BTSC 2011 Community Mock Draft Pick No. 59: Atlanta Falcons Select Randall Cobb, WR, Kentucky
by Michael Bean on Apr 27, 2011 6:23 AM EDT
in 2011 BTSC Community Mock Draft
Many thanks to one of the site's readers I always enjoy hearing from, Bluegrass Steeler, for his pick and write up for the Atlanta Falcons at pick No. 59. By the way, Comcast/Xfinity was interested in placing an advertorial all day as the second post on our main page, so check out the interview with Rich Eisen if you're so inclined. But just a heads up that it's there and will remain as the second post on the page no matter how much content gets published on Wednesday. Thanks for you all's support. Next up: the hated New England Patriots, represented by the not at all hated NYSteelersFan4. - Michael B. -
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So, to quickly recap: After considering a number of different players (including Mike Pouncey who has become a Patriot in this nightmarish mock draft world gone wrong), the Falcons picked Iowa Defensive End Adrian Clayborn with pick #27 in the 2011 NFL Draft. So, given how the board has fallen, what's next present the Falcons faithful get to open on draft weekend?
First, I'm tempted - as the Falcons surely would be - to double dip in the deep defensive end crop. The Falcons have shown an awful lot of interest in Miami DE Allen Bailey. Bailey is a bit of a tweener; he could probably bulk up and play the 5-technique, be the strong side end opposite Clayborn, or even compete with Clayborn at the Right End position. Bailey worries me however. He was never overly productive in college despite his amazing physique and very impressive athleticism. And if there's one thing I find troubling in defensive linemen it's the whole "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" phenomena. In other words, even though Bailey has the athleticism to be a good player, I'm not sure if he has the attitude to play the run down after down at LE not to mention constantly fight chips from TE's and RB's on passing downs.
7 commentsTop Ten Draft Successes of the Kevin Colbert Era: No. 4 -- LB Clark Haggans, 5th Round, 2000
by Michael Bean on Apr 27, 2011 3:02 AM EDT
Onward with the top ten draft 'successes' and busts of the Kevin Colbert era. Let's turn back to the 'successes' list with my entry at No. 4, LB Clark Haggans, taken in the fifth round of the 2000 Draft. As a reminder to those who may not have seen the rest of the list:
I'm excluding first round picks from my list of 'successes'. As I explained in previous posts, it's obvious why I would exclude the first rounders. Quite simply, if you don't hit a homerun with your first round picks in this league, you're in trouble. Those top picks have to pan out if you want to compete consistently. So, let's exclude what are expected to be great picks, and turn our attention to the later rounds to see where Colbert and his army of scouts struck gold with their talent evaluation.
Back to Haggans...
While putting together this list, I didn't immediately think of Haggans as a guy worthy of serious consideration. Then I looked back at his career with the Steelers and quickly realized that he was more than worthy of inclusion.
Steeler Nation, Help Me Make Our Second Round Pick in the BTSC Mock Draft!
by maryrose on Apr 27, 2011 3:01 AM EDT
in 2011 BTSC Community Mock Draft
After seeing the post this morning about the Steelers' wide receiver position, and remembering Big Jay recently saying, 'Hey, are we overlooking defensive line?," etc., I feel compelled to write that indeed every position on the team, to one degree or another, is really a position of need. There are those who mention another tight end to compliment Heath Miller, like Belichick did last year in drafting two tight ends. The safety position can be weak and fragile and what if Mendenhall gets hurt? The beat goes on and on. Unless a team has Johnny Unitas at quarterback, Dan Marino as a back-up and Bob Griese as the third emergency guy, and has the same quality and depth at every single position, there is some "need" involved with every aspect of the team.
