2012 Linebacker

[ellsy82]

Is this the year we draft a replacement for Farrior, or do you think Sylvester is the next mack linebacker?

Manti Te'o*
Vontaze Burflict*
Dont'a Hightower
Tank Carder
Luke Kuechly*

Opinions?

[Mr. Goosemahn]

Originally Posted by ellsy82

Is this the year we draft a replacement for Farrior, or do you think Sylvester is the next mack linebacker?

Manti Te'o*
Vontaze Burflict*
Dont'a Hightower
Tank Carder
Luke Kuechly*

Opinions?

I think we've already got our replacement for Farrior in either Foote or Fox, maybe Sylvester. Sylvester is the only candidate to be long term though.

Te'o or Burfict would be my choices, those guys would be flat out unbelievable beside Timmons. I still want to have Timmons switch over to Mack, as Timmons as a buck is IMO a waste of his talents. He excelled there this past year, but I want him at mack where he can make plays, instead of having to take on blockers a lot of the time.

That's where either Burfict or Te'o would be great for us. Those are two big, physical guys who can take on blockers. Brandon Spikes would have been perfect in this role, but he's a Patriot, unfortunately, so we've got to look elsewhere.

If Sylvester is the future, then there is no way Timmons can slide over to buck, as Sylvester just doesn't have the physicality to take on blockers, IMO. It's one thing to lay out a RB or a receiver, but to take on an offensive lineman is a whole other issue. I remember reading somewhere he had long legs and played high, which is a pretty bad combination. That alone should rule out him playing buck. Mack, on the other hand, wouldn't be as problematic with these issues, but again, Sylvester as a mack wouldn't even come close to what Timmons could do at mack, IMO.

Hightower is overrated right now. If he shows he can return to form, then I'd like him on the team, but right now he's probably a second or third rounder. Kuechler and Carder are much better suited for a 4-3 IMO.

[K Train]

i love sylvester...but hes not a great fit to play next to timmons. i love him as a rotational guy though and a guy that will make plays cause hes always around the ball.

taze would be amazing, thats a long shot. teo would be a hammer next to timmons, that would be amazing too.

i really like hightower a lot as a 2nd or 3rd rounder...not for every team but definitely for the steelers

[ellsy82]

Originally Posted by K Train

i love sylvester...but hes not a great fit to play next to timmons. i love him as a rotational guy though and a guy that will make plays cause hes always around the ball.

taze would be amazing, thats a long shot. teo would be a hammer next to timmons, that would be amazing too.

i really like hightower a lot as a 2nd or 3rd rounder...not for every team but definitely for the steelers

Point is...do we know what the primary need will be? We could sign (hahaha) a free agent guard and take care of our problems. DeCastro reminds me of the Mankin/Grubbs mold. BPA, i say. If that's a linebacker, I'm all for it. But damn...we need better guards.

[K Train]

i would like to target cordy glenn, teo, tate, armstrong, or brewster next year...thats my early list for round one.

brewster would be interesting...i wonder if they would play him at C or G

[ellsy82]

Originally Posted by K Train

i would like to target cordy glenn, teo, tate, armstrong, or brewster next year...thats my early list for round one.

brewster would be interesting...i wonder if they would play him at C or G

Brewster offers that flexibility to play both. There's enough proof in the pudding that he'd excel at both. My primary concern is drafting another tweener-type that won't ever find his role on the line. But that's 100% of my concern with most of Colbert's picks.

However, if Pouncey goes down in the next Superbowl...it'd be great to have a guy like Brewster starting at LG that could just slide over to replace him.

[ellsy82]

Alright...after this season, here's my list for potential pairings for Timmons...

1. Luke Kuechly
2. Monta Teo
3. Travis Lewis
4. Audie Cole (the one from N. Carolina St)
5. Nigel Bradham
6. Manny Acho
7. Jerry Franklin
8. Shayne Skov (if he declares)

[Dook]

Kuechly is a 4-3 ILB, can't drop into coverage.

Teo, I like but I'm just not sure I like him enough to use a 1st round pick on.

Audie Cole is a player but he's very slow, 4.80 I think. Not the type of guy you want dropping into coverage.

Love Jerry Franklin, undersized but if we can get him in the later rounds he'd be worth it.

I'm thinking/hoping that ILB Dont'a Hightower might be there in the 2nd round.

[ellsy82]

Originally Posted by Dook

Kuechly is a 4-3 ILB, can't drop into coverage.

Teo, I like but I'm just not sure I like him enough to use a 1st round pick on.

Audie Cole is a player but he's very slow, 4.80 I think. Not the type of guy you want dropping into coverage.

Love Jerry Franklin, undersized but if we can get him in the later rounds he'd be worth it.

I'm thinking/hoping that ILB Dont'a Hightower might be there in the 2nd round.

If Baccari Rambo gets a good response from the NFL Draft Advisory Committee, I wouldn't mind our draft looking something like this:

2012 Draft
1.32 - *Baccari Rambo - SS - Georgia
2.64 - Josh Chapman - NT - Alabama
3.96 - Kevin Zeitler - OG - Wisconsin
4.129 - Manny Acho - ILB - Texas
5.165 - Derek Wolfe - DE - Cincinnati
6.199 - Jerry Franklin - OLB - Arkansas
7.237 - Tyler Urban - TE - West Virginia
7.240 - Jeff Adams - OT - Columbia

Priority Free Agents
Marshall Lobbestael - QB -Washington St
Randy Bullock - K/P - Texas A&M
Jonte Green - CB - New Mexico St
Mark Crawford - NT - Kentucky
Lamar Holmes - OG - Southern Miss
Blake DeChristopher - OT - Virginia Tech
Thomas Mayo - WR - California (PA)
Travaun Nixon - FS - Texas-El Paso