Safety first?

In 2013, the Steelers' defense allowed 12 pass plays of 40 yards or more. Twelve! Among the 10 running plays that went for 15 yards or more, five popped for 48 yards or more. The 10 running plays of 15 yards or more averaged a whopping 40.9 yards per carry.*

With a stunning total of 46 passing plays of 20 yards or more allowed and the 10 runs of 15 yards or more allowed (including five for 48+), something was clearly amiss at each level of the defense: the front end, the linebackers, and the back end. There were repeated glaring breakdowns at all three levels.

The safeties are the proverbial last line of defense, and it was clear to any casual observer that something was lacking at the safety position last year.  Ryan Clark's gone, and new addition Mike Mitchell takes his place.

All three levels were addressed in the off-season to an extent, with the additions of defensive lineman Cam Thomas, linebacker Arthur Moats, and safety Mike Mitchell.

Will Mike Mitchell be enough?
Mitchell is expected to be the biggest contributor, but will he be enough at safety? Most people seem to believe the Steelers are set at safety for this year, with Mitchell, Troy Polamalu, Shamarko Thomas and veteran Will Allen.

Yeah, maybe, but let's keep in mind that the overall defensive schemes are shifting: We are likely to see much less of the base 3-4-4 set (with two safeties on the field) and many more mixed sets comprised of five and six and even seven defensive backs.

In today's NFL, cover prowess at safety is as important as hitting ability. As valuable as Kam Chancellor, a big hitter, is to Seattle's defense, Earl Thomas's anticipation, range and ability to cover is just as important, if not more so.

With that in mind, it's not far-fetched to think the Steelers may address safety at some point in the draft. Whether that makes sense in the first round (Calvin Pryor or Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix), in the second (Deone Buchanon; Jimmy Ward) or later on will have to be determined on draft day.

Cover Safety vs. Cover Corner
When No. 15 comes up, if either Calvin Pryor or Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix is on the board along with one of the top corners (Darqueze Dennard, Justin Gilbert, Kyle Fuller), don't be too surprised if the Steelers go with the safety instead of the corner. And we all know how desperately the Steelers need a corner ... and a wide receiver (Odell Beckham, Jr.), and a rush linebacker (Anthony Barr), and an offensive tackle (Zack Martin), and help on the defensive line (Louis Nix), and tight end, etc. Take your pick.

If, however, one of the top safeties available is better than any of the corners available at No. 15, the Steelers should take him. Of the two safeties generally considered the best in the draft, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls like Pryor better than Clinton-Dix.

Again though, the Steelers have many needs, including corner; especially corner. Whether the team's braintrust considers a potentially great cover safety to be more valuable than a potentially very good cover corner -- or any other position -- well, it should be interesting to see how it shakes out in 10 days.

*Hat tip to Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot for these stats, 

and for highlighting the alarming number of "double 

explosive" plays allowed during 2013.

Pgh. Abides

"Our troubles are over, Dude." 

Pittsburgh Abides. At Arsenal Lanes, Sunday, April 27. 

More info here.

Shish kabobs aside ...

The Cambod-ican Kitchen

With two weeks to go until the NFL Draft, it is most definitely not cool that Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has the distraction of possibly being called to testify in the trial of Mike Adams the three idiots imbeciles thugs hapless losers morons men accused of attacking offensive tackle Mike Adams.

It's not cool that Mike Adams put Colbert in this position. Never mind that Adams got punched and stabbed, and, as such, is the victim. Adams's poor decision-making put him standing stupid and drunk at 3 a.m. outside the "Cambod-Ican Kitchen" on the South Side. And now Kevin Colbert is dragged into it during key preparation time for the draft. If that's not a "distraction," what is?

Nothing good happens after midnight, eh, Mike?  Was the restaurant's self-proclaimed "Cat on a Stick" worth it?

Then again, maybe Colbert's involvement at this point will have no effect on the Steelers' draft preparations and decision-making. After all, Mike Tomlin says he's the one who makes "easy draft-day decisions." Was it Tomlin's decision to draft Adams? Or was it Colbert's?

If Tomlin makes the easy draft-day decisions, who makes the difficult decisions?

This is getting old ...

Waiting for Godot the 2014 NFL Draft is getting very, very old.

Mike Florio nails it in a PFT post headlined, "Draft delay not good for NFL."

The talking heads at the NFL Network are running out of things to discuss. What? Did you think maybe they'd talk in-depth about their old pal Darren Sharper? Nope.

Well, there are a lot of other arrests to talk about, if they run out of things to say during this interminable wait for the NFL Draft.

The latest knucklehead to allegedly invite calamity is Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby, whom some were projecting as a strong candidate to be drafted by the Steelers at No. 15.  Now, thankfully, he's got to be out of the picture at No. 15. We didn't like him anyway.

Tick-tock ...

