Defensive Linemen Still Available in 2008 NFL Draft
by Michael Bean on Apr 27, 2008 12:36 AM EDT
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PrintWe'll go into it more tomorrow and this coming week, but I think most of us Steelers fans are fairly excited by the additions of RB Rashard Mendenhall and WR Limas Sweed. But, amidst our elation that our offense would have ben more weapons at its disposal in 2008, we also realized we hadn't addressed two other significant areas of need: help along the offensive and defensive line.
Many of the more intriguing defensive ends and defensive tackles are already off the board (Balmer, Groves, Campbell, Merling, Laws, et al) there are still some talented d-linemen available that could potentially step in and contribute as early as this season. Some names:
Marcus Harrison, DT, Arkansas: A serious injury sent his stock plummeting during his senior year, but as a junior, Harrison was dominant for Arkansas. I'm not sure about the specifics of the injury, but I know it was knee related, but not serious enough to sideline him during his senior year, which to me, means this is a tough football player that might be abel to clog holes and be effective even when not at full strength. I don't think there's any way he lasts until we pick in Round 3, so I would even consider moving up and giving up selections in later rounds to take him. If we want to ever play more 4-3 in the future, Harrison would be a great fit.
Cliff Avril, DE, Purdu: Avril would give the Steelers another pass-rushing threat, something every team would like to add. He's a bit undersized and would need to put on some weight and get pushed around a bit in practice some before he was effective in the running game, but I wouldn't mind letting him work his way up behind Woodley and Silverback.
Dre Moore, DT, Maryland: Can't say I know much about this guy, but I've heard several of you guys mention him, and have done so as a potential 3rd rounder.
Kendall Langford, DT, Hampton: A big, athletic body that may be a smidge undervalued due to his level of competition and prior coaching. Might be a steal if he reacts extremely positively to an NFL strength and conditioning program.
Frank Okam, DT, Texas: Definitely not a 3rd rounder, but could be a solid addition in the 4th or 5th. At one time, Okam, was a potential top 15 pick. I also know he was a 4.0 student in college. I think he'll be plenty interested in football and have a productive career, even if he's never Pro-Bowl caliber.
Those are but a few names Steelers fans. Rest easy...for now at least. There'st still fantastic talent still available, and I feel confident we'll be welcoming a defensive player to the family early on Sunday.
By the way, who else might we have our eye on?
Steelers 2008 Draft Is Now Over
STEELERS DAY TWO SELECTIONS
Bruce Davis, DE, UCLA
Tony Hills, OT, Texas
Dennis Dixon, QB, Oregon
Mike Humpal, LB, Iowa
Ryan Mundy, S, West Virginia
Analysis on the second round picks to follow the conclusion of the draft. I absolutely love the Dixon selection, giving Pittsburgh a third exciting playmaker on offense in the 2008 Draft. Lots to like here.
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just talked to a buddy
that was at Marcus Harrison’s house here in LR. They had a draft party. Marcus totally was under the impression that he would be drafted today. That must totally suck to get let down like that in front of a ton of friends and family. Harrison was awesome for us at Arkansas. Not sure how good of a fit he would be in the 3-4, but if we do eventually switch soon, i wouldn’t sweat it if he was wearin black n gold.
ouch
That must suck bigtime. Hopefully they’ll just do it all over again until he’s selected.
Those are the kinds of things that make determined players though.
by Michael Bean on Apr 27, 2008 1:23 AM EDT up reply actions
I want
Red Bryant and Dre Moore in the 3rd and 4th if possible
Red Bryant weighs 328, so he is more of a NT. He is much quicker then Hampton though. He could take the place of Chris Hoke on third downs and even play DE occasionally. Could eventually take Hamptons spot at the starting NT once he retires or leaves.
Dre Moore – Fastest DT in the draft. Weighs around 309. Prototypical 3-4 DE. He could rush the passer while clogging up run lanes for Harisson and Woodley.
If we get a OLineman I want them to be a first and 2nd next year, not a project like 3rd through 6th would be. However I would not be against taking the best Center in round 3.
DL's
Langford and SIms are gone now, but if Moore is available I hope we take him. He’s a good value in the 3rd and it’s our biggest need. Also, I like Nick Hayden. He’s kind of the opposite of Moore (less of an athlete, harder worker). I wouldn’t mind both of them. 3 more picks before us. Jags trading up to screw us again?
OT
Anthony Collins is available too. He’s a legit LT prospect who was converted from TE like Jason Peters and Joe Staley
davis?
I can only assume they plan on using him as a potential DE and future OLB. It’s amusing how pointless all of our predictions were.
Yep
“Bruce Davis is a high-energy, talkative pass rusher who will more likely move to outside linebacker at the next level.
