will go top 5. Once he hits the combine his numbers should blow scouts away. 6’3’’, 225 lbs. and according to Pete Carroll he’s the fastest player on the team. Maybe a little USC cheese but whatever. Did you see the hit in the second half against Penn State? He knocked out two guys with one tackle, so what if one of them was his teammate.

Alex Mack from California. I don’t know if they consider him a 1st or 2nd rounder, but he’s a tough-ass center who could probably play any o-line position. He’ll start his rookie season, and play beyond effectively.

Do the Steelers have any of them this year? Did they obtain via trades extra picks for this year’s draft?

I love the draft…my early thoughts…

1. 8 or 9 picks are way too many…if we use all of our picks, they’ll probably just get cut…we need to move up in as many rounds as possible…quality over quantity.

2. OT…clearly our biggest need…but…I think we’ll be in the same position as last year, having to reach for a OT prospect…FO knows NEVER reach for a propspect…maybe we can trade up for a legit OT stud. Who? I don’t know, anyone have ideas?

3. If not OT and we stay with the pick…G Duke Robinson from OK looks like a stud…I know he’s a guard but he would be hard to pass…some mock’s have him going top 15, some have him sliding to us at the end of the first.

any way we can sign and trade him for a ray maualaga?

i mean he gonna leave either way might as well get something for him teams would kill for a starting QB

i’d think teams would give at least a 2nd or 3rd round for a starting QB

…they will wait and trade up with some team drafting in the teens or early 20’s.

And remember how Tomlin re-did his special teams coverage unit this year? That’s what he’s gonna do with the Offensive Line.

Someway, somehow, we’re gonna add two outstanding offensive linemen to the roster, and my gut says L’il Smokey, Duke Robinson, will be one of them. (He is the nephew of Rock Legend Smokey Robinson)

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that the Steelers’ brain trust is super solid on the first day of the draft…and if there’s something they really want and need – they’ll get it.

Like you, I trust in the Steelers evaluation. The closest thing we’ve had to a first round bust in the last decade is Troy Edwards. He also played 8 seasons in the league. But Troy caught 61 passes for 714 yards and 5 TDs in his rookie year. By comparison, Santonio has yet to catch 61 in a season, although he has topped Troy’s yards and TDs. Point is, Edwards underachieved the rest of his career, but he was not a “bust.”

That’s why I will sit back and let the front office do its work. These guys obviously know what they’re doing and you can bet whoever we draft will be the best fit for the team.

I know that last year all of the “good” OT’s went quick, but there were also only two QB’s taken in the first round. Any chance that the need of QB’s and availability of quality QB’s (or not?) shift the tide this year and leave an OT for us? Also, I’ve seen some mock drafts having us take a WR in the first round. Thoughts on a WR with Santonio’s average performance this year, Ward’s eventual impending retirement (is his contract up this year or next?) and Washington’s free agency? Limas can’t fill all 3 slots himself. Just a couple of thoughts I’ve had while being really excited for the Chargers game..

The Steelers have depth at the skill positions, and special teams coverage is solid. The big need is linemen.

They’ll have at least one compansatory draft pick coming their way.

Forgive me for saying what’s politically incorrect: they don’t need that many players.

The teams that need quantity will draft ahead of Pittsburgh.

A first round draft choice and the Ghost of Alan Faneca (his compensatory pick or something lke that) may be the ticket to trading up to get an outstanding offensive lineman.

Nothing happens till we get to pick number eight or something like that, but I see the Steelers trading up to get a solid trench warrior in the middle of the first round.

At least one of our top 2 picks needs to go to the best available Guard or Tackle. Personally, I think we need to draft the best available Tackle in the 1st round, and the best available Guard in the 2nd round. I don’t follow college football, so I don’t know who that would be, but our O-line is the only thing holding us back right now.

…then we draft an O-lineman in round 1 and a D-lineman in round 2. The guys named above sound fine to me…..I also like the idea of Greene in round 3, but he does sound like a name that will jump by draft time – the combine will take care of that.
I think we’ll improve on the O-line next year with Simmons back……but a question – is Marvel done? This is the 2nd year in a row ending on IR……if he could come back and actually play – that would help immensely. I’m thinking that if we can throw some cash at a quality O-line guy, it may help us immediately (and for a few years), and then we draft to help us with depth and down the line.
I still wonder if none of our guys on the line have improved because perhaps Zierlein is in over his head? Russ Grimm leaving hurt us badly – it might be time for Tomlin to look at replacing the O-line coach.
Can you imagine how good Ben could/would be if he were playing behind a top 15 or top 10 offensive line? Wow!!!
D-line definitely needs to be looked at………..Casey might get hungry again in the off-season, although I heard he had some personal stuff going on that kept him from taking proper care of himself, so likely there won’t be a repeat. We do need to work on some solid depth for both lines.
I definitely agree that we have a deep and talented team – just need to get some heavy lifters this year.