Just four years ago today, on April 23, 2010, the NFL was beginning the second day of the 2010 NFL draft.  The first round was already in the books. Quarterback Sam Bradford was the first overall selection, and people were generally applauding the Steelers for selecting University of Florida center Maurkice Pouncey with the 18th pick in the first round.

Today, April 23, 2014, we still have more than two weeks to go before the 2014 draft even begins, on Thursday, May 8th.  This is dragging out too long.  How many more mock drafts do we have to endure?  How much stock can we put into any more analysis?  Mel Kiper has already had nine mock drafts -- why should we have paid any attention to any of them?  Draft-day trades can happen, which throw any mock draft out the window.

Much of the discussion about "risers" and players whose "stock has fallen" is smokescreen-stuff meant to obfuscate teams' real draft-day inclinations. Or, maybe teams truly don't know.  Drafting is an inexact science, that's for sure.

Here we go, Steelers, here we go ... 
At No. 15, the Steelers could go in any number of directions, they have so many holes, but most prognosticators are predicting cornerback or wide receiver.

It should be pointed out three teams ahead of the Steelers also need to address those positions: The Rams (picks No. 2 and 13), the Bills (No. 9) and the Lions (No. 10) could pick corners. Or wide receivers.

It's unlikely the top-rated corner, Justin Gilbert, gets to No. 15, although that's where the NFL Network's highly respected Charles Davis projects him, and so do draftperts Rob Rang and Dane Brugler of CBS Sports.  All three of their (latest) mock drafts came out this week, and that's the first we've seen Gilbert dropping to the Steelers.

There is debate about whether the second-best corner is Darqueze Dennard or Kyle Fuller, Bradley Roby (no, thanks) or even Jason Verrett, who is 5'9" (like Hall of Famer Darrell Green, so don't discount him).

Not Exactly Narrowing It Down ...
At pick No. 15, good players will be available.

Of the ones who might be available, Joey Porters Pit Bulls like a handful that include (in no particular order): Odell Beckham, Jr. (WR, LSU); Justin Gilbert (CB, Oklahoma State; not likely to be available); Calvin Pryor (S, Louisville); Hasean Clinton-Dix (S, Alabama), Aaron Donald (DL, Pitt); Zack Martin (OL, Notre Dame); Anthony Barr (OLB, UCLA); and C.J. Mosley (LB, Alabama).  An argument could be made for each of them.

Those are probably the players, right now, who we feel good about for the Steelers at No. 15. Again, we have another two-plus weeks to sort this out, for crying out loud.

We also like a lot of other players projected to go a bit later (Jarvis Landry, Jordan Matthews, Deone Buchanon, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Pierre Desir, Troy Niklas, etc.), and maybe one of those guys will still be available at pick No. 46 in the second round.

We don't like some other players often projected to go at or around No. 15 (Bradley Roby, Taylor Lewan, others). No matter.

An early run on QBs?
What's interesting in this year's draft is there could be a run on quarterbacks early, or there may not be.

We could see a lot of early draft-day decisions driven by teams making QB picks based on "marketing" decisions as much as football decisions: the Jaguars, possibly, with local QB Blake Bortles (UCF) at No. 3;  Cleveland, with QB Derek Carr or rock star Johnny Manziel at No. 4; Oakland, with either local favorite Carr (SJSU) or the celebrity Manziel at No. 5, and so on.

Really, it's not a great year for quarterbacks, so teams needing one may reach early. If so, that would leave more "position players" available for the Steelers at No. 15.

Whatever. Let's get to the draft already. This is getting old.

What's Left Unsaid ...

We'll find out soon enough.

But the following paragraph, below, caught our eye. It's from Adam Brandolph's article about the trial scheduled to start on Tuesday for three men accused of stabbing Steelers' tackle Mike Adams last June.

"Lawyers for the three men claim Adams lied about the incident — telling police the men tried to carjack him — because he was already on thin ice with the team after testing positive for marijuana at the NFL Scouting Combine before the 2012 draft. The lawyers said Adams had a blood alcohol content of 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit, when he parked his truck near the men, got out of his truck and started a fight."

That's it? That's their defense? The lawyers' defense argument will be that Mike Adams started a fight with three guys? ... at 3 a.m. on the South Side?

That doesn't sound even remotely credible. Surely they're going to claim something else, right? ... you can see where this is going, right?

As if anticipating the possible need for reputational damage control and trying to get in front of it, Steelers.com published a puff piece last week about Adams striving to "rebound" from being demoted last year.  Incredibly, Teresa Varley, who wrote the piece, mentioned not a word about Adams getting stabbed in the abdomen at 3 a.m on June 1 on the South Side.  Not a word, as if the incident and the injury had no effect on his lousy play early last season.

All of which begs the question, "What really happened that night?"

We'll learn soon enough. Or not.