A football team, any team, comes into a draft much like a guy who just ran his bike into a bus comes into the emergency room. The guy's arm is broke, his ankle is twisted, he has a bruise on his face, his spleen is bleeding and his glasses are broke. What the doctors do in emergency is assess the priorities of all the guy's "needs." They better fix the bleeding spleen first, or patching up other areas will be moot when the guy dies. They better set the arm before they wrap the ankle so the bone will heal. They might not do anything with the bruise, simply live with it, and they will order another pair of glasses when everything else is calm and in order.
Drafting a football team is more complicated (not more important than an emergency room, but more complicated), because you simply cannot just list the needs in priority and then fix accordingly. Unlike the emergency room, the needs are weighed against the particular talent available at the given moment of a draft selection. You might have a slightly bigger need at position B than A, but if player A is far superior than player B, then he will be the wisest choice....maybe...
To me, there is one position on the Steelers that represents the bleeding spleen, cornerback. If we don't fix that, if we don't draft someone of impact, if our young bucks don't step up and especially if we lose Ivan, then nothing else will matter. The Pittsburgh Steelers will not and cannot win another Super Bowl without fixing their spleen. The Steelers have played 71 football games under the Mike Tomlin-Dick LeBeau regime. They are 1-6 against guys named Manning, Brady, Brees and Rodgers. The only victory came via miracle on the last play of the game. They are 47-17 in all the other games. The Steelers will win alot of football games in 2011, no doubt. They will beat teams regularly who have less than Pro Bowl quarterbacks who don't have the ability to shred them. But they cannot navigate to the promised land again unless they fix their spleen.
Other than the spleen, the guy is not going to eventually die. Therefore, we can debate which body part to fix next. Interestingly, we have made 57 picks in out BTSC mock draft, and there are some pretty good football players available with Pittsburgh's pick coming up soon. So I ask you, Steelers Nation, help me make that draft choice. I am not even going to put Ras-I Dowling in the poll. He's the spleen doctor and from what I am hearing would be an overwhelming choice. But what about the other body parts? Randall Cobb is still sitiing there. After reading the wide receiver post this morning, is he the guy? How about Ryan Matthews? He's a really good running back dropping late into the second round. Jurrell Casey, Christian Ballard and Allen Bailey are still available. After reading Big Jay's reminder that our D-Line is aging and fragile, should we go there? Clint Boling is an offensive guard, you know we need some of that stuff. So is James Carpenter.
BTSC 2011 Community Mock Draft Pick No. 58 -- Baltimore Ravens Select Christian Ballard, DE, Iowa
by Michael Bean on Apr 26, 2011 5:05 PM EDT
in 2011 BTSC Community Mock Draft
Thanks to Josh Roberts for sending me the Baltimore Ravens selection at No. 58. Getting close to the Steelers pick at No. 61, so great work by all with the solid but not-too-frantic pace throughout this process. Next up: the Atlanta Falcons, represented by Bluegrass Steeler. - Michael B. -
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The Ravens Select Christian Ballard, DE, Iowa
The Ravens are in need of youth on the DL, a rush OLB and a good RT since it appears that Gaither is now leaving. The best player available at any of those positions is Christian Ballard, the 6-4 286lb defensive end from Iowa is often overlooked by the casual observer due to his partner in crime at Iowa Adrian Clayborn's success. However Ballard is a very athletic DE for the 3-4 and is strong at the point of attack. Although his tape shows certain inconsistencies, with such a great group to learn from in Baltimore he will be able to learn and contribute in the rotation early.
Some other notable players at this point that Baltimore could consider:
- James Carpenter OT Alabama
- Marcus Gilbert OT Florida
- Sam Acho DE/OLB Texas
- Dontay Moch DE/OLB Nevada
BTSC 2011 Community Mock Draft Selections:
A Tale of Two Receivers - Hines Ward and Chad Ochocinco on Dancing With the Stars, Week 6
by Rebecca Rollett on Apr 26, 2011 2:34 PM EDT
At the end of last week I put up an article comparing Hines Ward and Chad Ochocinco on Dancing With the Stars. The article only compared them through Week 5, naturally. So here is the update comparing their performances in Week 6 of this season (Hines) and Season 10 (Chad.) If you wish to check out the original article, click here. In that article you can find out more about how the show works, who the judges are, and so on, in case "Dancing With the Stars" isn't your thing. I also give my opinion on Chad and Hines as potential dancers and a very superficial assessment of them based on their past and what we've seen in the show.