Davis did very well in his first extended time as a linebacker at the Senior Bowl. He’s a classic Steeler type of player. Davis is very bright and has a knack for getting to the quarterback with his speed.”
Sounds like Porter to me.
davis
wow.. im a hardcore college fan but i guess i missed out on davis.. never heard of him.. im interested in where the stillas think they can plug him in at?? is it outside?? will he be a situational guy for a few years? beefing up the secondary?? we will see.
by smashmouthsteel on Apr 27, 2008 12:36 PM EDT reply actions
Huh.
So, we’re going the “Warm Body” theory of offensive line play for another year. And we add an OLB when we have young stars at both spots. Definitely not the draft I expected r hoped for in many ways.
We had legitimate oppportunities available in third for OL and DL, so this guy had better turn out to be someone special. Is it possible he’s being considered for DE?
DE
As far as I can tell he plays a pretty mean DE, but is expected to move to OLB? I can only hope that the steelers like how he has played DE and want to keep him there, because we don’t need an OLB right now.
inside
I’m pretty sure we moved timmons inside.. and harrison is 30.. i can definately see taking a guy who we thinks a beast.. remember. we had a guy once named vrabel who turned out to be pretty good
by smashmouthsteel on Apr 27, 2008 12:52 PM EDT reply actions
Dre Moore and Red Bryant
are now off the board. Steelers up after Dallas. At this point, I’m just enjoying the ride, because I have no idea what they’re going to do.
O or D
Which guy is it? you know were taking one.. d line or o line.
by smashmouthsteel on Apr 27, 2008 12:58 PM EDT reply actions
We trade our pick w/ the Giants,
who took an OLB. We’re up at 130 (it’s124 now), I don’t know the what the rest of the trade entailed.
O line
Eighteen picks since last OL taken. Hills, Justice, and Nicks all in TScouts INC. top 103.
Well we got our fat guy finally.
Probably would have gone much higher if not for injury. Let’s hope we got a steal.
SCCHMMMIITTTTTT
wow.. i sure do hope we take schmitt with the 4th rounder.. i know we have needs and it doesnt make sense.. but i just dont care.. ppllleeeeaasseee sscchmmmiiitt
by smashmouthsteel on Apr 27, 2008 1:59 PM EDT reply actions
Schmitt
would actually be a huge upgrade to our coverage unit, along with Fox and maybe Davis.
I'm with you
but schmiittt is super sweet
by smashmouthsteel on Apr 27, 2008 2:07 PM EDT reply actions
Hills
I like the pick. He’s a good OT prospect, and we need depth at that position. We still need our DL’s, but with the extra pick, maybe we can draft 2 DL’s (Hayden, Dykes, Okam, Rubin) and still get another useful player. Oh, there goes Scandrick. Too bad, I liked him. If we get a DL (or two), I’ll be happy with our draft.
Amen
I still don’t know what that LB pick was about, considering we could have had our choice of a number of good OL’s and DT’s. Also, we took him over Avril, who I thought was better for sure. I think Davis’s value may be in playing SILB and OLB, since we have no depth at either of those positions. NFL’s review compared him to Tedi Bruschi, so I guess that’s good.
Big Ben
Ben must be one happy guy – inked a huge contract.. asked for a big receiver and got one of the best available.. got a new running back.. he must be on top of the world..
by smashmouthsteel on Apr 27, 2008 2:29 PM EDT reply actions
dixon??
did we just take dixon???? im confused..
by smashmouthsteel on Apr 27, 2008 2:44 PM EDT reply actions
Actually
They have SOOOO many weapons on O it’s ridiculous…guess we’re gonna keep up with the Pats and Colts.
by Romain El 82 on Apr 27, 2008 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions
It's 2008, not 1978
Pass to get a lead, run to hold it.
Not that far,
and we got an offensive tackle that I think is better than his round.
But if you were a defensive coordinator and were looking at a receiving corps of Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Limas Sweed, and Heath Miller, how would you feel? You certainly wouldn’t stack the line, which means more holes for Parker and Mendenhall.
agreed
our offense is up there.. if the d can hold up next year we might be top five in both.
by smashmouthsteel on Apr 27, 2008 2:50 PM EDT reply actions
So,
is the FO confident that Clark’s going to return from injury? As of now, we don’t have a center-fielder safety.
TOUCHDOWN STEELERS
Dixon is another excellent pick for the Steelers at #156. Scored 29 TDs, Pac 10 player of the year. Mendenhall: 17 TD’s last year in the Big Ten, and Sweed had 20 TD at Texas.
Thats 66TD among these recruits.
I think they're admitting
that Nate Washington is not a long-term guy.
D-line
Steelers are probably only looking for a backup, project-type player at the 3-4 DE, still could pick one up.