"With the 15th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers ... "

With the 15th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers ... should pass on players with "red flags," question marks, lack of motivation, "character issues" and unresolved legal problems, criminal charges and general douchebaggery.

Just our opinion.

One player projected to go in the Top 15 is Michigan tackle Taylor Lewan, who still faces arraignment, on May 19th,  related to assault charges, including aggravated assault. Lewan's name has also been linked to consistently dirty play and other ugliness. No, thanks.

Less serious, but still a bit of a concern, is when we hear about reports like Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin "blew off" a meeting with an NFL coach because he was "tired." If Benjamin was that worn out from the job-interview process for a job that could pay millions of dollars, he and his agent shouldn't have scheduled the meeting.

Aside from that one reported incident, Benjamin looks like he could be a big-time receiver in the NFL, but his on-field film also shows a raw player who drops a few too many passes to merit being the 15th overall pick, in our opinion.

With so many other excellent receivers (and other players) available in this draft, the Steelers don't need to roll the dice on a player who is a developmental project with "upside." Not at wide receiver or any other position.  Not with the 15th pick; not after consecutive 8-8 seasons.

There is room for improvement on this team, that's for sure, and the 15th overall pick should be an immediate plug 'n play starter and immediate upgrade over the incumbent. Not just a guy, but an impact player. Sound reasonable?

Lots of players in this draft have had various issues, ranging from suspensions for "team violations" to  fairly serious legal problems, etc. The Steelers themselves have been bitten in recent years with wasted draft choices such as Alameda Ta'amu and Chris Rainey, who were later-round picks, but still wasted picks -- and a waste of time, money, and effort.

We can tolerate a certain amount of leeway, but there is no reason to spend the 15th overall pick (or any draft choice) on a guy with red flags, question marks, legal problems and "character issues."

Speaking of character issues, The Onion reports offers a story headlined "NFL Increasingly Worried About Character Issues of Fans." In an unrelated story, The Onion also report that "Dad Announces Plan to Honk When He's Out Front."

Not to get too excited ...

You knew the Steelers were going to bring in a veteran punter to compete with Brad Wing for the job this training camp. They did just that on Tuesday, with the signing of cancer survivor Adam Podlesh, who spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Bears after four years in Jacksonville. The Jaguars had made him a fourth-round draft choice (101st overall) in 2007, the same year the Steelers traded up to draft Daniel Sepulveda with a fourth-round pick (112th overall).

That trade and the selection of Sepulveda in the fourth round has always been a sore spot with Steelers' beat writer Ed Bouchette, as noted in a reader comment over at Behind the Steel Curtain:

__________________________________________________________

Another thing

In addition to whether he’s any good… the main downside to signing Podlesh is having to read Eddie B at the PPGcomplain about the Sepulveda draft pick. Again.

by EasyLikeSundayMorning on Apr 15, 2014 | 11:48 PM reply

__________________________________________________________

Podlesh has had some success in the NFL, however, and the Steelers' punting game last year was awful. The Steelers abruptly cut Drew Butler (now with the Bears, ironically enough) in 2013 training camp in favor of veteran Brian Moorman, whom they promptly cut in favor of Zoltan Mesko, who was dreadful and then was unceremoniously cut. Veteran punter Mat McBriar closed out the season. While McBriar had some good punts and one notable trick play, he was mostly, eh, not so great.

Adam Podlesh

Podlesh also had a bad year. As Neal Coolong at Behind the Steel Curtain notes, Podlesh ranked last in the NFL in punting (40.6 yard average; 37.9 net) last year, "so obviously the right move is to cut Zoltan Mesko, not re-sign Mat McBriar and hire the only punter in the league who failed to out-perform either of them."

There's hope, though, for Podlesh and also for Brad Wing, the other punter who will be in training camp.  Both have interesting stories.

At some point, we'll take a closer look at Wing, but if you want a bit more insight on Podlesh, read this piece and this article about his bout with cancer in 2011, and also this entry on Wikipedia, where you will learn he was a really fast runner on in the 200 meter and 400 meter events on his high school track team, posting the best times in New York State in those events. Who knew?

Either Podlesh or Wing may work out well and actually upgrade the Steelers' punting. There is room for improvement.

Low-risk, high reward? What's to lose?
The Steelers seem to be on a Pirates-like trend of signing scrap-heap, veteran cast-offs with some "pedigree" ( to use one of Mike Tomlin's favorite words) and hangers-on looking for one last chance at redemption. Hey, you never know.

In the Pirates' case over the past couple decades, they've had an ignoble history of signing such guys too numerous to mention. You might sign 25 broken-down players like, say, pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, who have lost their mojo and never get it back. But then you find a gem like pitcher Francisco Liriano, who had been written off but found new life in Pittsburgh.

