1. Jarvis Jones OLB Georgia After seeing Decastro fall into our laps last season, heres the next best thing. Jarvis Jones is the best player in this draft, a borderline elite prospect. Would absolutely thrive in replacing harrison and be able to have much more range in coverage. He falls to 17, but the steelers shouldnt be shy on taking a shot on him. his spinal condition may be bothersome for him later on in his life, but that will happen regardless if he plays football or not. if hes good to go, we'll get some quality years out of him even if others were scared away/ Other Picks: Chance Warmack, Jon Cooper, Keenan Allen, Cordarelle Patterson, Xavier Rhodes, Tyler Eifert, Barkevious Mingo, Kenny Vaccaro, DeAndre Hopkins 2. Justin Hunter WR Tennessee I absolutely love this pick. Hes 6-4, 200 pounds, with 4.4 speed. hes a big WR that ben craves, hes physical enough, and should be getting very comfortable on his knee. he was a top prospect before he got hurt and he was good last year, but you could see the hesitation on his knee. That passes with time. I LOVVVEEEE Patterson as a prospect, but i wouldnt be surprised in the littlest bit if Hunter is the better pro, and he was no slouch in workouts, even though Patterson was amazing. Other Picks: Giovanni Bernard, Matt Elam, Shamarko Thomas, Davis Amerson, Robert Woods, Zach Ertz, Corey Lemonier, Manti Teo, Kevin Minter, Margus Hunt, Terrence Williams 3. Stepfan Taylor RB Stanford This is assuming mendenhall wont be brought back, but it fills a need and maybe can lift the run game out of the basement. he was productive at stanford, and he will welcome being reunited with Decastro as Decastro takes the next step. Other Picks: TJ Mcdonald, Montee Ball, Dennard Robinson, Mike Gissellie, BW Webb, Brandon Jenkins, Chase Thomas 4. Brian Schwenke C Cal This only works if they move Pouncey to Guard, which ive never been opposed to. hes a top 7 center, but would be a top 4 guard and it would take some stress of his ankles. Schwenke can move people off the line and has had a producitve career at a school with a decent pedigree 5. Landry Jones QB Oklahoma Was a long time hater of his when he got any first round hype...just another OU QB, but still has good size, was accurate, and is experienced. Not the prospect he was supposed to be, but will be one hell of a backup with some starter potential. 6. Rontez Miles S Cal-PA Hes a lock pick imo being all inked up with a steeler logo on his arm. Hes a little known player but they have a soft spot for players who were fans growing up (See: Mike Adams, one of my lock picks last year). Developmental safety prospect and a local product. 7. TJ Barnes DT Georgia Tech Hes a mammoth AT 6-7 369, He lost weight from 378 and wants to play at 350...hes got some trouble with technique because hes so tall, but a late round flier could be worth it because he can certainly take up blockers once he starts to play lower and he can knock down passes. You take a flier on him because theres only a handful of people on the planet that big, see if he can be someone
god **mn I don't want Jones to fall that far but that exactly what happens all the time for teams like Pittsburgh.
Would love for Jarvis Jones to fall, I'm one of the people that believe that won't happen though. Not that far anways.
Castro dropping was Guards don't usually go top 10 more in the 15-20 range. Pass rushers like Jones get drafted early even with his Medicals I still have a hard time seeing him out of the top 8 picks.
1. Cordarelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee If he falls this far i believe he will be the pick. He is dynamic with the ball in his hand, will be a player that will get a lot of opportunities to score as a rookie. He is tall, but he doesnt run like some of the taller WRs weve seen....AJ, Julio, DHB, Britt, Nicks, Torrey Smith, Josh Gordon...ect. He runs more like hes percy harvin. His straight line speed is good, but his open field ability is unnatural for his size. Hes not the smartest guy, but we dont need a high SAT score..he made the jumo from JUCO to FBS very well. Hes a bit of a body catcher, something that can be worked on but hes much to explosive of a talent to pass on at 17. Others: Keenan Allen, Jon Cooper, Chance Warmack, Kenny Vaccaro, DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Rhodes, Barkevious Mingo, Jarvis Jones, Justin Hunter, Tyler Eifert 2. Matt Elam, S, Florida I absolutely love Matt Elam. His draft stock is very tough to gauge though. He is a safety with corner ability. He has shown the ability to man up on slot WRs from the safety position, which is something clark and troy have shown they cannot do. it would be an extreme luxury to have a safety that can easily play the NB slot, it will allow you to do a lot of things with the secondary that you cant do when you have to line Ike taylor up on Welker in the slot all day. He is very aggressive, a devastating hitting, and despite flying around the field...a very sound tackler. He creates turnovers and gets interceptions, but whats most impressive about him is his closing speed and timing/patience to separate the ball from the receiver....breaks up a lot of passes, not only by pure coverage but by laying a perfectly timed hit. Can play centerfield, can play the run, can play FS and SS....thers not much not to like about him other than hes a little short. Others: Shamarko Thomas, David Amerson, Robert Woods, Quinton Patton, Terrence Williams, Corey Lemonier, Jesse Williams, Margus Hunt, Alex Okafor, Zach Ertz, Gavin Escobar, Gio Bernard, Kevin minter, Manti Teo, Barrett Jones, John Jenkins 3. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina This is under the assumption they sign Bradshaw. Lattimore will NOT make it out of the 3rd round. Even if hes IRd as a rookie, I know a million fans around that would be like OMG WE HAVE NEEDZZZZ but RB is a need and this is a long term investment into a dynamic player and one that is seriously passionate about playing at the pro level and has me convinced he will do anything to make sure that happens. The injury was horrible, but hes progressed in a way that its hard not to have faith in him making a full recovery. Take no chances, IR him as a rookie and enter 2014 with an explosive, powerful, dynamic RB that this team has lacked for.....ever. others: Brandon Jenkins, Chase Thomas, Markus Wheaton, Jonathan Franklin, Tyler Bray, Dennard Robinson 4. Brian Schwenke, C, Cal Here it is, the final piece to the oline that will ultimately move Pouncey to LG. Schwenke is a prototype zone blocking center. He reminds me of Ryan Kalil coming out of USC. Very smart, excellent all around player and can move people off the line. Not as stout as Alex Mack was coming out of cal, but a totally different kind of player. The move to LG for pouncey will take a lot off his delicate ankles. Schwenke can play in any scheme but he is so quick and agile that hes an ideal center for the steelers. The thing that separates him from Barrett Jones and Travis Frederick is his insane explosion off the snap 5. Cornelius Washington, OLB Georgia I have heard that Washington feeds only on small children and dynamite. He is a horribly terrifying player to look at physically. I was scared watching him run the 40 in that he might not ever stop and end up causing many injuries and traffic accidents in Indianapolis once he busts through the walls of Lucas Oil Stadium. So why would a player that physically gigantic fall to the 5th round? Well his tape is pretty horrible. Switching defenses to a 34 was not kind to him and hes been horrific against the run, but he held his own against bama and showed improvement at the senior bowl. Killed the combine. 4.53 40, 36 reps with 34 inch arms is incredibly impressive, great broad jump and vertical...he needs some work, but hes got some tools that can be shaped into a great player if he wants to be. 6. John Simon, OLB, Ohio State Ive called him a lock to be a steeler, and I do believe that he will be...its jsut a question of where. Hopefully its around here and not in the second because the more i watch him the less impressed I am...He is a very passionate player, but painfully slow off the snap and is not even close to being the pass rusher hes made out to be by some. Hes great against the run, but he is horribly inconsistent in space and doesnt looke like a 34 OLB at all when he plays....im wondering why anyone would consider him an conversion guy other than his height. 6. Vince Williams, MLB, Florida State I have dropped Rontez Miles from my mock....had him as a lock for the steeler ink on his arm, but with the Elam pick i dont think its a need anymore and really hes just not that good. Vince Williams was in for a visit this week and he is a big downhill MLB. 6-1 250 and is a true thumper. I compare him (favorably) to Jasper Brinkley who was a mid round pick for the Vikings and has put up a pretty solid career for what he is....a downhill thumper. He has the size to take on guards and has shown some pretty decent instincts to make up for his lack of top end speed for the position (althought the 4.7ish speed is plenty for him). He had a good senior bowl and looks to fit the mold of a 2 down LB on the inside of a 34. I could see him replacing sylvester on ST and being replaced by spence on 3rd down. Not as productive as Brinkley, but a better player than Josh Bynes of Auburn who i liked in a similar role...could develop nicely 7. Omarius Hines, Football Player, Florida I just really like this kid. Listed at florida as a WR/RB/TE/HB/ATH....but at his pro day put up a good 40 and a RIDICULOUS 3 cone time. At like 6-0 he will likely have to be a slot WR for his skill set, but he has made some nice grabs for florida and the Tomlin-Florida connection continues. I really think he has a shot of being a good player even if he has to play all over. He kind of reminds me of a faster, more agile Michael Robinson...who was drafted as a WR by San Fran...moved to RB, then moved to FB, now he is the starting FB for Seattle. Robinson was a QB at Penn state, but many envisioned him as a WR at the next level but he finds a way to make an impact all over.