We invested good money in him not too long ago. Don’t underestimate the overcompensation factor. Most of the mistakes made by Simmons were, in my opinion, made because he had to protect the revolving door of a RT we have. He did have alot of penalties, most were made trying to help out a tackle who was in over his head about 80% of the time. Plus he is the veteran voice on the o-line. Something we need, a young o-line is a liability, unless they have someone to go to on the field that they trust to tell them where they f-ed up. Do we have anybody else like that? Could you see a rookie guard or tackle asking Hartwig or Kemo where they messed up? The only way to get that is to have someone right there with them, experiencing the same defense coming at them. Not even coaches can correct on field mistakes as they happen.

You can’t “burn the barn down to kill the rats”. As much as I would like to get rid of our whole o-line, it’s not that easy. Putting in 2 new starters is risky. More than that and your looking for at least one year of trouble. Continuity built this franchise. At least 3 maybe four of these guys will start next year. My guess…Starks (RT or LT), Kemo, Hartwig, and Simmons will be back and start. The thing that worries me is I keep hearing how FAT Willie is making “strides” at right tackle, according to Tomlin. Maybe thats a keep your head up thing, until next year, when your gone. But theoretically I could see us bring this whole group back.

I hope he stays in school another year so we can pick him next year. I would love him on this team.

Now that the extent of Marvel Smith’s injury has been released, I believe maybe we should keep him. They found another small piece of herniated disk lodged in his nerve and removed it. This is the second time he has had this surgery. After having the first one, he was ballin. I am certain after this one he will recover his form and hopefully this will be the last of this problem. Anyway we should take a chance on him. Because he wasn’t able to play most of the season, he will not receive the big free agency dollars that he would have. Therefore, the Steelers could probably resign him for much less than was expected before the injury. Scouts.com has him ranked #2 on free agent Left Tackles. If we can resign M. Starks for reasonable money then we can have Smith – LT, Starks – RT, Hartwig – C, Stapleton and Simmons -OG. This offensive line is already two times better than our current. So with this improved line already, we then go out and draft the best OLinemen possible to compete/win/learn/supplement. As for as 7th rounders… look up Javorski Lane. This is the guy we need for short yardage situations… he’s an Offensive Lineman playing FB

..and he’s a fucking beast.

Love the name, too. Straight out of the Wylie Avenue Book of Baby Names.

Maybe mama was a big fan of Texas superlawyer Leon Jaworski and had a little trouble with the spelling.

Or maybe he has a brother named Lebowski. A big brother.

At the 13th overall pick , Troy Edwards was a bust, I dont care if he was fourth on the Jags depth chart in his seventh season, he was a bust. So were Jamain Stephens,(rd1) Jeremy Staat(2), Alonzo Jackson(2),Ricardo Colclough(2) , that white safety , Scott Frost? or Shields?(2) Maybe late second rounders cant be busts, but they should make your squad.

Scott Shields wasn’t a bust. Cowher just hated him, and they moved him from DB to LB and back in three seasons. The guy was fast, big, and hit like a ton of bricks. Remember: Cowher hated Vrabel, too. Said Vrabel was too stupid and slow to play LB, but V. won 3 rings in (f*cking) NE.

Personally, i’m starting to see a prejudice in the NFL against white players in the backfields(RB/DB) where none should exist. The old wives tale about white guys being “too slow” or “too stiff” is as racist as saying black guys are all born athletes- it just ain’t true. Ask Erkl if ya need proof. SD had Jacob Hester at FB, but never thought to let him try to run the ball this year despite struggles in the rush game…which, IMHO was a mistake. Same with Owen Schmitt in Seattle, who gained 40+ on his only carry this year for a terrible team w/no run-blocking.

We(Pittsburgh) coulda really used Schmitt as a short-yardage RB/TE/STer and punt returner, where he excelled at WVU.

Racist prejudice in either direction is saddening and a loss for all involved.

 Anyway- Scott Shields was a fairly decent FS, but was told to gain weight to play OLB, then made to shed the weight again to go back to FS and finally was inexplicably cut.