SteelDad
04-26-2010, 01:59 PM
The new national phenomenon known as the NFL Draft has once again come and gone. After months of speculation, scouting and more mock drafts than Antonio Cromartie has kids, we now know who some of the new Steelers of the future will be. As is usually the case, the average ‘draft grade’ for the Steelers is around a ‘C.’ For me personally, I love when we get that grade. The reason we typically get anywhere from a ‘B to a C’ each year is that many of these pundits don’t really understand how we draft and why we draft who we do.
We have never really been about the flashy players or the #1 guy at his position but rather, we are about the guys who will fit our system especially when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. While many teams look for starters in rounds 1 through 3, we don’t mind developing guys. Of course we expect a lot from anyone drafted in round one and why shouldn’t we? (Did you hear that Maurkice?) But the Steelers have always been about development and this year appears to be no different. LB/DE Jason Worilds is a perfect example as is Thaddeus Gibson and Stevenson Sylvester. These are the types of guys we love to bring in and develop in our 3-4 schemes. Remember LaMarr Woodley played down on almost every snap of his career at Michigan and there were numerous doubts about whether or not he could make the adjustment to OLB in our defense. He was not exactly a hit in his rookie season and now look at this guy. He just might be the most feared pass rusher in the league. His counterpart James Harrison has a story we are all familiar with, but it bears noting that he is yet another example of development from within.
I think our draft and move to re-acquire Bryant McFadden may be speaking volumes for where the team is headed in our secondary. Have Burnett and Lewis developed to the point where they will fight for starting spots? Jury is still out. We know Ike Taylor can cover and William Gay can’t. Of course we also know Ike couldn’t catch a cold, but I digress…. Point is, if we can get serious minutes out of those two 2nd year DB’s, then we will again have saved ourselves a lot heartache and perhaps a lot of heartburn watching 4th quarter collapses.
When all is said and done, grading drafts is like going to see a palm reader. It really doesn’t matter what happens at that time because you’ll have to wait until all that is predicted will actually come true. Huey Richardson anyone?????
Marc Uhlmann
www.steeleraddicts.com
We have never really been about the flashy players or the #1 guy at his position but rather, we are about the guys who will fit our system especially when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. While many teams look for starters in rounds 1 through 3, we don’t mind developing guys. Of course we expect a lot from anyone drafted in round one and why shouldn’t we? (Did you hear that Maurkice?) But the Steelers have always been about development and this year appears to be no different. LB/DE Jason Worilds is a perfect example as is Thaddeus Gibson and Stevenson Sylvester. These are the types of guys we love to bring in and develop in our 3-4 schemes. Remember LaMarr Woodley played down on almost every snap of his career at Michigan and there were numerous doubts about whether or not he could make the adjustment to OLB in our defense. He was not exactly a hit in his rookie season and now look at this guy. He just might be the most feared pass rusher in the league. His counterpart James Harrison has a story we are all familiar with, but it bears noting that he is yet another example of development from within.
I think our draft and move to re-acquire Bryant McFadden may be speaking volumes for where the team is headed in our secondary. Have Burnett and Lewis developed to the point where they will fight for starting spots? Jury is still out. We know Ike Taylor can cover and William Gay can’t. Of course we also know Ike couldn’t catch a cold, but I digress…. Point is, if we can get serious minutes out of those two 2nd year DB’s, then we will again have saved ourselves a lot heartache and perhaps a lot of heartburn watching 4th quarter collapses.
When all is said and done, grading drafts is like going to see a palm reader. It really doesn’t matter what happens at that time because you’ll have to wait until all that is predicted will actually come true. Huey Richardson anyone?????
Marc Uhlmann
www.steeleraddicts.com