Probably every NFL team does it, too. This off-season, the Steelers have made a couple of low-risk signings of "name veterans" who probably won't make much difference in the long run but are worth a shot to see what they've got.

From DVD to DHB
Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (DHB) no doubt signed with Pittsburgh hoping to finally fulfill his potential as a star receiver who was the seventh overall pick in the NFL draft not so long ago. The Steelers certainly also hope that, but may simply intend for him to fill the more limited role as a gunner on special teams. That's what he did toward the end for Indianapolis, and he did it well, too. There's nothing wrong with having an unstoppable gunner on punt coverage. The Steelers have gone from DVD (DeMarcus Van Dyke) to DHB (Darrius Heyward-Bey).

Give him a chance; see what he's got. The same goes for Adam Podlesh and Brad Wing. 

Free Pouncey?

What team doesn't over-value some of its own talent from time to time? Certainly the Steelers, yes, or they wouldn't be coming off consecutive 8-8 seasons and teetering on the the brink of sustained mediocrity and even irrelevance.

Derrmontti Dawson

Is Maurkice Pouncey as good as he thinks he is, or as good as the long-time Steelers' braintrust have seemed to think he is? Has Pouncey ever performed as well as he did during his 2010 rookie year, when the first-round draft choice earned a spot in the Pro Bowl?

With that rookie season, Pouncey gave Steeler Nation hope that the the team had found a worthy successor to the decades-long lineage of centers that included Hall of Famers Derrmonti Dawson and Mike Webster, and very good centers such as Jeff Hartings and Ray Mansfield.  Nobody's had better centers over the past five decades than the Steelers. It's a proud tradition.

In 2011, Pouncey notched a second Pro Bowl appearance and then, in 2012, was given a third, which surprised some. To the casual observer, it appeared his play had declined during both the 2011 and 2012 seasons, but you know how Pro Bowl selections are -- the incumbents keep getting named once they're in.

Maurkice Pouncey, about to be carted off with a
knee injury in the 2013 season opener, with Antonio Brown
offering words of encouragement 

Overvaluing Their Own Talent?
We've had the sense for some time now -- and this goes back three, four, years, at least, that this Steelers' management team overvalues much of its own talent. And we all know they've had, ahem, mixed success, at best, in the draft (see: 2008-09 drafts).

Management has shown misplaced faith in some players, held on to some others for too long, given others probably too much rope, and let some others go they probably should have kept. It's that way to some extent for most teams, but the most successful teams do less of that, of course, and make adjustments along the way.

Which brings us to the crossroads at the center position, brought to a head over the past few days by Cleveland's signing of Alex Mack to a $42-million contract that includes $18 million guaranteed over the first two years. As noted on Friday's post on this blog, what's bad for the Steelers, and other NFL teams, is the deal is overpriced and sets a new level of expectation for centers across the league.

Ray Mansfield, The 'Ol Ranger

Trade Possibilities?
Question No. 1: Might the Steelers entertain pre-draft (or draft-day) trade offers for Pouncey? With holes galore, cap space tight, and lacking a true third-round draft pick this year (not counting the compensatory selection at the end of the third round), trading Pouncey has to be a consideration.

Question No. 2:  Go ahead and scoff if you want, Steeler insiders, but would another team even be interested? That depends on how they rate Pouncey, how much he would cost, and whether he'd be an upgrade over what they have already or might get on the open market. It's basic Return on Investment (ROI).

The hard truth is, the Steelers might not get much value in return for Pouncey, who is coming off a season lost to a torn ACL/MCL knee injury, and going into the last year of his contract.

Nobody at Steelers' offices will say it publicly, of course, but many people think Pouncey is over-rated. Many more were put off by his association with alleged murderer Aaron Hernandez (including Pouncey's clueless "Free Hernandez" B.S.); antics like hosting dinner for the Miami offensive line the night before the Steelers lost to the Dolphins; and some of his Twitdiocy (Twitter Idiocy) over the past few years, including inane comments like, "I’m rich play for the steelers and have a awesome life!! Are u mad loser", which he posted shortly after the playoff loss in Denver.

Mike Webster,
Hall of Famer

Many in Steeler Nation would not be heartbroken to see Pouncey on another team.

We'd been thinking for a while now -- even before the Mack signing in Cleveland, that the Steelers may be able trade Pouncey, and that a third-round choice in return (along with, possibly, a conditional choice next year), might be a reasonable return for a 305-pound three-time Pro Bowler coming off injured reserve and facing the last year of his contract.

The excellent Neal Coolong over at Behind the Steel Curtain makes an excellent case for such a trade, and he even proposes a potential trade partner: the Jacksonville Jaguars, who lost out on Mack when the Browns retained his rights.

