Pre Combine Steelers Mock

For those of you that view this blog regularly or who know me, you know that I lean heavily on our draft history as well as what I call "Typical Tomlin's".  You will then notice that the 1st pick below is neither a junior nor a defensive player- both of which history says it should be.  I decided to think outside the box while factoring in a few reasons to support such a choice.  The one thing that got this started was the fact that the very first person we chose to interview at the combine was...  Cooper.

17 Cooper, OG UNC- enter a new oline coach that specializes in zone blocking and a relatively new OC that primarily used a zone blocking scheme in years past.  Locks down the Steelers new age Oline with athletic olineman and a zone blocking scheme.  Yes Cowher, there actually are athletic olinemen.  Bye Colon.

47 Thomas, S Fresno State- a recent interview with LeBeau quoted him as saying "want to add more youth to the safety position".  I took my Gator love out of this (as well as the history of us going Junior with the 1st pick AND this years rotation should be defense) and took the highest graded safety that happens to be a ball hawk.  He has and can play either safety spot but I cant find proof hes done anything as a nickel.  He does have the size that Tomlin prefers- over 6 foot 200 lbs.

79 Ball, RB Wisconsin- check out the Cooper explanation and move it behind the oline to the running back.  Stud 4 year RB that has primarily played in a zone blocking scheme.  Has the cut back that fits this game plan extremely well, has great hands out of the back field and can pass protect.  Total package.  How much tread is left on his tires is a question.  But the RB position is fading enough that reloading this every 4-5 years will become typical at some point anyway.

111 Fuller, WR Virginia Tech- Tomlins typical WR begins with 1 thing.  Speed.  Fuller is a track star that is also a WR.  The kicker with him is hes the only WR Tomlin has ever drafted over 6'2.  Tomlin had to see the range Burress' height gave Ben this year.  Combine size and speed.

143 Johnson, LB Alabama- Spence is iffy at best with his knee, and Harrison is iffy with being a Steeler.  We said we werent going to make any effort to keep our UFAs and "let them test the market" however we are already in talks with Foote to stay on another year.  That is the most pressing issue at LB, the ILB.  Not the OLB.  Tomlin wont give up on Worilds, this will be his make or break year.  LeBeau loves Robinson.  And Carter made some plays this year.  So the depth is there.  My thought was, why not draft a LB that can and has started both inside and outside at LB?  On top of that, how about one that started for a national champion?  Oh, and the defense is a 3-4 base????  Yup.  Nico.

175 Geathers, NT Georgia- heres a Typical Tomlin, waiting till the last minute to find a NT.  Im not so sure if Kwame will last this long, but the fact that he didnt really ever start, and being a junior, might go against him.  He has flexed to the 5 tech as well as the 0 tech, and his time spelling Jenkins regularly went well.  He certainly is a big one, but with Ta'Amu a UFA (PLEASE LET HIM WALK!!!!) I bet Tomlin and Coach Mitchell wont hesitate to bring in some more competition at the NT spot.  Plus, if he can play DE thats even better.

207 Renfree, QB Duke- Its about time we drafted a QB.  The 7th round counts right?  He has a pec injury thats keeping him out of the Combine, and I dont think he will be ready for pro days.  He will have to be graded on tape only.  And if you catch a few YouTube postings youll see a theme- accuracy.  Leading accuracy at that.  He puts the ball exactly where it needs to be to enable the WR to catch and run with it.  Thats Haleys offense.  YAC YAC YAC YAC YAC.  But in order to have the YAC, the ball has to be accurately placed.  This kid can do that.

227 Lutzenkirchen, TE Auburn- We hope Heath doesnt miss much time, maybe 3-4 games.  We also hope the 1 FA we do pick up is a veteran TE (not Pope).  Nevertheless, Philip is the typical Haley TE.  Athletic blocker both in line and as an Hback, with terrific hands, and just enough speed to separate and be a threat in the passing game.

And I thought I was the only one...

... paying attention, that is.

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2013/1/31/3933570/nfl-draft-2013-pittsburgh-steelers-strategy

This guy is really only missing a few tiny details.  Tomlin's love of blood lines and local kids to name a few (mobile, black QBs, and always drafts a WR and LB as well).  Yes, he does like Florida and Ohio State, but the bigger picture is the SEC and Big 10.  You can fine tune it to those schools being at the top of his list, but in general he loves the Could-be Pro SEC and the heavy run game/defense of the Big 10.

PS, Im on point with the 1st pick being NT or S.  But I admit I may be off with Jesse Williams.  Yes, he's from Bama (a favorite of Dline coach Mitchell) but he is a senior, and I bet he rocks the Combine.  Hankins on the other hand is a Buckeye DT that is a junior however reports say he takes time off downs, and works best as a interior DT in a 40 front, especially with someone spelling him.  Plus, Tomlin has drafted 2-3 DTs (kinda NTs, but not really) each one being in the 4th round or later.  Why?  I bet Coach Mitchell knows why.  Mitchell's 1st step with any rookie is to destroy everything they know and rebuild it with what he teaches them.  Younger (junior) players has less to delete, and possibly a higher ceiling.  Now there arent many junior NTs in this draft, and the ones that are are in the 1st round and are better off in a 43 defense.  Theres 1 in particular that Tomlin and Mitchell might have their eyes on.  Kwame Geathers, DT Georgia.  He also flexed to 5 tech at times while spelling John Jenkins.  The problem here is that narrowing this down to just 1 player is very risky, and could cause overdrafting him.  Which means Jesse could in fact be on the board.  But if you look at our history, especially Tomlin's draft history, then in true reality, its probably more like this:

17 Elam, Florida S- defense, junior, position flex, Florida Gator (Elam's graded 45 overall right now.  Much like MP53 who was graded 50 the entire way thru the combine, we still took him 18 overall when he moved to 31)

47 Ball, Wisconisn RB- Big 10, stellar RB, "Run the rest of the tread of his tires"

79 Manuel, Florida St QB- mobile, black QB with great arm, high ceiling.

111 Geathers, Georgia DT- junior, SEC, position flex, direct competition for Ta'amu... and his replacement.

143 Hodges, PSU LB- Its about time we got a PSU LB.  It took long enough.  The bonus is that this one can play inside or outside.  Spence's health and Worild's/Carter's/Robinson's development are key.

175 Williams, Alabama TE- Ive said it before and Ill say it again- hes a bigger, blacker, Heath.  And we all know that if Tomlin to make Heath black he wouldve on day 1.  LOL

207 Brown, Oklahoma WR- late round WR, a Tomlin norm.  PSU transfer, tall and fast.

227 Turnley, Pitt OL- local kid, can flex anywhere from LG thru RT.

Lastly, the guy does make a great point with us drafting duplicate positions.  However, this year we only have 1 comp pick and must draft a QB.  

** As much as Id personally like to have Sly or Brandon Williams NTs at 47 and Gillislee at 111 I bet Gill does the same thing Jesse does and rocks the Combine.  Plus, Tomlin has never drafted 2 players from the same school in the same draft.  Ever.