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Day 3 was filled with surprises and things we expected. I think we all expected that the Steelers were going to draft a QB, and Josh Dobbs was the guy they showed a lot of interest in throughout the process. Then the unthinkable happened; they took a long snapper in the 6th round.
Just for consistencies sake, I did not have a single long snapper on my board, so I do not plan on grading a player I’ve never seen.
Round 4 - Josh Dobbs, QB, Tennessee
I personally really like this pick, and it’s probably due to the fact I believe that Dobbs has starter upside in the NFL. He’s definitely not ready yet to start, and lucky for him, he gets to learn behind a future Hall of Fame QB, Ben Roethlisberger. Ben is getting up there in age and it’s only a matter of time before he hangs up the jersey.
What I like about Dobbs the most is that intangibles wise, there are not a lot of QBs like him in this class. I remember seeing Dobbs able to recognize blitzes and coverages pre snap on film. What really impressed me was his pro day, and I know that sounds stupid because there’s no defense being played, but Dobbs actually directed his own pro day and installed his own plays.
It was definitely something that impressed me and while he’s shown to be inaccurate on film, he seems to be only getting better each and every time I see him. Even former Saints WR, Robert Meachem, who was catching passes from Dobbs, called him “Impressive.”
Draft Grade: A-
Round 5 - Brian Allen, CB, Utah
I remember before the draft, I saw something, from I believe it was Dave Te Thomas, mentioning how if the Steelers don’t get either Quincy Wilson, or Rasul Douglas, they were going to pick Brian Allen.
He was correct.
Brian Allen is a former WR who converted to CB, and while he is raw, he’s got a giant upside. The big question is whether he can reach it with the Steelers, as they’ve shown time and time again a failure to develop the CBs they’ve taken in the 5th round. Allen is of a similar mold but possesses a lot more height and length than previous 5th round CBs that failed.
Allen shows the ability to the track the ball in the air easily. He’s so strong when it comes to press coverage that if he gets his hand on you, you’re getting re-directed to the sideline. Problem is that his technique is not where it needs to be yet, particularly as a tackler. Also, sometimes in press he gets caught lunging towards the receiver, and that is a no-no in the NFL.
Overall, I really like this pick because it’s a high upside pick that could pay off big time if he were to develop. If not, they better be getting a lot out of Cameron Sutton, or this move could really set them back.
Draft Grade: B
Round 7 - Keion Adams, EDGE, Western Michigan
I like this pick because Adams shows some nasty bend around the corner (even if his testing contradicts it) and is developing a nice spin move. Adams was listed at 247-pounds at his pro day, and I don’t know if he’d look similar to what he was on the field, but on film, the dude looked pretty skinny by OLB standards.
Sometimes it’s not about the body type, it’s more about if you show the functional strength to be able to set the edge and not get blown off the ball. Occasionally, I saw Adams do that on film, and other times, he seemed to take bad angles, or get washed out of a run lane.
Can Adams develop into more than just a backup? It is possible, but it’s more likely that Adams will become more of an Arthur Moats; just a solid, dependable backup. He has starter upside though if he becomes more consistent at the point of attack and not getting blown off the ball. He was one of my sleepers at OLB and possesses the requisite arm length and athletic ability to develop into a starter down the road.