The Trouble: Other Teams See What We See
The trouble with expecting much return for Pouncey is that other teams also know his play was not stellar in 2011-12, despite being named to the Pro Bowl. He got pushed around too often. The whole line was a sore spot, and Pouncey, the linchpin, was a big part of it. Pro Football Focus rated Pouncey 25th among centers in 2012. You can take that sort of rating with a grain of salt, but we didn't need Pro Football Focus to tell us what we saw.

Then came the 2013 season opener in which Pouncey injured his ACL/MCL in the first game and was put on injured reserve. Fernando Velasco stepped in off the street and the line solidifed as the season progressed. While Velasco was not as mobile as Pouncey, he seemed to hold the point of attack and pass-protected better than Pouncey had been doing in 2011-12.

The partying Pouncey twins, wearing their
cute little "Free Hernandez" hats expressing support
of accused murderer Aaron Hernandez

Is There a Trade Market?
All of which brings us back to a potential trade market for Pouncey. If we fans can see the dropoff in performance before Pouncey got hurt, it's reasonable NFL talent evaluators also saw it.

Would the Jacksonville Jaguars, say, be willing to surrender a third-round draft choice for a player coming off an ACL injury, whose performance had arguably been so-so before the injury, and who is looking to receive a massive contract when his current one expires after this upcoming season?

The Steelers have salary cap issues and at least one possible replacement for Pouncey, if they decide to trade him. Cody Wallace would be that replacement, although the current Steelers' depth chart lists David Snow as the starting center.

Cody Wallace

Wallace played well in his limited playing time. Wallace is a career journeyman, but he showed mobility, ferocity and tenacity in his four starts. The Steelers re-signed Wallace to a new three-year contract this off-season, it's reasonable to think the team was hedging its bets in anticipation that they may have trouble signing Pouncey to an extension before he hits free agency after the 2014 season.

For all intents and purposes, the Steelers currently don't have a third-round pick. Conceivably, it's possible the Steelers could use Pouncey as a trade chip -- but only if other teams are willing to assign him the value the Steelers think he's worth. And that may be problematic -- if so many fans in Steeler Nation believe Pouncey is over-rated, so too must a number of scout and personnel people at other NFL teams.

Enter Mike Munchak
And that brings us full-circle to the question of to what extent the Steelers may over-value their own players. While the Steelers brain-trust in recent years may have been guilty of that, there is one key person new to the staff who brings a fresh perspective: Offensive line coach Mike Munchak, a Hall of Fame offensive lineman himself. He stated last week on Steelers.com that he will "have a chance to coach some young offensive linemen that I think can be really, really good."

We wonder which offensive linemen Munchak has in mind?

One footnote about Cody Wallace:  He hasn't had an easy path to get to this point, if the following excerpt from his page on Wikipedia is any indication:

"Wallace was raised by his paternal grandparents, since both his parents died when he was young. When he was 8, his father, aged 43, died in prison—which he was in for charges that include theft—due to liver failure and a ruptured esophagus, both caused by alcoholism. 

"His mother died of an unknown illness when he was 16, and was unable to take care of her two children many years before that. To feel his mother's presence, he wears her stud earrings. His older brother by two-and-a-half years has served four years in prison for drug charges. 

"Wallace stated: "Going through so much at a young age, it seems like I can handle more difficult situations maybe easier than most people. I just kind of look at everything in a little bigger picture."

The Price of Centers Just Went Up

Centers all over the NFL are celebrating tonight. The Pouncey twins must be raising glasses of champagne in a toast to Cleveland center Alex Mack.

That's because of the new, five-year $42-million deal the Browns coughed up to match the "transition tag" offer Jacksonville dangled to entice Mack to join the Jaguars. The new contract, which makes Mack the highest-paid center in the NFL, dramatically raises the salary bar for centers across the NFL.

For Mack, it's a tremendous deal, loaded with clauses that will force the Browns to pay, and pay, and pay, starting with $18 million guaranteed over the next two years. Jacksonville structured the deal to make it tough to match, but the Browns had almost no choice. Not after a tumultuous off-season marked by ineptitude, churn and chaos. They'd already lost a Pro Bowl safety, T.J. Ward, to free agency, and they wouldn't have gotten any better by losing their Pro Bowl center.

The Browns have plenty of salary cap room, so they could afford to pay Mack. They were stupid for letting it get to this point, though. Clearly, the Browns never thought another team would make a play for Mack, but an aggressive Jacksonville front office stepped up with an offer that neither Mack nor the Browns could refuse.

Now, the Browns have to pay more for Mack than if they would have if they'd treated Mack like they valued him in the first place. Now, Cleveland has less cap space to work with long-term -- and that's good for the Steelers.

What's bad for the Steelers, and other NFL teams, is the deal is overpriced and sets a new level of expectation for centers across the league.

