Where do you find your draft info?

by canadianblackandgold on Feb 3, 2012 5:42 PM EST

Hi all,

I would like to start by complimenting the frequent and informative posts made by our resident draftniks. As someone who resides north of the 49th parallel my knowledge of NCAA football and potential prospects is derived entirely from regurgitated information on the interwebs, this leaves me at somewhat of a disadvantage come draft season. Try as I might to poke around and find quality draft information, I find that most of the mainstream news outlets are simply throwing out the same tired mock drafts over and over without much in the way of true analysis or thought. I was hoping that we could pool our knowledge of quality draft news sources and help lead draft neophytes away from the talking head nonsense.

As for my take on the Steelers draft needs, I don't see the Steelers taking a NT in the first round. I could see taking Ta'amu in the second but the coaching staff has seemed content with Mclendon and (with a restructured contract) a two-down Hampton.

Offensive Tackle is another one that I don't see, with Colon returning, Gilbert playing above the line and the question mark combination of Starks and Scott all having the potential to play winning football. Is it a need, yes. Is it a first round need with the other glaring holes on this team, I say no.

Ben's mobility and pocket awareness is fantastic when it comes to outside rushers, problems arise with interior pressure through 'A' gap blitzes and stunting edge rushers as well as pass rushing tackles. The guards we have are not able to consistently handle pressure up the middle and our run game suffered from a lack of interior push by the line. As we all know, when you are able to consistantly produce by running at the strength of the defense, good things happen. Keeping this in mind, I see guard as our biggest need. Big, mean, nasty, hit you in the mouth and laugh kind of guard. We have seen what Coach Kugler is able to do with cast off scrubs (Foster, Adams, Legursky) and what he can do with talent (Pouncy), I believe that with one more key piece we will finally be able to turn our snakebitten, much maligned offensive line into one that Lombardi himself would smile to look at.

Our other glaring weakness in my eyes is inside backer. Much has been made of the decline of Farrior and Foote and the need for a play-calling thumper in middle and I agree with most of it. No, I don't believe that Farrior is done, he still has huge value against the run and for recognition and adjustment prior to the play. His lack of speed is however a huge liability in this increasingly pass based league and with speedy pass catching tight ends being in vogue. Drafting someone like Burfict or Hightower would help alleviate this problem.

Anyways, that's my two cents, Comments are encouraged and criticism is welcome, hate and tolling are not.

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Im really torn.

I have no time on Saturday to watch college football, so we are in the same boat regarding the draft. With that said, it seems to me that we have options all over the board to hit our needs while also getting the BPA. We can go NT in 1 and then G in 2 followed by ILB. Or any combination of the three, it really seems like there are good candidates for what we need in the first three rounds (from what Ive read). I like big, mean and nasty for pretty much every position!! Which is why I also would like to see Burfict. A lot of the mocks I have looked at have him going to the ratbirds in 1, saying that Ray Ray can teach him. I personally believe that Deebo and Woodley can do the same if not better than Ray Ray.

by OIF3GUNNER on Feb 3, 2012 5:57 PM EST reply actions

I attend an SEC school

so that’s most of mine. I respect Walter Football though, seems like a relatively knowledgeable guy

The glare of the spotlight is harsh, and the pressure that success breeds immense. We revere our heroes, but expect much. And criticism can come as easily as praise.
Perspectives become reality.
Twitter: @shanecglass

by glass0941 on Feb 3, 2012 8:23 PM EST reply actions

Walter Football is great for trends & later rounds

He helps me identify players and their projected rounds, then I just search for scouting reports and piece them together myself with whatever tape might be available on various sites.

Walter Football’s problem tends to be a lack of great understanding of team needs (especially later in the draft), so you have to look more for position/round than who he thinks the Steelers are taking.

by Michael Uhlhorn on Feb 4, 2012 12:41 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah, they're identification of teams seem to be lacking

But their ability to put guys in the right general ballparks in terms of where they’ll be drafted is generally pretty good. I do like their database of NFL mocks as well, although many of them as flat out worthless (which is a vast understatement)

by glass0941 on Feb 4, 2012 8:53 PM EST up reply actions

At this point in time before the combine and pro days and all that nonsense, it is hard to find stuff. And once all that nonsense starts happening, we do get even more nonsense pouring out of all corners of the internet.

