2012 Pittsburgh Steelers Discussion

[K Train]

Originally Posted by mikehop05

anyone else get the feeling the steelers are gonna go complete wild card on us in the first round like when they got mendy?

i dont think mendenhall was a complete wildcard, no one really expected him to be there...its not like they were planning on taking chris johnson or felix jones there if mendenhall wasnt on the board

wildcard would have been evander hood, that **** blew me away and im still kind stunned in disappointment over the pick at the time and his mediocrity on the field

[Hines]

Originally Posted by K Train

i dont think mendenhall was a complete wildcard, no one really expected him to be there...its not like they were planning on taking chris johnson or felix jones there if mendenhall wasnt on the board

wildcard would have been evander hood, that **** blew me away and im still kind stunned in disappointment over the pick at the time and his mediocrity on the field

I fully believe that Mike Jenkins would be a Steeler if Mendenhall wasn't there. I'm glad that Mendenhall was because Jenkins is purely meh at this point.

[Hines]

As regarding the visits, here are the players who visited.

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2011/03...-draft-visits/


Gilbert, Cortez, Keith Williams, Saunders, Curtis, Mario Harvey, Anthony Gray, and Corbin Bryant were all brought in via the draft or free agency. 8 of the 30.

[K Train]

Originally Posted by Hines

I fully believe that Mike Jenkins would be a Steeler if Mendenhall wasn't there. I'm glad that Mendenhall was because Jenkins is purely meh at this point.

i loved branden albert and DRC that year.

mike jenkins could have been the pick, but kentwan balmer could have too....yikes

[mikehop05]

just saw draft tek's mock, which is pretty unrealistic compared to some others... they use a computer generated system using averages and position need, etc. anyways, they had us taking luke kuechly.

made me happy.

[DeeboHarrison]

Originally Posted by Smooth Criminal

Teams are allowed to have around 30 visits iirc so we certainly didn't draft everyone we had in for a visit.

And as an OSU fan, I want absolutely no parts of Mike Adams.

^ THIS!!!!!

Thanks Smooth Criminal...please see my monologue on how overrated Adams is I posted about a month ago on the 2011 thread. This is 2/2 (100% for those counting) that have watched him for 4 years and don't like what they see. That should say something


Acknowledge it or not we do have less top young talent than other teams on the lines and on D. Yes part of this is because we have had such good vets. But we can't afford to blow this pick and Adams would be blowing it imho.

[Smooth Criminal]

Cowher almost always took people that visited, especially early. Under Tomlin we've seemed to wait and see who was available rather than targeting.

We were definitely at Heyward's Pro day at least, go to OSU's every year.

[Smooth Criminal]

Originally Posted by K Train

i loved branden albert and DRC that year.

mike jenkins could have been the pick, but kentwan balmer could have too....yikes

I wanted both Jenkins or Balmer over Mendy. And laughed at the Chris Johnson pick. Oops

[Smooth Criminal]

Originally Posted by K Train

i dont think mendenhall was a complete wildcard, no one really expected him to be there...its not like they were planning on taking chris johnson or felix jones there if mendenhall wasnt on the board

wildcard would have been evander hood, that **** blew me away and im still kind stunned in disappointment over the pick at the time and his mediocrity on the field

iirc he was predicted to be the pick in Pittsburgh newspapers several days before. I remember leading up to the draft thinking we'd get him.

[Hines]

Demetrius Bell is visiting today, which surprises me. I wouldn't mind him here if the price is right.

Also, Brandon Brooks is visiting. That's a kid I hope we draft with our second or even third round pick. Kid is an animal. Virginia OLB Cam Johnson is also expected to visit next week.

[DeathbyStat]

Originally Posted by Hines

Demetrius Bell is visiting today, which surprises me. I wouldn't mind him here if the price is right.

Also, Brandon Brooks is visiting. That's a kid I hope we draft with our second or even third round pick. Kid is an animal. Virginia OLB Cam Johnson is also expected to visit next week.

Bell for cheap could be a steal.

Big fan of Brooks, dude had the same work out numbers as Cordy Glenn and we could get him at a better value.

Cam Johnson kinda scares me, had little production in college.

TY Hilton on the fourth round would be great, he is so explosive

[DeeboHarrison]

I am not pumped about the possibility of Bell simply because the last two guys Kugler has brought on from his days in Buffalo are Jon Scott and Jamon Meredith (puke).