Not to read too much into anything, but the Steelers did sign career backup Cody Wallace, who started the final four games of 2013, to a new three-year contract this off-season.  Wallace played well in his limited playing time. It's reasonable to think the Steelers were hedging their bets that they may have trouble signing Pouncey to an extension before he hits free agency after the 2014 season.

Might the Steelers even entertain pre-draft (or draft-day) trade offers for Pouncey?

Coming off a season lost to a torn ACL, and going into the last year of his contract, it's a tough proposition to think the Steelers would get much value in return for Pouncey, but ... lacking a true third-round draft pick this year (not counting the compensatory selection at the end of the third round), it's gotta be a consideration.

Nobody at Steelers' offices will say it publicly, of course, but many people think Pouncey is over-rated, and many more were put off by his "Free Hernandez" crap and some of his Twitter comments over the past couple of years.  Many in Steeler Nation would not be heartbroken to see Pouncey on another team.

LSU Pro Day Report from The USA Today

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls are not the only ones bullish on LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. 

The USA Today's Russ Lande was on hand for LSU's Pro Day and filed his report in an article titled, "LSU's Wide Receivers Stole the Show at Their Pro Day."

The article contains the following excerpt (bold-faced type added byJPPBs):

Things are looking up, for
LSU wide receivers
Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry.
Photo courtesy of
StreetArtUtopia.com

"While (quarterback Zack) Mettenberger was a big story, there were two others who stole the show. Receiver Odell Beckham did not do any of the combine testing drills, as he stood on his results from there, but during the positional drills he looked like a superstar and convinced me that he should be selected in the top 10 ahead of Texas A and M's Mike Evans. Exploding off the ball into his routes, Beckham never seemed to slow down, even getting in and out of his cuts. 

He changed directions remarkably fast and showed a burst out of his cuts that is rare amongst NFL receivers. 

Unlike many fast, explosive receivers, Beckham displayed outstanding body control, precise route-running and the ability to get his head and hands around quickly when coming out of his cuts. Not only did he catch every pass that was within his catching radius, but he made a number of highlight-reel catches on off-target passes, both high and low. After his display, there was a buzz going around that he is worthy of being a top-10 selection."

The Proverbial Best Player Available

With the 15th overall pick in this year's draft, there is no way the Steelers should "reach" for the player they select. There is absolutely no reason for the 15th overall player to be a "project" or one drafted based on indeterminable upside, long-term potential or the possibility of converting from one position to another to fill a need. Not for this team; not after consecutive 8-8 seasons.

There are only 22 position players. The Steelers pick 15th.  They shouldn't have to roll the dice on a player.

Some positions on the Steelers are at a stage of critical need. The debate is open as to what positions are most critical, but let's say for the sake of argument they include in no particular order (or maybe in approximately this order, more or less): wide receiver, cornerback, offensive tackle, defensive line, rush linebacker, safety, inside linebacker, tight end, speed running back, and developmental quarterback.

That's 10 position groups, and some of those could use more than one player. As of today, the Steelers have nine picks in the 2014 draft.  They'd better draft wisely and add some good undrafted free agents after the draft, too.

The two top-rated receivers, Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans, will be gone by No. 15.

There's a good chance the top two corners, Justin Gilbert and Darqueze Dennard, also will be gone.

If all four of those players at those two positions of critical need are gone, the Steelers will have some tough decisions. Do they reach for the third-best corner (Kyle Fuller)? Or a 20-year-old receiver with tremendous upside (Kelvin Benjamin) who has dodgy hands and has an unpolished game?

Personally, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls like LSU's Odell Beckham, Jr. better than Kelvin Benjamin, but Beckham may also get picked among the top 14, based on his college productivity, 2014 Combine performance and this week's LSU Pro Day workout. As Mike Tomlin would say, Beckham's arrow is pointing up -- and keep in mind, Tomlin, Todd Haley and Kevin Colbert reportedly had dinner with Beckham this week (just as they did with Benjamin when Florida State had its Pro Day).

Say three to five quarterbacks (Manziel, Bortles and Carr and/or Bridgewater) get drafted in the top 14, and three tackles (Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews and either Taylor Lewan or Zack Martin), and three pass rushers (Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack and either Dee Ford or Anthony Barr; maybe even Kony Ealy).  Tight end Eric Ebron might also make the top 14.

Maybe both of the top two safeties (Ha-Ha Clinton Dix or Calvin Pryor) will be gone.  Maybe one of them is still available at No. 15, though. Would it make sense for the Steelers to take either Dix or Pryor? ... over a defensive lineman like Stephon Pruitt?

Will the Steelers bypass wide receiver in the first round because they figure it's a deep draft for receivers and they might be able to get a good one with Pick No. 46 overall, in the second round?

Tough decisions.

The Steelers should be able to draft the top-rated player at a position of need. And the Steelers have so many needs, they should be able to draft a player who will make an immediate impact and be a perennial Pro Bowl player for years to come. That's how it should work with the 15th overall pick.