Last night was "Guilty Pleasures" night, and each couple danced to a song that the celebrity is a bit ashamed to admit that they like. (I think that was the point, anyhow.) Hines danced a Viennese Waltz to "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men, which he admitted that he likes to belt out in the shower. (He also said that he thinks of the water as his fans - not sure where that's going : )
In week 6 of Season 10 Chad and partner Cheryl Burke danced an Argentine Tango to "Mas de los Mismo" by Tanghetto. Let's see how they did:
2011 NFL Draft: Is Wide Reciver A Bigger Need For Pittsburgh Steelers Than We Realize?
by Michael Bean on Apr 26, 2011 8:03 AM EDT
in 2011 Steelers Draft
Very cool to have the NFL Network sponsor this post here on BTSC and across the NFL wing of SB Nation. Lots of heavy hitters lining up to have their name be a part of our conversations, and the beauty of it all is we haven't had to compromise our editorial integrity in any way really.
Anyway, a quick post here that I hope to maybe here some of your thoughts on. It relates to the wide receiver position for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After the 2010 season, the consensus around Steeler Nation and amongst NFL pundits was that the Steelers were more or less set at WR for the 2011 season. Hines Ward was coming back and still seemed to have enough in the tank to contribute; Mike Wallace had emerged as a bigtime threat in all quadrants of the field; rookies Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown both managed to make the team and then contribute huge plays for the team during the team's journey to Super Bowl XLVIII. There was also Limas Sweed returning from an Achilles injury. Not too many would be brazen enough to count on Sweed delivering much in '11 or beyond based on his well documented struggles since being drafted in the second round of the '08 Draft. But because of his height, and how his physical stature differentiated himself from the guys who seemed to have cemented spots on the depth chart above him, folks understandably have had reason to believe that he could potentially join the fold in '11 and make plays for an already (seemingly) deep and set WR corps.
Don't get me wrong, I do think we're in great shape at WR for the '11 season. But what about '12 and beyond? Hines Ward is the man, my favorite player, a guy who might still catch 60-70 balls when he's 36-38 years old. But he might also hit a wall here in '11 or '12 and be approaching the twilight of his career. Then what? That leaves us with three guys all under 6' -- Wallace, Sanders, and Brown. Despite all three being awesome in their own right, I really don't think Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin and Bruce Arians are going to just be perfectly content with that trio unless their hand is played by injuries to other guys on the depth chart.
Forget about trying to find a diamond in the rough in the fourth through seventh round. It has and will continue to be done, but in today's NFL where passing is at such a premium, the Steelers are going to have to invest heavily in a blue chip talent at WR at some point in the near future. They've got great weapons as is, but will all the parts compliment each other if Hines Ward isn't in the equation?
Sure, Ward has developed into a Hall of Fame type player as a former third round pick, but don't let his career fool you into thinking that's the norm. Not at all. The list of dumpy mid-round WRs taken by the Steelers is substantially longer than the list of guys who materialized into solid contributors, or in Ward's case, showcase, feature players for multiple years.
Top Ten Draft 'Busts' of the Kevin Colbert Era: No. 3 -- OLB Alonzo Jackson, 2nd Round, 2003
by Michael Bean on Apr 26, 2011 4:16 AM EDT
We're just a few short days away from the start of the 2011 NFL Draft which begins in primetime on Thursday night with the first round. The second and third rounds will also be in primetime, only a day later on Friday evening. Rounds four through seven will take place on Saturday.
As the real deal rapidly approaches, let's continue with our countdown of the top ten draft 'successes' and 'busts' of the Kevin Colbert era (2000-present) with the No. 3 'bust', OLB/DE Alonzo Jackson, taken in the second round of the 2003 Draft.
