Undrafted Report

The Steelers snatched up fifteen undrafted rookies at the conclusion of the NFL draft. The Steelers went offensive line heavy with this group signing six different hog-mollies, as I like to call them. Instead of breaking down every player I'm going to break down my top three and my sleeper pick.

The entire list of the players signed by the Steelers looks like this:

Brian Arnfelt, DE, Northwestern; Alan Baxter, LB, Northern Illinois; Nik Embernate, G, San Diego State; Reggie Dunn, WR, Utah; Mike Farrell, OT, Penn State; Mike Golic Jr, OG, Notre Dame; Cordian Hagans, DE, Louisiana-Lafayette; Chris Hubbard, G, UAB; Omar Hunter, DT, Florida; Luke Ingram, LS, Hawaii; Joe Madsen, C, WVU; Curtis McNeal, RB, USC; Ivory Wade, C, Baylor; Anthony Rashad White, DT, Michigan State; J.D Woods, WR, WVU.

My top three focuses on what I feel are depth issue positions. What I'm looking at is positions where the players we have are questionable or the depth there is in question. I ask myself three questions when breaking down these players; Is this player better then who is already here? Can he be better in the next few years then who is here? Will he be safe on our practice squad?

Here is how my top three look:

Number One
Mike Farrell, OT, Penn State
This is a big guy and a player I'm shocked didn't get drafted at some point in time. Farrel has commanding size at 6'6 305lbs. He took over at left tackle after graduation decimated the Lions following the 2011 season. During that 2011 season he also helped Penn State lead the Big Ten with only 14 sacks allowed.

Outlook
With the Steelers not resigning Max Starks that means he will compete for one of most likely four spots. Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert will be starters regardless and Kelvin Beachum has started at right tackle but is considered to be a guard. Prior to the draft the Steelers brought in 6'5 304lb Joe Long, brother of Rams left tackle and former first overall pick Jake Long. With all that being said, I think the stars have aligned for Farrell to make this roster. He is big, strong and very experienced. If he can just show up and be the same type of player he was at Penn State he will make this team.

Number Two
Mike Golic Jr, C/OG, Notre Dame
The Steelers and other sites have listed Golic as an offensive tackle but he is a natural guard and center. As a fifth year Senior on Notre Dame's undefeated team, he started all thirteen games at guard and has played well at center throughout his career. He has good size for a guard at 6'3 300lbs and has shown some great flashes of ability at Notre Dame. He made a name for himself this year with his play but he has had some consistency issues.

Outlook
Ramon Foster and last years first round pick, David DeCastro, will be the starters this season. That means that Golic will be competing with the three other guards on roster and the two other undrafted free agents brought in this weekend. Beachum is a lock for a roster spot and John Malecki has the inside track to the fourth spot. What works well for Golic is his ability to play center as well. Right now the Steelers have only one center on roster, Pro Bowler Maurkice Pouncey; but don't forget those two undrafted free agents the Steelers brought in to compete. As of right now I think that Golic is better then Cheadle and the other rookies brought in; I think he makes the roster as a backup guard and center.

Number Three
Anthony Rashad White, DT, Michigan State
The Steelers have had a thing for huge lineman this offseason and White fits that bill. The son of Hall of Famer Reggie White, Anthony is a monster at 6'2 320lbs. He took a longer road to Michigan State through JUCO program, Fort Scott, but he started 16 games for the Spartans tallying 65 tackles and one sack.

Outlook
The Steelers defensive line has become rather crowded with pre and post draft signings. Currently there are six defensive lineman on roster, but don't forget the Steelers drafted one and signed four others including White. Right now there are five lineman who most likely will have roster spots (Keisel, Heyward, Hood, Woods and McClendon), this means that White will compete with six players for the final one or two spots. White has the size to get a spot but production and consistency issues I think leave him on the practice squad to start the season but he could have an impact with some seasoning.

Sleeper
Luke Ingram, LS, Hawaii
I know its odd to have a long snapper on this list but Ingram is a player to watch. The Steelers are still looking to cut salary and going from a veteran salary to a rookie minimum could save them a lot of money. If you think back to Greg Warren's entry into the NFL, he replaced a talented Mike Schneck so the Steelers could save money in a very similar situation. Warren is a nine year veteran who has fought off every rookie attempt to take his job but Ingram is an experienced and talented snapper. He's played in every game in his college career, 53 total games. If he can show the Steelers there will be no drop off from Greg Warren to himself, they could very well cut the veteran for the youngster.

Stay tuned for more articles as I get back into the full swing of Steelernation greatness.