There's about a month to go. For all intents and purposes, the Steelers are lacking a third-round pick (unless you count the compensatory pick at the end of the round), so it is absolutely imperative that they get the first-rounder right.

Jarvis Landry Jarvis Jones Landry Jarvis Jones Landry Jarvis Jones Landry Jarvis Jones Landry

Lynn Chandnois, wide receiver,
Pittsburgh Steelers, circa 1955

Cornerback. Wide Receiver.  Wide Receiver.  Cornerback. Either/or.  In that order.  Should be. Probably. The Steelers' first two picks.

In the NFL Draft next month (why so late, anyway, Mr. Goodell?), at picks No. 15 overall and No. 46 overall, the Steelers will select a cornerback and wide receiver.

Let's get this out on the table right now: Both top-rated receivers will be gone. Sammy Watkins (South Carolina) and Mike Evans (Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University) will be off the board by pick No. 15.

LSU's Pro Day is tomorrow, Wednesday, April 9, and Steelers' coaches, scouts and Kevin Colbert will be there, in force. It's a deep draft for receivers, and the Tigers have two very good ones in Odell Beckham, Jr. (who is expected to be selected mid-first round) and Landry Jarvis Jones Jarvis Landry Jones Jarvis Landry,  who is projected as a second-rounder. LSU also has a pretty good quarterback, Zach Mettenberger, but the Steelers almost certainly won't be able to get him.

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls really like both receivers. Both Beckham and Landry are playmakers, both have great hands, and both appear to be very polished. Having said that ... if the Steelers are able to draft Darqueze Dennard with overall pick number 15, they should probably take him.  The Steelers are long past due fortifying the corner position with high-end talent.

For no reason at all, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls suspect Dennard may turn out to be the better NFL player than Justin Gilbert (Oklahoma State), who is generally regarded the top-rated corner in this year's draft, although the NFL Network's Mike Mayock has Dennard rated No. 1, Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller No. 2, and Gilbert No. 3. Mayock seems to be the only one espousing that opinion, but there's a case to be made for Fuller to be in the top three.

We need a corner, but ... 
Mayock's opinion notwithstanding, there's a decent chance both Dennard and Gilbert will both be off the board by the time the Steelers pick. Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller might be a consideration, considering it's a deep draft for receivers, but we'd be more excited about getting Beckham than Fuller.  If the Steelers select a corner in the first round, Jarvis Landry would be a good option (if available) in the second round, as would Vanderbilt WR Jordan Matthews (if available).

Actually, it would be pretty cool if Jarvis Landry ends up with the Steelers. Then we'd have Jarvis Jones, Landry Jones, and Jarvis Landry.  It would make Bill Hillgrove's head spin, which would be awesome.

Then again, if all four players (Dennard, Gilbert, Watkins and Evans) are gone, the Steelers may well look at, yes, offensive tackle (although we don't think they will), or defensive line (Stephon Tuitt? Anthony Barr? Dee Ford? Louis Nix?).

So, with their first two picks, the Steelers will pick a receiver and a cornerback ... unless, that is, the Steelers address any of a multitude of other needs, such as offensive tackle (we're looking at you, Marcus Gilbert); or defensive line; or pass-rushing linebacker; or monster-sized, speedy pass-catching tight end.

Yeah, we're plugged in.

Back to Zach Mettenberger for a moment: There are plenty of question marks associated with Mettenberger, but after sustaining a torn ACL in November, the LSU QB  is gaining a lot of media attention this week as a "fast riser" in pre-draft talk. Previously projected as a third or fourth rounder, now he is likely to go early in the second round, with Arizona, New England, Oakland and Minnesota being discussed as possible landing spots. He might be a good fit in Pittsburgh, but the Steelers have other needs right now, including receiver, and simply don't have the luxury of a pick early in the second round. If he does well at LSU's Pro Day, Mettenberger may even get taken in the first round. If you think that's too high, take a look at some of the NFL-caliber passes he threw to Beckham and Landry in the receivers' highlight videos here (for Beckham) and here (for Landry), especially the throws at about the 23-second, 34-second, and 2:34 marks of the latter video.

If you watch either of those videos -- keeping in mind that YouTube highlight reels of college football players by nature show selective plays and can be highly misleading -- you'll see why so many scouts and observers are geeked about Beckham in particular (rated as one of the top 15-20 prospects overall), but also why Jarvis Landry is rated among the top 10 receivers.

Landry may not be quite as fast as Beckham, but some of his catches in the highlight reel are downright Lynn Swann-esque. And Landry was the guy LSU counted on  for first downs.  Neither of those guys is especially tall, but either one of them would look good in a Steelers uniform.

Watch this: Odell Beckham Jr. Highlights

Like anybody else who watched the NFL Combine, we came away impressed with two receivers who really stood out: Mike Evans and Odell Beckham, Jr. 