DL
That doesn’t make any sense. Our DL is sooooo old. We have no depth. We need an immediate contributer, not a risky project pick. Eason and Kischke are not the answers, and Keisel is probably better as a rotation guy. We need to quit drafting offensive skill guys.
I agree
But this is the value the club usually puts on these type of players, and the d-line was fine when healthy, which means we have a year or two to develop a late-round pick
i mean, i would’ve much rather had a third or fourth round DE, but thats probably what they were thinking.
If I could give back one pick so far,
it would have been Davis for a DE. (Or trade down in the first for Grove, Sweed, and another third-rounder.)
I don’t have any problems with any of the players taken so far, as they al look like solid contributors, but I really wanted a future NT or DE this year.
So,
Are there any potential DE’s still available that anyone knows anything about?
Colon and Kemo will play guard.
Hills is probably going to be starting at LT at some point this season.
A line that uses some combination of Smith, Hills, and Starks at tackle, Kemo and Colon at guard, and Hartwing or Simmons at center won’t be a world-beater, but it will be better than last year’s.
Agreed, but I'll take questionable over awful.
We managed to have an above-average offense last year despite terrible line play and questionable play-calling at times. We’ve improved the line to a degree (no more Mahan alone is addition by subtraction), and added a lot of weapons.
Also,
Just a one-game breakdown, but…
Stapleton’s preseason, 2007:
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/09/06/play-by-play-analyzing-darnell-stapleton
by tkired on Apr 27, 2008 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
BPA
Tomlin and Colbert know football. They also know PIT gave up some yards on the ground down the stretch when Smith got hurt, but still finished with #2 defense last year. While depth along the DL is an issue, if there is no one there, there is no one there. It’s pretty simple really. Take the BPA.
mid and late rounds
DE Bruce Davis is a good pick for what was on the board. Dre Moore and Red Bryant were picked earlier in the round, I believe those are the guys the Steelers were looking for but at least they got a sacking LB with a high motor – thats good. As for Tony Hills I don’t know much about him but at least we got some help on the O-line. He’s from Texas (big football state) so he can’t be bad plus he already knows Sweed. The Dennis Dixon pick, I had a hunch they’d go for him – he is a good gimmick-play player plus a good QB. Even though a 3-4 DE is need at this stage, I would like to see the Steelers pick up Owen Schmitt from WVU – he is a nasty FB, he likes to hit people and will give the Steelers running game a nasty and punishing attitude and will also help the O-line in the running game. Schmitt is a bulldozer.
Does anybody know what the Steelers got for the trade with NY Gmen for their 4th round pick?
Tomlin and Colbert are doing a good job so far.
extra 6th
see above post. I, personally would like to see nick hayden with one sixth rounder, if he’s still there
A sixth-rounder from NYG.
Moore and Bryant were actually taken in the fourth round, not third. I hope we don’t regret passing on them.
there nick hayden goes … to the Panthers. Any other prospective 3-4 DEs out there anybody knows about? any sleepers?
Brian Johnston - Gardner-Webb
http://www.nfldraftdog.com/2008_nfl_draft/brian_johnston.htm
Tony - Huge Fan in Raleigh
Huh.
I thought that WAS’s stated desire to switch to a WCO left Campbell out in the cold – he’s a guy with potential, but I don’t see him succeeding in that offense.
I have a lot of issues with Brennan, beginning with quality of competition, but there’s no doubt that he has the accuracy WCO needs. I’m guessing Campbell gets at least one more year with the Skins’ new weapons.
brennan
great value in the sixth, saw him play a lot at UH, if he improves his strength, (he does have height), his quick release, good reads, and mobility will make him dangerous. hope he makes it to the squad.
I do wonder
how he’s going to do in a pro-style offense. It’s a big difference going from five wide receiversto usually two or three. WCO is a good bet for him, but he’s a high-risk prospect to me.
definitely
hence his drop to the sixth. He DOES have the mobility and smarts to learn a pro offense, though it may take a season or three.
humpal
From hawkmania:
http://www.hawkmania.com/articles/2008/03/02/news/doc47ca42706621b865866623.txt
MIKE HUMPAL
Linebacker I 6-2 I 242
At Iowa: Humpal was a two-year starter, but he really blossomed as a senior, when he led the Hawkeyes with 123 tackles to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors. He also had three interceptions and 5½ tackles for a loss of yardage. He missed time in his career because of knee and back injuries, which could slow him in the future.
As a prospect: Humpal made the most of his trip to the combine, ranking as a top performer in the vertical and broad jumps, 3-cone drill and 20- and 60-yard shuttles. Scouts like his instincts, but he lacks the speed to be a regular linebacker in the NFL.
Bottom line: Humpal figures to be a late-round draft pick and will have no problem finding a spot on an NFL roster as a reserve linebacker and regular on special teams.
