Steelers NFL Draft Prospects: College Game Day and Open Thread

Welcome to Week 7 of the college football season. Let’s take a look at this weeks top 25 match ups, and potential players the Pittsburgh Steelers might be keeping an eye on.

No. 2 Georgia (-7) at No. 13 LSU 3:30 p.m., CBS

No. 7 Washington (-3.5) at No. 17 Oregon 3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2

No. 15 Wisconsin at No. 12 Michigan (-6.5) 7:30 p.m., ABC

This weeks highlight game has a repeat from week one. Now having Nick Farabaugh giving his breakdown of some of the prospects I wanted to revisit the Wolverines, who have some very intriguing prospects.

No. 15 Wisconsin at No. 12 Michigan (-6.5) 7:30 p.m., ABC

Michigan Wolverines

Rashan Gary #3 DL 6’5” 283lbs

Chase Winovich #15 Edge 6’3” 255lbs

Devin Bush #10 LB 5’11” 233lbs

Lavert Hill #24 CB 5’11” 181lbs

Tyree Kinnell #23 S 5’11” 215lbs

Karan Higdon #22 RB 5’10” 202lbs

Shea Patterson #2 QB 6’2” 205lbs

Wisconsin Badgers

Tyler Biadasz #65 C 6’3” 316

Beau Benzschawel #66 G 6’5” 317

David Edwards #79 T 6’7” 315

Michael Deiter #63 T 6’6” 310

Alec Ingold FB #45 6’2” 243

Olive Sagapolu #99 NT 6’2” 345

TJ Edwards #53 LB 6’1” 244

D’Cota Dixon #14 S 5’10” 204

Quentez Cephus #87 WR 6’1” 207

Michigan Wolverines

IDL Rashan Gary

This guy keeps inching up my big board and is a special type of Defensive Linemen. I mean he is a freak athlete in there and can even play off the EDGE. He has T.J. Watt-like athleticism off that edge but has probably the build to play inside. He is so quick laterally and with his rip he often beats people straight off of the line and it is a beauty to watch. His athleticism is easily seen in space and you will see him keep up with LBs and RBs with ease, the guy flies. Something I love how Rashan Gary is just how he has improved over his career at Michigan. He has improved in pass rush, getting a fast rip and now incorporating a spin move into his arsenal. He has laser quick hands and gets off the line easily. He has an absolutely endless motor and makes plays all over the field.

What issue do I have with him? I think he is still raw as heck, and it is with his leverage especially. Some plays he plays too high and gets driven out of the play. I call that Stephon Tuitt syndrome, and he has some scary resemblances to Tuitt on tape. He is more athletic than Tuitt, but he needs to probably bulk up a bit and slim down as well. I think he is personally better suited as an EDGE at the next level, but it can work either way. His leverage battle is one that is hard to correct, no doubt.

Round Grade: Early 2nd

NFL Comparison: Jonathan Allen

QB Shea Patterson

I have a lot of internal battles with Shea Patterson. He could be so good, but he is just so meh. I love that he has a big arm and is a gunslinger on top of it. He makes something out of nothing so many times and his ability to extend the play is as good as anyone you will see out there. That is one thing he has, great pocket awareness and that is hard to teach, so it is a good thing to see that he has it. Patterson is a master of the RPO and quick pass in general. He loves to throw across the middle of the field on slants, for example, but that does not mean he cannot absolutely fire the ball into tight spaces, which he does well too.

Unfortunately, I have a lot of questions in his pre-snap processing. He is easily confused by blitzes, and when things do go off script and he tries to make a play, he simply over does it. He makes a lot of dumb decisions that result in INTs or just questionable decisions in general. And in addition to that, his accuracy has been spotty at best over the start of this season, and it has caused Michigan to miss out on big plays. I also am concerned about his durability, he has been hurt far too often.

Round Grade: Late 3rd

NFL Comparison: Josh Dobbs

CB Lavert Hill

You can call me a big Lavert Hill fan. He plays with tons of swagger and while he is only 5’11” he is as aggressive as any who is taller than him. He certainly is not long at all, and that means he has to be careful of being burnt, but he does not often let that occur. The biggest gripe with him would be that he seemingly does not help out in run support, but the guy makes up for it coverage.