But then I thought abotu it for two seconds and realized if we sign Bell it means we're def not drafting Mike Adams. BRING ON BELL NO MATTER THE COST!!!

[K Train]

brandon brooks <3

[DeeboHarrison]

It is a straight up Brandon Brooks love affair on this board. I personally think we need someone who can step in right away and would love to see Osemele there in the second round. Great pass blocker. What do you guys like about Brooks so much besides what you've heard about his workouts? I am not doubting anyone I just want to know more about this kid because its obvious we like him.

I have not seen a single snap on this kid and I hate when people claim to be experts because they watched highlight videos. *Especially highlight videos from the MAC*

[Jakey]

Sign Bell...

Draft...

1: Dont'a Hightower - ILB
2: Brandon Brooks - RG
3: Brandon Washington - LG
4: Mike Martin - NT
5: Trenton Robinson - FS
6: T.Y Hilton - WR
7: Blair Walsh - K
7: Matt Conrath - DE
7: Joe Long - OT


Depth Chart:

QB: Ben Roethlisberger
QB: Byron Leftwich
QB: Troy Smith

RB: Rashard Mendenhall (PUP)
RB: Isaac Redman
RB: Jonathan Dwyer
RB: Baron Batch

WR: Mike Wallace
WR: Antonio Brown
WR: Emmanuel Snaders
WR: Jericho Cotchery
WR: T.Y Hilton

TE: Heath Miller
TE: Wesleye Saunders (susp.)
TE: ?

LT: Marcus Gilbert
LT: Demetrius Bell

LG: Brandon Washington
LG: Chris Scott

C: Maurkice Pouncey
C: Doug Legursky

RG: Brandon Brooks
RG: Ramon Foster

RT: Willie Colon
RT: Max Starks (re-sign when healthy)

......


RE: Brett Keisel
RE: Cam Heyward

NT: Casey Hampton (PUP)
NT: Steve McLendon
NT: Mike Martin

LE: Ziggy Hood
LE: Al Woods/Matt Conrath (?)

ROLB: James Harrison
ROLB: Jason Worilds

ILB: Lawrence Timmons
ILB: Dont'a Hightower
ILB: Larry Foote
ILB: Stevenson Sylvester

LOLB: LaMarr Woodley
LOLB: Chris Carter

CB: Ike Taylor
CB: Keenan Lewis
CB: Cortez Allen
CB: Curtis Brown

FS: Ryan Clark
FS: Trenton Robinson

SS: Troy Polamalu
SS: Ryan Mundy

K: Blair Walsh
P: Jeremy Kapinos

BOOM.

[Pitt]

Originally Posted by DeeboHarrison

It is a straight up Brandon Brooks love affair on this board. I personally think we need someone who can step in right away and would love to see Osemele there in the second round. Great pass blocker. What do you guys like about Brooks so much besides what you've heard about his workouts? I am not doubting anyone I just want to know more about this kid because its obvious we like him.

I have not seen a single snap on this kid and I hate when people claim to be experts because they watched highlight videos. *Especially highlight videos from the MAC*

Strengths: Possesses a physically imposing frame with broad shoulders and a wide base ? big body with a strong, thickly built frame. Has good natural strength and raw power with the ability to be a mauler in the run game. Plays with a firm base with a stout anchor, holding his ground at the point of attack. Keeps his pad level low and flashes consistent leverage. Stays balanced and patient in his stance. Has overpowering upper body strength to overwhelm and eliminate defenders from the play ? jolts with his hands and shows a strong initial push. Quick off the snap and moves well for his size. Offers versatility with experience at left tackle and both guard spots. Has very good starting experience as a four-year starter (42 career starts) and was honored as a Second Team All-MAC performer three-years in a row (2009-11).

Weaknesses: Has some bad weight on his frame and has added over 60 pounds since he enrolled at Miami (OH) ? something that needs to be monitored. Carries a lot of weight and it shows at times, looking sluggish with heavy feet when trying to cover a lot of ground. Doesn?t have great range and wasn?t asked to do a lot of pulling for the Redhawks. Doesn?t always explode off the snap. Heavy-handed in pass protection with a bad habit of grabbing, which attracts holding penalties. Will allow his body to rise at times and he is caught too high. Needs to improve his awareness and overall vision to pick up extra rushers. Needs to stay disciplined and play smart, cutting down on the penalties and mental lapses. Has an inconsistent mean streak and needs to develop more of a finishing attitude ? too much of a passive blocker for his size.