Hopefully this is the end of our ST woes.
We have one good returner who takes care of the ball in Moore, possibly a second in Dixon, and special-teamers in Fox, Humpal, and probably Davis. Field position is a highly-underrated part of the game, and the Steelers have been among the bottom-feeders there lately.
FS
Mundy could be a backup FS, if he develops, hope some UFA’s are available, d-line still looks thin for next year and beyond.
Don't we have to get some youth on the DL?
It’s very possible we sign quite a few DL in Rookie Free Agents.
Tony - Huge Fan in Raleigh
I feel used, abused and bamboozled by Tomlins and Colberts comments of the focus of their draft on both lines. Ha! 1 O-lineman and 0 D-linemen. I was sure they were gonna pick up a 3-4 DE. Instead we pick up a couple linebackers, QB, and a safety for special teams. I guess the Steelers are planning to just outscore opponents. They did have the number 1 defense last year. hopefully, they’re making the right calculations and have some sleepers they’ll be picking up after the draft like they usually do. I think the Steelers with limited picks had one of the better drafts, I’d put them in the top 5.
showtime
Those guys wouldnt be were they are if they were a couple of dumbf’s… I can’t say I know what were doing but it seems like they know something that all of us obviously dont.
by smashmouthsteel on Apr 27, 2008 4:39 PM EDT reply actions
Mundy story
As a Michigan safety, Mundy came back from a pretty serious injury:
http://michigan.scout.com/2/571550.html
So, it looks like we got one OL, and no DL
What does that tell us? Either the FO feels better about the OL than we all do, or they at least think that Hartwig replacing Mahan at C will be enough improvement to lower our sack numbers. But, as some have mentioned, adding Mendenhall and Moore give Big Ben a couple more check-down options, and Sweed lined up opposite Santonio give two deep threats.
One other thing, as I think about it, we did a much better job of stopping the Jags rushing game in the playoff game, and Aaron Smith wasn’t back for that game, so maybe they figure the DL can still be addressed next draft.
Hopefully, these moves, especially Davis and Mundy, will help out our STs this season. Overall, this draft hasn’t been what we expected, but it seems like most of us are still happy with the results. As always, it will be a year or two before we really know how successful this draft is. I just hope the FO is right about the line, and Ben doesn’t get killed before they get it fixed.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 27, 2008 5:43 PM EDT reply actions
great summary
If they had some FA targets at DL, you’d have thought they’d draft them in the 6th instead of the career ST’s they got instead. I’m not complaining about the ST’s, though. We need guys like that. It’s almost like by the end of the draft they were proving that they could go without picking a DL. I hope we take a look at Dykes as a FA, since he’s a local boy and we had him visit. I don’t really know who else is out there. Eric Foster, maybe.
Dykes
I remember that he visited the same time as Dre Moore. IIRC, he was a projected Round 4 to 6, so if we can get him in as an UFA, he may be the DL depth we were hoping for. I know that I liked what I saw of Moore, but hopefully Dykes or another UFA pans out for us.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 27, 2008 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Picks
I think we did a great job with our first 4 picks but…
Dixon in round 5, I don’t like it at all…I really wanted us to take OT-Carl Nicks-Nebraska with the fifth pick…he was projected as an early to mid 2nd rounder!!!....I know he slid due to off the field stuff but I feel he was worth the risk…LT-Tony Hills is considered more of an athletic tackle and Nicks would have given us an absolute massive, mauler…in the fifth round!
I know we need D-line help but obviously FO didn’t like our options…In the fifth round, Nicks would have to be the highest rated player still on our board…FO must have taken him off the board…too bad… 2 young O-tackles with the potential of Hill and Nicks would have made this an incredible draft…Dennis Dixon??? I just don’t get it…
But, I do have incredible faith in our FO and coaches…they know what there doing…
Huge fan of Dixon
Will write on this tomorrow. He was on his way to the Heisman before his injury. He’s a game-changing playmaker who I think can be a terrific specialist for the Steelers. As a round five selection, I’m thrilled. He’s a special, special football player. Not a pro QB, but a special football player.
--PB--
Hopefully Dixon
is much more Randle El, and not Tee Martin. He was very impressive in college before his injury.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Apr 27, 2008 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Remember...
We had Dixon visit us with some workouts and whatnot. So I don’t think we can say it was that much of a surprise really. Do I necessarily agree with it…no, but then again, I’m not part of a coaching/FO staff with MULTIPLE super bowls.
Tommy Blake
We should pick up Tommy Blake a look because he was absolutly amazing his junior year and he is a man of good character. He had personal issues his senior year, but there is not excuse for giving this guy a try at the next level. He has shown the skills that it takes and should be giving a shot.
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