Granted, not all of it is complete nonsense, but yeah, you know all of this.

If I want to look up a player profile I usually go to CBS Sports’ draft stuff – Rob Rang of nfldraftscout.com does a lot of it and he doesn’t seem to just blow hot air all the time. There’s a nice little overview/latest news of each player to give you the big picture, as well as little season-by-season summaries that give you a general account of what happened and if there’s anything interesting to note (like awards/accolades or if they might’ve changed position). They also provide a bit of analysis by breaking down the player’s position into 5 or so key areas and evaluating how the player performs in each area – and it sounds like they actually do kind of know what they’re talking about. But know that bigger school and higher round prospects are naturally getting a bit more ink than smaller school and lower round guys, and not all of the profiles have been filled in yet since it is still early in the process.

Doug Farrar of Football Outsiders did a series last year looking at the top 50 and then the next 50 prospects in his book and I thought it was well-reasoned and an informative read. I dunno if he’ll be doing another one this year though now that he’s taken over editing duties for Yahoo!‘s Shutdown Corner (though last year’s series was in fact published on Shutdown Corner, so he may well for all I know). If he does do it, the first installments probably won’t drop for at least a month.

Closer to the draft, I really like Mike Mayock on NFL.com and NFL Network – he usually does not put together mock drafts or try to pretend he can predict the behaviors of teams on draft day, and really just focuses on player evaluation and prospect ranking. Most everyone else on NFL.com and NFL Network though seem to be the usual mainstream hot air.

Are you on Facebook? Have you connected with BTSC's page yet? You should.

by barnerburner on Feb 4, 2012 12:11 AM EST reply actions

I am going to have to jump on the bandwagon

cbsports has the best up to date projections and their site is more user friendly than nfldraftscout.com. Walter football would be my second but they have not updated recently, so that hurts them. Next would be FFtoolbox, they don’t have many evaluations past their top 100, but they offer good picks. Mike Mayock has some of the best sleepers evaluated. He had Manny Sanders ranked 50th in his top 100, but his rankings do come out late. Then there is just watching the East-West Shrine game, the Senior Bowl and combine. Sometimes I so a player who stands out for some reason, a few years ago, I saw a player run the 40 so smoothly for a DT prospect, unfortunately he was more of a 4-3 guy. My joy became horror when the Bengals drafted Geno Atkins. Thank fully the Steelers drafted a player I liked alot last season in Cortez Allen.

by Mike Liv on Feb 4, 2012 1:22 AM EST reply actions

A lot

I use CBS Sports at the beginning of the year to look at up coming prospects. Then when I watch my one or two college football games a week not counting ASU I look for these prospects. Then around bowl season I DVR most bowl games and re-check the CBS Sports. I will then watch the ever snap of these prospects I like or think the Steeler might go for. The I will go online and find some more videos. Some times this is hard so I have to get creative with the searches. Then I watch and DVR the East West Shrine game, adjust my previous notes and Go back to CBS for the smaller school guy to then watch. Then I DVR the Senior Bowl and Senior Bowl practices. I watch every prospects I find interesting plays at least 3 times. I am constantly going through CBS list finding new prospect I don’t know and continue the process of finding information and making my own evaluation. I will also go look up measurement like hand size, arm, length height and weight cause it matters.

Once the Steelers start announcing the prospects they bring in I will do more research on these guy if I hadn’t already looked into them.

Personal I like my own opinions a lot, but I also like Mike Mayocks. Can’t stand Kiper or McShay.

Huge fan of the Steelers. (that includes "Steelers West")
"If I could start my life over again, I would be a professional football player and you better damn well believe a Pittsburgh Steeler!"- Jack Lambert

by Steel34D on Feb 4, 2012 3:28 AM EST reply actions

Thats a lot of work you put in 34D

And your writing shows it.

Stay thirsty my friends.

by SteelerMessican on Feb 5, 2012 7:23 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah usually use it to procrastinate from my other stuff

Its a fluid process but it is worth it if it allows my writing to convey the image of being a knowledgeable football mind or at least not a complete idiot.

by Steel34D on Feb 6, 2012 12:01 AM EST up reply actions