NFL Comparison: Ramon Foster, Pittsburgh Steelers

[Jakey]

Originally Posted by Pitt

Strengths: Possesses a physically imposing frame with broad shoulders and a wide base ? big body with a strong, thickly built frame. Has good natural strength and raw power with the ability to be a mauler in the run game. Plays with a firm base with a stout anchor, holding his ground at the point of attack. Keeps his pad level low and flashes consistent leverage. Stays balanced and patient in his stance. Has overpowering upper body strength to overwhelm and eliminate defenders from the play ? jolts with his hands and shows a strong initial push. Quick off the snap and moves well for his size. Offers versatility with experience at left tackle and both guard spots. Has very good starting experience as a four-year starter (42 career starts) and was honored as a Second Team All-MAC performer three-years in a row (2009-11).

Weaknesses: Has some bad weight on his frame and has added over 60 pounds since he enrolled at Miami (OH) ? something that needs to be monitored. Carries a lot of weight and it shows at times, looking sluggish with heavy feet when trying to cover a lot of ground. Doesn?t have great range and wasn?t asked to do a lot of pulling for the Redhawks. Doesn?t always explode off the snap. Heavy-handed in pass protection with a bad habit of grabbing, which attracts holding penalties. Will allow his body to rise at times and he is caught too high. Needs to improve his awareness and overall vision to pick up extra rushers. Needs to stay disciplined and play smart, cutting down on the penalties and mental lapses. Has an inconsistent mean streak and needs to develop more of a finishing attitude ? too much of a passive blocker for his size.

NFL Comparison: Ramon Foster, Pittsburgh Steelers

Brooks is 10x the prospect Ramon was. I like Ramon and he is a serviceable fill in/backup guard, but he doesnt have the potential Brooks does. Brooks is far more athletic, far more versatile and far stronger than Foster. And the negatives in that scouting report are well off...Brooks carries his weight extremely well for his size, i dont think it is an issue. And nastiness isnt really an issue either. I think the only question the Steelers would have is, if he is best suited to the RG position or LG position. LG is a bigger need, and a player like Zeitler would fit the bill perfectly, but he is unlikely to be available in the 2nd round, and Brooks is. If Brooks is there in the 2nd/3rd, you take him, and hope his athletic ability applies to the LG position...if not, you plug him in at RG and have him maul people all day long!

[DeeboHarrison]

Ok. I can definitely get on board with Brooks if you guys are all about it. I have been following this board for a while and you guys generally know your stuff, whether I agree with you or not. I am as big a draftnik as anyone out there...just haven't seen any game tape on Brooks to make a decision on him personally and it's not like Miami OH games are readily available out there, hah.

[DeeboHarrison]

Jakey -

IF we sign Bell it would be for a starting Tackle position and we would kick Colon inside. Doubt we draft 2 olinemen in the first two round if we sign a starting caliber one.

[Jakey]

Originally Posted by DeeboHarrison

Jakey -

IF we sign Bell it would be for a starting Tackle position and we would kick Colon inside. Doubt we draft 2 olinemen in the first two round if we sign a starting caliber one.

Yeah i considered this. I think he's abit too light/finesse for a RT, so Gilbert would likely stay there and Bell would play LT.

[Hines]

Toney Clemons is visiting. He's a kid to look at as a late round pick/UDFA. He is from the Pittsburgh area and has been at 2 colleges in his career. I think he's pretty underrated. He is big and fast and put up solid numbers in Boulder.

[Jakey]

Originally Posted by Hines

Toney Clemons is visiting. He's a kid to look at as a late round pick/UDFA. He is from the Pittsburgh area and has been at 2 colleges in his career. I think he's pretty underrated. He is big and fast and put up solid numbers in Boulder.

Good find!

Seems like a typical Steelers late-round pick. The kid looks interesting!

[Jakey]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y1vMglvFlE

[Hines]

Jerrell Harris OLB/MLB Alabama and WVU CB Keith Tandy visited the Steelers today.

[SCSteeler]

JAKEY,

Those Silatolu highlights are sick, I want that kid! Small school or not, he floored a ton of guys there.