Steelers Draft in Review: Round 4

by BadMaafala on May 1, 2008 11:32 AM EDT

It's easy to go over the top with optimism or pessimism about any draft, but it's rarely as good or as bad as we think it could be. I’m going to try to give a tempered analysis of the players we drafted, hopefully helping us understand why we made some picks and keeping our expectations at a rational level.

Round four: Tony Hills 6'5 309. 24 BP

Strengths: Hills was a consistently productive LT at Texas after converting from TE out of high school. He is a good athlete and generally uses good technique, especially with his hands. He still has room to get bigger and stronger. He has been forced to work hard to come back from a career threatening injury, so there is no question about his work ethic and desire to play the game.

Weaknesses: He is neither an exceptional athlete nor a dominant run blocker. While he should be able to play both tackle positions, he may never be great at either one. He sustained a career threatening knee injury in high school and broke his leg toward the end of last season, although he seems to have fully recovered from the latter.

Analysis: People made a big deal about Hills' injury, but a broken fibula is not at the top of the list of injuries likely to affect the rest of your career. His major injury was 5 years ago and didn't keep him from being a good LT in college. If Hills remains healthy, he could be a solid backup at both tackle positions, with some potential to start at LT in a few years. There are some similarities between him and Marvel Smith (both were productive tackles in college, neither was remarkably strong or athletic coming out), but there are no guarantees. Even if he never becomes starting material, he was probably a good pick considering all our tackles are FA's next year. Even though he has athletic limitations, he is a hard working, productive guy with good technique.

Passed on: CB Orlando Scandrick, DT's DeMario Pressley, Frank Okam, Nick Hayden, Ahtyba Rubin

When Red Bryant went 2 spots in front of their original choice, the Steelers made a good move in trading down and getting another pick in the 6th. They filled a big need with a solid backup tackle. None of the DT's were great values here, and the two that I had my eye on (Hayden and Rubin) fell further down in the draft anyway. I liked Scandrick, but they needed to focus on some big guys before CB depth.

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im quite excited about Hills

Texas has produced a bevy of fantastic NFL linemen. Something about the instruction there seems to be spot on because there’s just a slew of starters in the league from that program.

I’d say Hills needs one or two years to develop, then I have high hopes he’ll be a starter for us. I certainly think he has more upside than Essex and probably Starks too. If he turns out anything like Marvel Smith, we’re in business.

by Blitzburgh on May 1, 2008 11:36 AM EDT reply reply 0 recs

“In 24 games starting at left tackle, Hills graded 83.21 percent for blocking consistency on 1,681 snaps…Registered 131 knockdowns with 17 touchdown-resulting blocks, as he allowed just four sacks and seven pressures on 743 pass plays.”

Just 4 sacks in 24 games!!!

by TomlinEra on May 1, 2008 12:54 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

Seems like the right pick

It will likely take just as long to develop Hills as any OL we would have drafted earlier. His biggest downside is his injury and it looks like that knee is fine. I’ve heard he has problems dropping back but his game stats are top notch. It will be interesting to see if he can play LT in the NFL. One thing that caught my attention:

“Not only is he a great player on the field but he also is a tremendous team leader who provides an emotional spark for our team and especially all of the young linemen.” – Texas HC, Mack Brown

Will Hills fill the void in leadership left by Faneca?

by BallsofSteel on May 1, 2008 12:59 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

leadership

Looks like a lot of our draft picks this year have potential leadership qualities. Hope Hills develops, we’re gonna need him at LT in a year or two the way our roster is now. Also, you’d think he’d be a pretty good athlete for an OL after moving from tight end.

by tkired on May 1, 2008 1:25 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Converted TE

Think they may be looking for him to replace Starks, since, as mentioned in other posts, Starks had been used as a third TE in some sets?

Man, the FO better get something signed during this offseason, either long-term deal for Starks or a couple year extension for Smith.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on May 1, 2008 2:37 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

maybe as a rookie

He could line up as the 3rd TE like Starks did last year, then go out on a play action pass. He’s tall right? That’ll give Ben another target over 6’5.

by cgolden on May 1, 2008 5:12 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Thanks MaaFala

Hills seems pretty solid to me. He is a big-timer also. Now is where the coaching comes into play. We need to work with this kid and make him get better, and he needs the attitude to get that done.

Interesting, three of our top four picks (Mendenhall, Sweed and Hills) have something unique in common. All three went into Ohio Stadium and beat the Buckeys in a huge prime time national game. Considering Ohio State has only lost three regular season games in the last three years, those guys have achieved success under pressure on a pretty big stage.

by maryrose on May 1, 2008 4:48 PM EDT reply reply 0 recs

+1

Wow, that’s an awesome thing to point out. It’s almost like the front office is loading the team to make it so that we can consistently win in Ohio. I’m way too lazy to do this but I’d be curious to see what our draftees records in the state of Ohio are. Big Ben and Holmes both won a lot in that state. Psychological warfare?

by Chicago Steeler on May 1, 2008 5:01 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs

Great Point

Maryrose, and those years 2005 lose to Texas and 2007 lose To Illinios were against 2 of Buckeyes best defensive teams in the last 10 years. I am pretty sure Big Ben and Santonio are undefeated in Ohio.

I was at the Steelers vs Cleveland game last year. I was a blast to see him doing the OH-IO cheer from the side line. The Browns/Buckeyes fans were torn. Love the former Buckeye, but hate the Steelers.

by SteelBuckeye on May 1, 2008 6:50 PM EDT up reply reply 0 recs