After talking to Steeler fans and reading recaps of this year's drafts, I don't get the feeling that people think Pittsburgh made a mistake in the first round by taking Lawrence Timmons. But I also don't feel too many people are overly excited about the selection either.
My opinion? Well, I don't watch too much college football, and I don't pour over tape like Ron Jaworski, so I don't have too much of a pulse on what Timmons can and can't do on the football field. But from what I have seen of him, I'm impressed. The one thing we desperately needed to add was speed at the OLB position. Timmons has that in spades.
He was disappointed with his 4.66 40-time at the Combine, but I think his speed on the field is more deceptive than merely lining up and sprinting 40 yards. He's agile enough to avoid lineman at the second level, and has a quick enough burst to catch running backs before they can straighten their shoulder pads on the perimeter and head downfield.
Finally, he's versatile. At only 230 pounds, Timmons will no doubt have to bulk up to be a consistent force in the NFL. That shouldn't be a problem because I can't seem to find anybody who questions his work ethic. Even if he doesn't swell up to 250, his speed should allow him to make tackles as a LB, and get to the QB as a pass rusher.
And above all, we got younger at the position we most needed to in my opinion. I'm excited about having Lawrence Timmons in black and gold.
--Blitz--