Day Three

The final day of the draft has come and gone and I think I speak for most fans when I say I'm pretty happy with it. They addressed some needs and added a lot of much needed depth. So how did the final day pan out for the Steelers?

Round 4, Pick 14 (111)
Shamarko Thomas- This kid is a powerful hitter, has great speed running a 4.2 forty and has great instincts. He could have an immediate impact if Polamalu or Clark go down with injuries. Now, he is injury prone but hopefully taking a reserved role for a year or two will prevent that from becoming a problem.

Round 4, Pick 18 (115)
Landry Jones- The Steelers finally this season have addressed our poor backup quarterbacks. They signed the talented Bruce Gradkowski and now have drafted a young prospect. Landry has good size at 6'4 225lbs. He has a good arm but has a knack for making poor decisions more then he should. But the negativity and questions you may have can't really be brought to the forefront since he won't be asked to play anytime soon. If Big Ben goes down the Bruce will be the man under center. Landry will most likely sit for the next three or four years to learn.

Round 5, Pick 17 (150)
Terry Hawthorne- This is a relative unknown to me but as I dived into the corner I really liked what I saw. He is a big corner at 6'0 195lbs. The big thing with Hawthorne is that he is mainly a containment corner. His back pedaling is not that great, he has issues with taking unnecessary risks and doesn't use his height to extend to get passes. He needs to be polished but this could turn out to be a great late round pick.

Round 6, Pick 18 (186)
Justin Brown- Brown is a big guy at 6'3 209lbs. Now, I'm a bit partial but I do not like this pick at all. There were in my opinion better receivers on the board like DeVonte Christopher, Mark Davis and Ryan Spadola. I have an issue with his loyalty and willingness to work past adversity after leaving Penn State to play a season at Oklahoma. I don't like the pick and I don't expect him to make the roster.

Round 6, Pick 38 (206)
Vince Williams- I'm confused by this pick as well. Once again there were in my opinion a lot better linebackers still available like Chase Thomas or Michael Mauti, seriously how did they pass up those guys? He is injury prone and don't even say Mauti is because he had one injury in his collegiate career. Williams is camp fodder in my opinion and a wasted pick because they could have got him as an undrafted free agent.

Round 7, Pick 17 (223)
Nick Williams- This a behemoth of a man at 6'4 309lbs. I love this pick and I'm really excited to see him this camp and preseason. He is explosive running a 4.97 forty at 300 plus pounds. He is so versatile being able to play a 3-4 tackle or an end in a 4-3 scheme. This little known player from a little known school could be one the steals of this draft if he takes advantage of the opportunities he will be given.

So, there they are. The future prospects of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Overall I give the Steelers a B grade. They addressed some needs, added some great depth and some great prospects. But in true head scratching fashion they still passed on some very talented players.

My favorite picks were Shamarko Thomas and Nick Williams.

Stay tuned for my report on the undrafted rookies signed by the Steelers. 

Markus Wheaton

Well, I was right the Steelers would go receiver in the third round; just wasn't the guy I thought would be there. The Steelers grabbed 5'11 189lbs Oregon State product, Markus Wheaton.

Now, he's not Mike Wallace speed wise but I think he has much better hands. Hell, your local Fed Ex guys has better hands then Wallace. He is explosive and a dangerous deep threat. He has trouble with press coverage but he is a great prospect the Steelers can mold.

Over his time at Oregon State his numbers got better and he became a much bigger part of the Beaver offense; 675 yards as a Sophomore, 986 yards as a Junior and 1,244 yards as a Senior.

Le'Veon Bell

The Steelers finally went back to Steeler style football with this pick. I hoped for a back like Le'Veon Bell but didn't think he'd be there this late. He is a big guy at 6'1 230lbs. He is athletic, powerful and is an instant upgrade to the Steelers backfield.

Le'Veon was a really productive back at Michigan State carrying 382 times for 1,793 yards and 12 touchdowns as a Senior. He is big but has great speed running a 4.5 forty yard dash. Most people will be disappointed that this is not Eddie Lacy but this is a Steeler style running back. In the last few years we've went away from Steeler football and Le'Veon helps get us back to that type of football.

RB Signed

The Steelers have agreed to terms with free agent running back LaRod Stephens-Howling. LaRod was a Pitt product drafted in the seventh round, 240th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. In his four year career he has rushed 183 times for 652 yards and 11 touchdowns; he has also had three return touchdowns.