The only knock against Beckham was that he looked smallish.  Yeah, of course, Beckham (listed at 5'11", 198) looked smaller compared to Evans, who is 6'5", 231.

As a result, with so many outstanding and tantalizing big receivers in this draft (Evans, Kelvin Benjamin, Jordan Matthews, Donte Moncrief, Martavis Bryant, etc.), nobody until this week had projected Beckham to go as high as Pick No. 15 in the draft, which is where the Steelers pick.

So, when Mel Kiper Jr. predicted the Steelers would select Beckham with their first-round choice, we thought we'd take a closer look.

YouTube highlight reels of college football players can be misleading. We realize that.

Great Hands; a Polished Receiver
In the video above, however, Beckham, playing against top-flight SEC competition, showed the polish and everything else you want in a big-play wide receiver, with stellar kick-return abilities thrown in for good measure.  Great hands; explosiveness; breakaway speed; body control; fluidity; burst; separation; moves; yards after the catch; high-point leaping ability; shiftiness; sideline awareness; tenacity; the ability to catch contested balls; evasiveness; smooth, natural hands; and, it bears repeating, great hands.

Kiper's projection of Beckham to the Steelers at No. 15 was roundly lambasted in Steeler Nation -- check out the Reader Comments in this post at Behind the Steel Curtain and in this post at Steelers Depot -- but Joey Porter's Pit Bulls don't think Beckham would be a reach at No. 15. Not at all.

It seem like the Steelers favor the bigger but less refined and less sure-handed Kelvin Benjamin at this point, but to our amateur eyes, Odell Beckham looks like he has all the tools to succeed in the NFL. Beckham appears to be a play-maker and, frankly, he looks like he has more game, although Benjamin has "upside" and "potential."

If both top-rated corners (Gilbert and Dennard) are gone, and both top-rated receivers (Walker and Evans) are gone, Beckham could be a good choice at No. 15.

We're not saying he should be the choice; we just don't see what's not to like (aside from the bow tie).

Another signing for the special teams, and DHB comes in for a visit (from DVD to DHB)

Presumably, the Steelers' addition of former Houston Texans' cornerback Brice McCain is for the Curtis Brown role, which was special teams gunner and deep depth at corner. That's a fungible role that was filled at the end of last season by 5'9" Antwon Blake, who is still on the roster.

The Texans' defense was dreadful last year, and McCain was a part of that. For what it's worth, Pro Football Focus ranked McCain as 110th of the 110 corners it rated in 2013.  McCain is listed as 5"9, 185, which means he's probably 5'7", 173.

McCain is fast, but so was DeMarcus Van Dyke, another gunner/corner the Steelers tried for a while. Mike Tomlin always called him by his initials, DVD, but he was basically just a really fast, overdrafted guy from Oakland who couldn't play.

Darius Heyward-Bey scoring a touchdown for Oakland
vs. the Steelers in 2012, with Ryan Mundy
being dragged into the end zone. 

Speaking of really fast three-name guys from Oakland who can't play, wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey ("DHB") visits Pittsburgh on Wednesday.  Eh.

Heyward-Bey was notoriously and spectacularly overdrafted by Al Davis as the seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft, a pick that was roundly criticized by just about anybody outside of Oakland, and DHB lived down to the low expectations.

Heyward-Bey's career has been marked by drops, sporadic flashes and, at the end of last year's stint in Indianapolis, a lack of playing time -- except on special teams, where he played admirably well as ... you guessed it ... as a gunner on the Colts' punt-coverage units.

For all we know, the Steelers may want to see if he can help on special teams, too. They need a kick returner, although DHB has never had much success at it.

One guy who has had some success at returning kickoffs is new running back LeGarrette Blount. Here's what Bob Labriola of Steelers Digest wrote:

"... a description of Blount’s running style can be found in his kickoff return statistics. Doing it for the first time in the NFL during the 2013 season with the Patriots, Blount averaged 29.1 yards per return with a long of 83 yards. He is a big guy who is quick to speed, and while he cannot be described as nifty, Blount has enough of a speed-power combination to make him dangerous to a defense."

No kidding. Have you ever tried to tackle a big, fast guy like that, a determined battering ram already up to full-momentum speed, head down, with a 15-20 yard head start? It isn't pleasant. Nope, such collisions tend to be violent, but then again, collisions on kickoff returns (and most other plays) tend to come from all sorts of angles and with multiple players converging on the ball carrier. They're rarely, head-on, one-to-one collisions.

It wouldn't hurt to see if a really fast guy like Heyward-Bey can avoid those collisions altogether.

Frankly, we have no idea what the Steelers have in mind for DHB, just like we don't understand so many of the Steelers' personnel decisions. Maybe they just want DHB to replace DVD.