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Homer has been ignoring most of these mock draft things.....because they are exercises in daydreaming. He has a long tradition of not paying attention in class....it started in Springfield Elementary School long ago.
So while you guys at BTSC have been doing mock drafts, Homer has been watching "For Your Consideration" movies he got in the mail so he can vote for Best Screenplay (Writers Guild) and Best Actor (SAG-AFTRA) (Editor's note: He's not lying, we looked it up).
It's one of the benefits of being in those two unions, although after watching "Twleve Years a Slave," he wants to kick that Duck Dynasty guy in the nuts and spill his beer all over the floor.
But yesterday, for some inexplicable reason, he saw that Mel Kiper, Junior did a mock draft. Kiper is NOT a buffoon, but he often plays one on TV. And Kiper has high hair. New Jersey high hair. 1976 disco high hair. Lather, rinse, repeat high hair. Those were the days.
So Homer googled Kiper's mock draft, and noticed something about the Steelers' position. As everyone has said, it's really cool that they somehow lucked out to get the number 15 slot ahead of the other teams with similar records. But then, when you look at the mocks, it jumps out at you. What nearly all the teams who draft before the Steelers want and need is not what the Steelers want and need.
For example, the Steelers do not need a quarterback. But the Browns, who draft ahead of us do. And they will certainly draft one, and he will probably be the Real McCoy. Or the real Weeden. Or the real Brady Quinn. (See what Homer did there?)
Houston will draft a QB. You got Johnny Football, Bridgewater, that guy from Florida Okefenokee Swamp University, and probably a couple more QB's who will go in the top 12 or so. And somebody's gonna draft that Jake Matthews, because - with his bloodline - he was born with most of the votes needed to make it into Canton and everybody needs a OT who will protect your QB. Somebody else will draft Clowney. Other teams will draft the one or two shutdown corners, and that brings you to Mister Rooney's Neighborhood.
Up to now, everybody's been concentrating on QB's, DB's, and OL's. Clowney will go, and probably Mack. But drafting at 15 - considering what's prolly gonna get picked ahead of them - the Steelers are looking at a huge opportunity to draft a top-rated, healthy, combat-ready DL or LB. That's exactly what they need. One who can make a difference right away.
When was the last time that happened? Jones was considered a bit of a gamble for because of his spinal condition. They got Hayward because he was hurt, and still recovering from surgery. They got Timmons because he was only 20 at the time, and still developing. They had to trade up for Polamalu.
They may have the opportunity to trade up one or two spots to get Mosley. They may have a chance at Hageman or certainly some other immediate difference maker. Even Nix, the least of these for Steeler fans, could make an immediate difference.
Two years ago, Homer went crazy with joy when Santa gave us a pony at 24, and he named him Mr Plow.
Santa will visit our house earlier this year. And he will have something we really, really want in that big red bag of toys when he gets here. We're not sure exactly what that will be, but that's what makes Santa so wonderful.
Make sure to leave out the milk and cookies for the jolly fat man.
Now Homer is going back to watching American Hustle. The plot is okay (Homer is intimately familiar with the real Abscam), but the music and the clothes are great. America made a lot of bad decisions in the 1970's, and most of them had to do with hair, facial hair, and clothing.
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