Draft Day Two

We are a few hours from the start of day two which means I need to get my picks in fast. Now, in a perfect world Eddie Lacy, Tank Carradine or Jonathan Banks would fall to the Steelers pick at 48, but I don't think that's going to happen. With that being said the Steelers need a lot of help in the secondary and on the line but of course they will continue the best available mentality.

With that being said I think the Steelers grab John Cyprien, safety from Florida International. He is big at 6'0 217lbs and fills a big void left by the departure of both Ryan Mundy and Will Allen. Cyprien is the hardest hitter of all the defensive backs, he can get through bodies to get to ball carriers and is fantastic at reading offenses.

 

My third round pick is not going to be a popular one because so many fans still want to see a corner. I don't have them taking one yet because they do have some young talent. The Steelers still have starters Ike Taylor and Cortez Allen. They also brought back William Gay, for some reason, while Josh Victorian and Curtis Brown got some much needed experience last season. So, for the third round I see Pittsburgh grabbing some much needed receiver depth with Aaron Dobson out of Marshall.

At 6'3 and 210lbs, he has size that the Steelers really don't have; only two receivers on roster over 6'1. He runs great routes, has super reliable hands and has great leaping ability. He will get some time to learn in Pittsburgh behind some of the bigger talents but could greatly contribute. 

Jarvis Jones

This draft has been no where near predictable but the Steelers certainly held to those aforementioned predictions. With the 17th pick the Steelers selected pass rush specialist out of Georgia, Jarvis Jones. Jones joins Lawrence Timmons as the only linebackers taken in the first round in nearly two decades.

Jarvis was extremely productive at Georgia leading the nation with 28 sacks over the last two year; including a league leading 14.5 last season. Jarvis will come in and compete with Jason Worilds for immediate playing time in the spot previously held by James Harrison.

The biggest risk is the fact that Jones was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine. Lets hope that the doctors that checked him out did their homework and he can be a cog in our defense for the next decade.

Draft Day One

We are just twenty four hours away from the first round of the NFL draft and that means its time for my pick. Now, I haven't got one of these right since I correctly picked the Heyward pick two drafts ago, but I'm about due.

The Steelers are in need of some key players in key positions. Cornerback, receiver, safety and of course linebacker. The one thing you'll soon understand about me is I don't like conventional picks. I'm not a fan of the popular pick because it hardly ever happens, see Courtney Upshaw last draft.

So, with that being said what are the Steelers to do?

Our defense was terrible last year and it was largely due to the lack of pressure. Its simple really, the more pressure you apply the more turnovers and sacks you get. Keep the other offense struggling and you will keep the yardage allowed and the points allowed low. Thus winning games, of course. Even with the other needs I think pressure becomes the focus for the Steelers. We need to get pressure on quarterbacks and we need to get some quality players on the line. The patch work job we've done isn't going to get the job done.

With that being said I think the Steelers go with an edge rusher, but not Jarvis Jones like most people think. I like Bjoern Werner, DE from Florida State.

He's not a huge guy at 6'3 and 266lbs but I think could transition. We need defensive lineman and he could possibly move to outside linebacker. He has good speed, a great motor and is extremely versatile. He has the JJ Watts skill set to move, stop and jump to knock down passes. He can cover tight ends if need be and could be a huge asset on the weak defensive line.

There are plenty of good players at our other needs that can be snatched up later in the draft and the Steelers really need to hit on a defensive line prospect. This could be the guy. 

Bad Steelers?

I haven't chimed in too much this off season but I think its far overdue. I keep reading so much negative comments about the Steelers and its finally hit a point. What are people looking at? Seriously, are the "experts" even looking at the players that left this organization.

Mike Wallace was a drop machine and plays for money. Nothing else. He offers the ability to stretch the field but Miami doesn't have the QB to get him the ball; he's not Big Ben. Wallace has what he wants so he's not going to put in the extra time that champions do. He'll be good but not great.

James Harrison? James Harrison? I love Harrison but the Harrison from three years ago. His statistics have dropped consistently over the last three years and his age has become a huge factor. Normally I don't care about age because so many athletes do well as they get older but he wasn't under that category. I will miss him but unlike most Steeler fans I understand the need to move on. Worilds is younger, cheaper and effective.

Willie Colon is a player I have never understated how much I think was overrated. He was a penalty machine and our poor running game surfaced when he moved to right tackle; keep in mind we had a resurgence in the run game when he got hurt and Flozell Adams took his place. We have young talent if they can just stay healthy. Gilbert, Adams and Beachum could all be good at any position, better then Colon.