If you get this kinda draft i'll be pissed! lol But seriously you have some underrated guys on this mock, i dont think a few of them will go a round higher then your projecting but i realize your projecting where you'd see the Steelers taking them. Plenty of good scheme fits. Now your gonna make me do a Ravens mock lol
Ill do a Ravens mock, ill try to do my best to not sabotage it. Give me the ravens top 3-4 needs in your opinion. In my opinion from a long distance of caring what they need it would be S, LT, WR, MLB, C also im doing a full two rounder....its just such a pain in the freaking butt lol
Yeah you inspired me so i just finshed a Ravens one, it is a pain in the butt because we have 12 picks and i know 12 players cant make our team so i had work on some realistic trade up scenario's, try not to trade a compensatory pick lol, etc. I'll post it some time today and get your guys thoughts.
Felt the need to post this here [MENTION=1390]K Train[/MENTION]... http://youtube.com/watch?v=b34PaCvgBFI
Im so nervous for Thursday, I really do take this crap to heart. I have had a lot of success with my final mock draft over the years. Not just in the first round with timmons, pouncey, heyward (and decastro as my dream pick) but also quite a few mid round picks like Sepulveda, Gibson, Brown, Adams, GIlbert, Dwyer, Taamu and a few others....but i must say this draft I lack a lot of the confidence ive had previously, not because i didnt put in the research but rather because they are SOOOO many ways they could go, players they could target, and holes they could fill all mixed together with being in a ridiculously awkward draft position...but here goes nothing: 1. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee Easily my favorite WR in the draft. His open field ability is the best weve seen since Reggie Bush. He is a strong player, runs angry, and has such ridiculous range not taking him at 17 would be a crime. He has over the top speed, and while his experience is limited hes a real redzone threat and will be able to run the 3 simplest of routes from day one....the go, the slant, and the screen. Wallace made 70 million on his go route, nate washington made about 30 million, holmes made 50 million on his slant route, and athletically patterson is superior to all of them. He runs like hes angry, makes cuts like hes small, and is no fun to tackle....the rawness will be overcome by getting the ball in his hands...its football, not engineering. Hes a bit of a body catcher, something that can be worked on but hes much to explosive of a talent to pass on at 17 Other possibilites: Jarvis Jones, Star Lotuleilei, Barkevious Mingo, Dion Jordan, Tyler Eifert, Chance Warmack, Jonathan Cooper 2. Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA This is really tough to project...if they plan on signing bradshaw i would much rather prefer lattimore in a round or two, but I think the sanders $2.5 mil might have taken bradshaw out of the picture (but maybe not) that being said Franklin is an immediate impact type player and is an excellent fit for the offense and could play the jamal charles-like role. Hes a fast riser in the draft and i think could be an exciting player as a rookie and would eliminate the need for Bradshaw because franklin and Dwyer could become a pretty solid duo, especially in an at least partially ZBS Other possibilities: Keenan Allen, Margus Hunt, DeAndre Hopkins, Justin Hunter, Manti Teo, Cornelius Washington, Matt Elam, Robert Woods, Khaseem Greene, David Amerson, Gio Bernard, Eddie Lacy, Arthur Brown 3. Corey Lemonier, OLB, Auburn Another fast riser...could go anywhere from round 1-3...hes a highly athletic pass rusher and looks like an easy convert to OLB in a 34. Quietly a productive player that is being knocked for "quitting" last year along with the rest of the Auburn team and coaches. He would likely not start over Worilds but he definitely has more potential and could become a good rotational pass rusher. I imagine he would take chris carters roster spot but as much as i like carter as a player and how good of value he was in the 5th round, it doesnt look like he'll be able to hold up in the NFL. Reminds me of Justin Houston. If you wanna see him at his best, watch him in 2011 and see him do work against bama and trent richardson...Auburn was a horrible horrible team last season, thats whats hurting him the most. I also would love Honeybadger or Lattimore in this draft slot...just sayin Other possibilities: William Gholston, Terrence Williams, Markus Wheaten, Andre Ellington, Stedman Bailey, Gavin Escobar, Barrett Jones, Brian Schwenke, Jamie Collins, Marcus Lattimore, Matheui 4. Shamarko Thomas, SS, Syracuse Shamarko is a tough player to project...he has 2nd round talent but is massively undersized. He is a ball hawk, a vicious hitter, and has excellent closing speed. Hes a fearless player (which at his size is scary, bob sanders and polamalu were too and have been ravaged by injuries) but he has been pretty durable and he just plays like hes out to kill someone. Hes just an explosive player and even though hes around 5-8 hes built like a tank without losing any flexibility, explosiveness, or speed (his straight line speed is tremendous for how built he is) 5. Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford I really am a big fan of thomas, he isnt the biggest, fastest, or strongest, but he can play good football. Decent in coverage, a decently good range of pass rushing moves, and he has the ability to play in the middle. Everyone wants to compare him to clay matthews, shea mccellin, connor barwin, paul kruger, or brooks reed because they are all white pass rushers...but the player i think he might compare to the best is Karlos Dansby. I think he can be a productive OLB, but hes also an intriguing MLB prospect at 6-4 ~250. Hes very football smart and can diagnose plays well enough to play in the middle, but he can also effectively set the edge and get after the QB. Hes not overly athletic but hes a high motor play hard white guy we all joke about 6. Will Davis, CB, Utah St Out of their pre draft visits I had a hard time deciding on a CB...i chose davis because i think they can wait the longest to get him without much drop off in play from Wreh-Wilson and BW Webb. He is a feisty CB but the most impressive attribute he has is his balance. He moves very smoothly and i think would be a steal in this slot 6. Michael Mauti, MLB, Penn State Better prospect than Sean Lee and Dan connor were before he destroyed his knee again. He has shown a lot of progress in recovery, youd never know seeing him move that hes had two horrible knee injuries. Could be a big time steal late in the draft due to medical red flags, but if hes they caliber of playe Sean lee has been they did something right in taking a chance on him. Could at the very least be better than Sylvester 7. Omarius Hines, WR/RB, Florida I just really like this kid. Listed at florida as a WR/RB/TE/HB/ATH....but at his pro day put up a good 40 and a RIDICULOUS 3 cone time. At like 6-0 he will likely have to be a slot WR for his skill set, but he has made some nice grabs for florida and the Tomlin-Florida connection continues. I really think he has a shot of being a good player even if he has to play all over. He kind of reminds me of a faster, more agile Michael Robinson...who was drafted as a WR by San Fran...moved to RB, then moved to FB, now he is the starting FB for Seattle. Robinson was a QB at Penn state, but many envisioned him as a WR at the next level but he finds a way to make an impact all over. Priority UDFAs: Kenny Tate, FS, Maryland Ray Ray Armstrong, SS, Miami Lawrence Okoye, Beast, Great Britain Robert Lester, FS, Alabama Joe Kruger, DE, Utah Sam Mcguffie, WR/KR, Rice Previous mocks: http://www.steeleraddicts.com/forum/...irst-2013-Mock http://www.steeleraddicts.com/forum/...eeler-Mock-2-0 http://www.steeleraddicts.com/forum/...eeler-Mock-3-0
[MENTION=1390]K Train[/MENTION] - I wouldn't be upset with this, but the Patterson, Elam, Lattimore one I like better...although from the sounds of things Lattimore in the third is a little too early, but I wouldn't be pissed at all...
I like that one better...i think most players in that mock back the looked good, but now they look like they are going a round too late. Elam is my dude, id be so happy with him in the second
With you other possibilities, can you really see them taking an OG after Decastro last year, and Pouncey in 2010? Sent from my HTC Vivid
i can. It would cause an uproar (partly justified) but they still are lacking depth and a LG...they ignored this line for way to long and now they are paying the price. I think Warmack and Cooper are a little overrated, i hate how the best one year gets hyped as the best in the last 10 every year. Those guys arent much better than decastro, the pounceys, iupati, albert, ect...but they are dominating players and both would be the final piece to a dominant Oline. Best steeler oline i can remember was: Marvel Smith (2nd round), Alan Faneca (first round), Jeff hartings (first round), Kendall Simmons (1st rounds), Max Starks (3rd round) Now we are looking at Marcus Gilbert (2), (Cooper/Warmack(1)), Pouncey (1), Decastro (1), and Adams (2) That would be a dominating oline, however i think they could just as easily not take one in the first and end up with Barrett Jones or Schwenke in the 3rd (Schwenke would likely move pouncey to LG, which would be easier on his fragile ankles)
