Steelers News: How the combine possibly showed the Steelers’ plan in 2020

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 season is officially over. After finishing the year 8-8, the Steelers, and their vast fan base, has another long offseason awaiting them. Just because the games are done doesn’t mean we stop providing you with features, commentary and opinions to tide you over throughout the offseason!

Today in the black-and-gold links article we take a look at

Let’s get to the news:

• The Steelers have been mum with their plans for players like Bud Dupree and others, but did the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine show you what their plans were this offseason?

Steelers’ offseason plan? There may have been clues at the NFL Combine.

By: Tim Benz, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis has come and gone. Our Joe Rutter — TribLive Steelers beat writer — was on hand covering all sorts of Steelers angles.

He joined me on 105.9 the X Monday afternoon and we touched on most of them.

First and foremost, these are uncharted waters in the modern era of the draft for the Steelers. They haven’t gone into the annual NFL player selection process without a first-round pick since 1967. Joe tells us how that is impacting the way the Steelers are evaluating the college talent available and whether they may try to trade their way back into the first round after dealing this year’s pick to Miami for Minkah Fitzpatrick.

The depth of this receiving class is highly regarded. Will it be tantalizing enough for the Steelers to add a player to a stockpile that already includes JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson and James Washington?

To Read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• Taking a deeper dive into the wide receivers who showed out at the Combine.

Combine Focus: Wide receivers

By: Matt Williamson, Steelers.com

As mentioned in my similar article concerning tight ends, there is a mistake that far too many draft fans make. They go position by position and look to see who ran the fastest 40-yard dashes. That is great and all and obviously it is fantastic for a prospect to be able to run fast, but by taking this approach, fans overlook a massive ingredient in this recipe: weight.

This piece is going to focus on wide receivers. Many consider this group as one of the very best draftable wide receiver classes in years and the Combine, for the most part, didn’t hurt many player’s stock at this position. For the most part, the Combine testing for wide receivers played out much as expected without too many surprises.

45 wide receivers ran at the Combine. The official times ranged from Alabama’s Henry Ruggs’ 4.27 to Quintez Cephus from Wisconsin’s 4.73. As anyone can see on film, Ruggs has truly rare game changing speed and that was verified on the track in Indianapolis.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• Teryl Austin has made a name for himself at the Combine, for multiple reasons...

Teryl Austin’s time to reluctantly shine

By: Mike Prisuta, Steelers.com

Observations on what was seen and heard on the NFL Network during Day Four of the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis:

DRILL THE TERYL AUSTIN WAY: Steelers senior defensive assistant/secondary coach Teryl Austin got the drill he authored incorporated into the on-field program at Lucas Oil Stadium and he ran the show while putting the defensive backs through his particular set of paces.

But Austin also had a price to pay.

NFL Network reporter Kim Jones explained: “One of my favorite parts of this Combine is that Teryl Austin is mortified that this drill is named after him. Yeah, it’s his drill and (Steelers General Manager) Kevin Colbert took it to the committee and they all decided they wanted to run it and they decided to name it after (Austin). But both he and Duce Staley, who has his own running backs drill, two guys I’ve known a long time, we’ve had a lot of fun laughing these past few days.

”They are not guys who want to be in the spotlight or want their names (mentioned). I think it’s great for the kids doing the drills. I think it’s great for the league to have Teryl Austin right there running his drill, just like it was for Duce the other night. But they hate it.”

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• BTSC article you may have missed...

When the Watt brothers go at each other on social media it is hilarious

Steven Nelson...not a fan of the knee jerk Combine reactions

Who are you tendering? Matt Feiler or Mike Hilton?

Check out the latest Steelers Mock Draft

• Social Media Madness