Rashard Mendehall has got worse since the fumble in the Super Bowl and it took Keenan Lewis four years to make any impact. And lets all be honest, while he was good he was not lock down. Hell, I think all the corners were on and off but Cortez Allen was more consistent then Lewis.

Mundy and Allen, while good, are extremely replaceable and the Dwyer, Redman backfield will be a formidable one two punch. We finally seen promise from Ziggy Hood over the last year or so and our younger players could be ready to step up.

Our receiver class has lost some talent but is not by any means bad. Brown in my opinion is better then Wallace; Sanders has huge upside; Burress and Cotchery are proven and capable veterans; Gilreath was good in preseason last year and could have an impact this season.

Our defensive line is inexperienced but we have plenty of young players and don't even get me started on linebackers. I am so sick of hearing that its one of biggest concerns. This is Pittsburgh. Where linebackers are never weak. Sean Spence will finally get to show us what he can do this year; I expect Woodley to bounce back from him off year; and Timmons will still be Timmons.

Now, before we run screaming the sky is falling just remember this is Pittsburgh and in Pittsburgh all we do is win. There are plenty of talented receivers and lineman in this draft. We have the backup quarterback we've needed for a few years and we have some talent at running back that just needs to be capitalized on.

Relax people, its April.

Free Agency Day One

So, we are one day into the free agency fiasco and a lot has gone according to speculation while a few things have surprised us. So, lets breakdown some of the moves.

Mike Wallace signs with Miami. I don't care and why should you? I couldn't stand Wallace and I'm glad that he's gone. He didn't get the contract he wanted so he played like crap all season and helped dragged this team down with negativity. He dropped more touchdowns then he caught and who knows how those catches could have affected those games. He's no Hines Ward, period.

Rashard Mendenhall signed a one year deal with Arizona. Again, I don't care. This is another player who when things didn't go his way he shut down. He bickered with the coaches and didn't show any heart while skipping games and pouting about Dwyer being better than him. Dwyer, Redman and possible rookie will fill his shoes easily.

Bruce Gradkowski signs a three year deal to come home. I love this signing and it makes so much sense. We couldn't survive forever with Batch and Leftwich and this fills that backup role for years to come. Bruce is a good quarterback who has started in this league and he can fill in if Ben gets hurt. He is a quality player and in my opinion is better then any other free agent quarterback. I'm stoked to see him coming back home. This should also ease our fears about losing if Ben goes down. He's talented and capable.

Plaxico Burress and Larry Foote resign. I like the Burress signing because it gives us a big man who started to jell the more time he spent with us last year. Now, while I always loved Foote he is getting old and I don't think is the answer at inside linebacker anymore. I think that Lawrence Timmons and Sean Spence can form a formidable duo and the draft or free agency could produce a solid backup.

Willie Colon is cut. This seems to be a pattern, who cares? I don't think anyone is really shocked here since he is so injury prone and the King of penalties. Ramon Foster made him expendable so expect to see a DeCastro/Foster team up for seasons to come.

Going forward I hope to see a few more Steelers locked up. I think that Casey Hampton is willing to take less money to stay and Pittsburgh so they should resign him; I would love to see the solid Will Allen and Max Starks get new deals as well.

Harrison Released

Its been a while but with free agency and the draft looming, its time to look past our horribly painful season and move forward. This leads me to my first post of the new fiscal football year. The Steelers have released James Harrison.

Now, I understand that Steeler fans are holding onto the past and will always remember his dominating years from 2007 to 2010 but its time to move on. James was a dominating force for four seasons totalling 45 sacks, 4 interceptions, 25 forced fumbles while recovering six. But that was what seems like ages ago.

Over the last two seasons he has been extremely quiet mustering only 15 sacks and four forced fumbles. That is a huge difference over his previous two seasons. In those years he had 20.5 sacks with 11 forced fumbles and three recoveries. Does his current play deserve the money he was making?

The Steelers have always been a team that lets its aging veterans go. They don't have the same tendencies that we do as fans. They don't hold onto the past and feel it warrants the future. Lets face it SteelerNation, this is a game of not only dollars and cents, but what have you done for me lately.

Now, I'm not saying I won't miss those dominating years of Silver-back, but we have another gem sitting on our roster waiting for a chance. In the last two seasons, Jason Worilds has started ten games while palying in 28 total. In those games he put up eight sacks, two forced fumbles and a defended pass. This is his chance to solidify himself as a solid veteran starter just like Harrison did with the exit Clark Haggans.

I'm not saying that JH is overrated or a poor fit in our defense now, what I'm saying is that money isn't woth the production. I love Harrison and I always will. I hope he catches on somewhere and finishes his career strong.