A STEELERS BIG BOARD
RULE 1 - Order is based on value to the Steelers. Failure to fit the Steelers' openings, system, or character requirements downgrade a player who would rate much higher for a different team.
RULE 2 - Organized by RIPB ("Reach If Picked Before") groups. An RIPB of 32 means that I believe the player is a reach at any point before the final pick of the 1st round, but good value after that. Getting that player at 47 would be fine, while getting him at 79 would be a steal.
RULE 2.A - Players with the same RIPB are more-or-less equivalent so don't sweat the order inside each grouping. I tried to group them by position: Defense, then Offense, inside to out.
RULE 2.B - I broke each round down as follows:
* 1st Round grades: RIPB 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25. The Steelers pick at 17.
* 2nd Round grades: Early (RIPB 32), Mid (RIPB 43), or Late (53). The Steelers pick at 47.
* 3rd Round grades: Early (RIPB 62), Mid (RIPB 74), or Late (RIPB 86). The Steelers pick at 79 [and 91 if the Patriots take Sanders]
* 4th Round grades: Early (RIPB 97) or Late (RIPB 115). The Steelers pick at 115.
* 5th Round grades: Early (RIPB 133) or Late (RIPB 151). The Steelers pick at 150.
DISCLAIMERS: I am a fan, not an expert. With only a few exceptions my opinions are based on what I read, not what I see, and those exceptions are tainted by the commentary during the game. If any of the comments seem shallow, that's probably because they are.
ROUND 1 GRADES
Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah - RIPB 5 (I've seen him play. The guy is awesome. If he's not big enough to play Nose Tackle, he'll dominate as a 3-4 end. It's not a serious need but you can't pass up a truly special talent.)
Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M - RIPB 5 (A true star at tackle would make our OL a major weapon)
Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan - RIPB 5 (Same)
Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia - RIPB 10 (Results over weight room)
Dion Jordan, OLB, Oregon - RIPB 10 (He'll get bigger, and he'll "get it" too)
DeMarcus Milliner, CB, Alabama - RIPB 10 (Again, it's not a position of need but he's too good to pass up)
Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU - RIPB 10 (I'm trusting Neal on this one. But his lack of productivity bugs me, especially with Montgomery on the other end. If Mingo is up, then Montgomery is down)
Ezekiel Ansah, OLB, BYU - RIPB 15 (Interviews would move him a LOT. The Ansah would depend on what my coaches thought of the man inside the talent)
Damontre Moore, OLB, Texas A&M - RIPB 15 (I've seen him play, and he was dominant. But all the news has been negative and a little weird. Again, interviews would matter a LOT)
Bjoern Werner, DE/OLB, Florida State - RIPB 15 (But only if the coaches say he can convert to OLB)
Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee - RIPB 15 (He just seems awfully YOUNG. I want my interviews)
***STEELERS PICK AT 17***
Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas - RIPB 20 (Safety is a hot position but this is where he ranks. Trade down and he's a bargain. At 17 he's just a bit of a reach)
Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International - RIPB 20 (Another great catch if the Steelers trade back. I might take Vaccaro first, but they belong in the same general group)
Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma - RIPB 20 (Is he that big an upgrade?)
Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame - RIPB 20 (A 6'6" Hines Ward, even down to the blocking! Worth this pick as a WR, with the bonus of position flexibility)
Sharrif Floyd, DE, Florida - RIPB 25 (Great player but a 3-4 end for us. That drops him down a bit)
Sheldon Richardson, DE, Missouri - RIPB 25 (Another player who "only" upgrades our 3-4 DE slot)
Alex Okafor, OLB, Texas - RIPB 25
Manti Te'o, ILB, Notre Dame - RIPB 25 (Remember all the other games?)
Kevin Minter, ILB, LSU - RIPB 25 (Yeah, he's good too)
Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina - RIPB 25 (Great for depth but not essential)
Chance Warmack, G, Alabama - RIPB 25 (Great for depth but not essential)
Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia - RIPB 25 (Anyone remember Troy Edwards?)
ROUND 2 GRADES
Jonathan Jenkins, NT, Georgia - EARLY 2ND
Sylvester Williams, NT, North Carolina - EARLY 2ND
Johnathan Hankins, NT, Ohio State - EARLY 2ND
Arthur Brown, ILB, Kansas State - EARLY 2ND
Keenan Allen, WR, California - EARLY 2ND (Maybe higher if I knew his actual playing speed. Or lower)
Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee - EARLY 2ND
Matt Elam, S, Florida - MID 2ND
Eric Reid, S, LSU - MID 2ND
Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington - MID 2ND
Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State - MID 2ND
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson - MID 2ND
***STEELERS PICK AT 47***
Datone Jones, DE, UCLA - LATE 2ND
Margus Hunt, DE, SMU - LATE 2ND
Alex Ogeltree, ILB, Georgia - LATE 2ND (See how far a DUI can drop you?)
