daniel McCullers than a mid-round gem, but he has special size - like if they can coach him and develop him, he could be a problem for other teams with his dimensions.

No doubt. He's not a sure thing to even do the thing they drafted him to do.

I'm just saying these grades that get put on these guys don't always take into account role. He's getting graded like every other DL and his pass grade is not going to be good which will bring down his overall grade. But that won't be his role in the NFL and certainly not on the Steelers.

 

[Peat]

I think you're mistaking the word vanilla as something bad.

The Steelers like the straight line RB's lately for some reason and that's what vanilla is in this case. It's not bad to have on occasion, but if you get continual doses and it doesn't move your offense's needle it's a problem. They had no one more vanilla than Harris. Granted I think this dude has way better vision than Najee (not a hard thing to do). so I'm hoping for less yards lost on the field.

I'm just tired of vanilla and these straight line guys. Warren to me didn't get enough touches last year and I fear he'll get the same treatment this season. Felt they could have gotten a more dynamic RB in R3.

Okay, I get where you're coming from better.

But I still think guys with the potential to execute a straight line style that well are too rare to call vanilla. The constant push for more explosive backs and the potential for big explosive guys to get paid more in other positions has changed the NFL in that way.

I also think those dudes can move the offence's needle and bring a very valuable component, and when it came to a room that already had Warren and Gainwell, a more straight line guy was more likely than another more shifty guy. And that in terms of what it does to the offence, it can be really dynamic.

I worry a bit about whether the blocking is going to be at the standard needed to help him as one of those get up to speed guys, but if he does, I think he's going to go pop off big, as this stat shows

 

[Peat]

This is a crazy one and it’s just from highlights not actual tape but I see a slower Kamara with Johnson tbh

Both guys are balanced through contact but aren’t bowling balls. Love to cut upfield

I can see that a bit.

The comp I've found that's made the most sense on watching more from the guy is Arian Foster.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Definitely feels like a shot across Highsmith's bow

It had nothing to do with highsmith it herbig. They have Herbig who can rush the passer but not set the edge. Jack is great at setting the edge limited as a pass rusher. Can see 1 guy fill in for TJ with Highsmith on the other side then when highsmith needs a break. They want to rotate dl like philly and buffalo

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Hearing Shadeur was apparently taking Face Time calls with friends in the middle of NFL interviews so he did this to himself. Word gets around and that's not collusion, that's reputation.