Now, I know some of you are going to jump down my throat for not having Jackson higher than No. 3. In fact, one longtime loyal reader, a guy who makes regular appearances on the air in South Florida and clearly knows a thing or two about the game said this recently: 'if Alonzo Jacksson is not number one on this list, then you've lost all credibility with me.' Something to that affect at least.
Well, at the risk of losing a great reader, I'm not putting Jackson at No. 1. The former Florida State defensive end was drafted with the 59th overall pick in the 2003 Draft. For us non-math majors, that's just a few picks shy of where the Steelers are picking in 2011 following their run to SB XLVIII. In other words, Jackson wasn't taken near the front end of the second round, but instead near the very end. But that doesn't really matter. If you think about it, there's really not tons separating prospects Nos. 25-75 in any given year. The cream of the crop is typically fairly identifiable. But after that, there's a big pool of guys that look a lot alike in terms of physical meausurables, college productivity, etc.
Anyway, Jackson was a big bust, but he had some stiff competition at linebacker. In 2003, his rookie year, here's who was ahead of him on the depth chart. (Age).
A Tale of Two Teams - the 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers, Game 9
by Rebecca Rollett on Apr 25, 2011 7:12 PM EDT
This is the (rather delayed) continuation of my game-by-game analysis of the 2010 Steelers season. If you have missed the previous eight posts and want to check them out, the links are at the end of the article.
<Groan> There's no help for it - it's time to look at the infamous game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's a shame that the group we fielded looked more like our AAA players than the team that had grabbed the #1 spot in the AFC North some weeks earlier. The choice of photo of Ron Gronkowski celebrating a TD is something that we saw a LOT - Gronkowski, a Pittsburgh native, had three touchdowns that night.
This game was especially painful for me because I was in attendance. The ticket was my Christmas present from my husband. Fortunately, both my husband and the Steelers made it up to me with more gratifying gifts in December. But let's get this over with:
Game 9 - Final Score: New England Patriots 39, Pittsburgh Steelers 26
BTSC 2011 Community Mock Draft Pick No. 57 -- Seattle Seahawks Select Brandon Burton, CB, Utah
by Michael Bean on Apr 25, 2011 5:30 PM EDT
in 2011 BTSC Community Mock Draft
I don't have much time to devote to this, but here's my selection for the Seattle Seahawks at No. 57. Next up: the Baltimore Ravens, represented by our friend from across the pond, Josh Roberts. - Michael B. -
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Out the door, but I'd contend this pick both fills a big need for Seattle while also being a solid value pick considering who's been picked and who's still left on the board.
Brandon Burton Scouting Report from CBS Sports
BTSC 2011 Community Mock Draft Selections:
Seven Round 2011 NFL Mock Draft: Light At The End Of The Tunnel Edition (Rounds 4-7)
by Michael Bean on Apr 25, 2011 4:01 PM EDT
in 2011 Steelers Draft
Here's Rounds 4 - 7 of Big Jay's final seven round mock draft for BTSC this draft season. Discuss. - Michael B. -
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Rounds 1 - 3
Round 4
98. Carolina Panthers - Kenrick Ellis NT, Hampton
Carolina took an under DT with the last pick and now they get a massive, space-eating NT with this one.
99. Seattle Seahawks (From New England via Denver) - Jaiquawn Jarrett S, Temple
Seattle continues to upgrade the secondary. Jarrett would be a great compliment to Earl Thomas.
100. Buffalo Bills - Jordan Cameron TE, USC
Buffalo's new QB will need a better safety-valve than Shawn Nelson.
101. Cincinnati Bengals - Pernell McPhee DE, Mississippi State
Antwan Odom is always hurt.
102. Cleveland Browns - Drake Nevis DT, LSU
Cleveland cut both Shaun Rogers and Kenyon Coleman.
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