Hill knows his length deficiencies and so he gets into the face of receivers. His hands are great and allow him to use his incredible mirroring techniques and fluid hips to stay with just about anyone he has to face. Still, even with the length shortcoming, he is great at the trail technique and consistently gets pass breakups due to it. He is also a strong player, and at the catch point he aggressively goes up to get it. He compensates for size shortcomings with great aggressiveness and quickness. He is one of the most underrated CBs in the draft for me.

Round Grade: Early 2nd

NFL Comparison: Casey Hayward

ILB Devin Bush

The athletic linebackers keep coming and coming for this class. Atop of Mack Wilson and Devin White, we have Devin Bush, who is athletic but extremely raw. He has incredible range and goes from sideline-to-sideline with ease, and even better are his fantastic angles to the football. He has been good in coverage, and that is a huge plus for him. He hits like a truck and flies through on stunts, so he nets a lot more sacks than the average ILB. He is just so much fun to watch on film.

However, much like my gripe with Devin White, Bush needs to trust his keys more. He is not a slow, in fact he is too quick of a reactor, but he absolutely bites on play actions far too often. Even worse, he is slow to process on run plays and struggles to get off of blocks once the linemen gets to him. He can not crash down hard on the LOS as he simply does not have the block shedding technique down for it yet.

Watch out though, this could be a Steelers target in the second round.

Round Grade: Late 2nd

NFL Comparison: Blake Martinez

Wisconsin Badgers

C Tyler Biadasz

He likely projects as a center at the next level, but he has the ability to play Guard as well. You want a nasty hog up front from this draft? This is your guy. He is absolutely tenacious up front and plays with an intensity that is very old-school. He is built for run blocking and drives guys back and is completely overpowering to a lot of DL. He does a great job at reaching the second level of the defense and opens up lanes so easily. It really is effortless how well he reaches his blocks.

He is short length wise, but still has good strikes in pass protection.That is only a huge issue against elite IDL, and he can learn to adjust to that once he reaches the NFL. The only thing I can say for him is that as much as I love pancakes, he seems a bit too focused on them and drives his opponents and himself into the ground, which means he does not get to reach the second level.

Round Grade: Mid 1st

NFL Comparison: Travis Frederick

OT David Edwards

The Wisconsin boys know how to run block, that is for sure. His strength is pretty out of this world, and much like Biadasz he runs guys straight into the ground. The running lanes behind him are massive and with his strong base and smooth hips, he simply drives through his legs and opens up the lanes. His length is massive and it is often hard for pass rushers to even beat Edwards because he so easily stonewalls them with strong punches. He too has great athleticism and reaches the second level with ease. He is one of the most impressive lineman in the country.

However…….I have a huge issue with him, and that is the dreaded false step. It opens up his hips to defenders and allows them to speed rush around the edge. He gives up far too many pressures due to this deficiency and against upper tier talent he has issues because of it. They can exploit it and it leaves Edwards with an issue that is tough to fix. He could be a top OT prospect, but he has to fix this or top level competition will eat on him all day. I hope to see him improve, but sometimes the tape is underwhelming, but not often.

Round Grade: Mid 2nd

NFL Comparison: Jermey Parnell

WR Quentez Cephus

Man, I like some Quintez Cephus, but he has some issues with him. First off, I really do not trust his catch point radius and even more so, he does not seem that great at tracking. He is a limited deep threat and it often leads to him simply catches balls over the middle or in the flats. He needs to improve at the catch point and be more aggressive against press coverage.

However, he is very aware on the field. He has clear awareness of zones and finds the open spaces pretty easily. His hands are strong, but they simply are not great at high pointing the ball, which is going to be an issue since he does not always create a ton of separation. However, the guy is fast and can run by guys that easily and get deep because of it. I love how great he is after the catch too, and it often allows him to create big gains out of nothing. His routes are often clean and his sideline body control is some of the best you will in the class.

However, there are character concerns as he was ordered on trial for sexual assault. False or not, you have to take that into consideration.

Round Grade: Early 7th (Character Issues)

NFL Comparison: Taywan Taylor

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Use the comment section to tell us what game and what players you have your eyes on, and who you would love to see as a member of the Steelers next year!