D.J. Swearinger, S, South Carolina - LATE 2ND
Bacarri Rambo, S, Georgia - LATE 2ND (The issues just aren't that severe)
Barrett Jones, OL, Alabama - LATE 2ND (A personal favorite. He would fill/firm up the entire line, maybe even at tackle. Smarts and character everywhere, big enough to handle nose tackles)
Menelik Watson, OL, Florida State - LATE 2ND (Devalued for position)
Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia - LATE 2ND
Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor - LATE 2ND
Robert Woods, WR, USC - LATE 2ND
Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State - LATE 2ND
ROUND 3 GRADES
Jesse Williams, NT, Alabama - EARLY 3RD (Great on paper but I thought Cody was a better prospect. Is he really an improvement on Ta'amu?)
Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State - EARLY 3RD (Mrs. Banks, your son has talent but sportswriters across the country are going to hate what he does to their spell-checkers)
Larry Warford, G, Kentucky - EARLY 3RD
Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford - EARLY 3RD (A fine tight end, but can he reliably double as a WR?)
Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama - EARLY 3RD (Just not that impressed. Not behind that OL)
Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina - EARLY 3RD
Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina - EARLY 3RD (Drinkin' the Kool-Aid baby! I think he'll really make it back, which makes him a Round 3 bargain)
Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M - EARLY 3RD (Height/weight/speed, speed, speed. And a football player too)
Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia - EARLY 3RD
Brandon Williams, NT, Missouri Southern - MID 3RD
Jamie Collins, OLB, Southern Miss - MID 3RD
Khaseem Greene, ILB, Rutgers - MID 3RD
Sio Moore, ILB, Connecticut - MID 3RD
Philip Thomas, S, Fresno State - MID 3RD
EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State - MID 3RD
***STEELERS PICK AT 79***
Kawann Short, DT, Purdue - LATE 3RD (Where would he fit in a 3-4?)
Shamarko Thomas, S, Syracuse - LATE 3RD (If only he was 4 inches taller!)
JJ Wilcox, S, Georgia Southern - LATE 3RD
Kyle Long, OL, Oregon - LATE 3RD
DJ Fluker, OL, Alabama - LATE 3RD
Brennan Williams, OL, North Carolina - LATE 3RD
Justin Pugh, OL, Syracuse - LATE 3RD
Matt Barkley, QB, USC - LATE 3RD
Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin - LATE 3RD
Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech - LATE 3RD
***PATRIOTS PICK AT 91***
ROUND 4 GRADES
TJ McDonald, S, USC - EARLY 4TH (Would be higher but I saw him get toasted and roasted at the Senior Bowl)
Sean Porter, OLB, Texas A&M - EARLY 4TH
Corey Lemonier, OLB, Auburn - EARLY 4TH
Darius Slay, CB, Mississippi State - EARLY 4TH
Robert Alford, CB, S.E. Louisiana - EARLY 4TH
David Amerson, CB, NC State - EARLY 4TH
Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State - EARLY 4TH
Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut - EARLY 4TH
Terron Armstead, OL, Arkansas-Pine Bluff - EARLY 4TH
David Bakhtiari, OL, Colorado - EARLY 4TH
Chris Faulk, OL, LSU - EARLY 4TH
Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee - EARLY 4TH
Mike Glennon, QB, NC State - EARLY 4TH
Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas - EARLY 4TH
Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse - EARLY 4TH
Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma - EARLY 4TH
Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas - EARLY 4TH
***STEELERS PICK AT 115***
Tank Carradine, OLB, Florida State - LATE 4TH
Duke Williams, S, Nevada - LATE 4TH
Robert Lester, S, Alabama - LATE 4TH
Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford - LATE 4TH
Stefphon Jefferson, RB, Nevada - LATE 4TH
Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State - LATE 4TH
Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA - LATE 4TH
Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State - LATE 4TH
Christine Michel, RB, Texas A&M - LATE 4TH
Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson - LATE 4TH
Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma - LATE 4TH (But is he a headcase?)
Da'Rick Rodgers, WR, Tennessee Tech - LATE 4TH (Balls and bongs don't mix)
ROUND 5 GRADES
Sam Montgomery, OLB, LSU - EARLY 5TH (How can you have a humdrum season with Mingo as your bookend?)
Brandon Jenkins, OLB, Florida State - EARLY 5TH
Kiko Alonso, ILB, Oregon - EARLY 5TH
Jon Bostic, ILB, Florida - EARLY 5TH
Zac Dysert, QB, Miami of Ohio - EARLY 5TH
Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State - EARLY 5TH
***STEELERS PICK AT 150***
Trevardo Williams, OLB, Connecticut - LATE 5TH
Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma - LATE 5TH
Tyrann Matthieu, S, LSU - LATE 5TH
Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas - LATE 5TH (Do the coaches think he can learn? This grade combines "maybe" with speed)