Thank you for another great breakdown of who to keep an eye out for, Mr. Reid!
Thanks,
Sudesh
“Never doubt that the work of a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret
Mead
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, 4:42:50 AM PDT, David Reid
<dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Let’s face facts, they have to come out of this draft with a left tackle, a
center and a running back who can start early as a matter of urgency with depth
across the board.
Opinion is split on whether a) the Steelers will take a running back in the
first round if there is one there and b) whether there will be a running back
there in the first place. Harris is the obvious pick, I’m not sure Etienne is a
fit with them and Javonte Williams is the third back in the draft but who has a
lot of interest in round one, too. The dropoff after these three is marked,
Gainwell can do a job for you, but I’m not sure that he or any of the others
are a 25 carry a game workhorse and besides, I think you’d look for that second
tier of backs to come off the board in round three. I’m usually against the
drafting of a RB in round one, but the lack of depth this year is marked
compared with previous years - there are no Alvin Kamara’s floating around in
round two in this group.
When you look at tackle, probably discount Sewell, Slater and Darrisaw as they
would have gone, Mayfield is a possibility but may be better suited at guard, I
like Jenkins and I like Radunz as a left tackle and he is rising - could they
slide down a few spots and get one of those two guys and an extra pick? Yes, I
think they could. Second round could have some other names like Brown and
Eichenberg, but I think you’ll see a run on linemen early in round two as teams
that focused on skill players in the top ten of round one move on protecting
their assets.
Dickerson’s injury history is a concern at center, I like Humphrey and he may
be around in round two, Meinerz is in the 2/3 area could feature as well.
Leatherwood is intriguing as well, though more as a guard / tackle type.
It’s a tough one to call. My gut instincts are telling me that there’s no way
that Harris will get to pick 24, either the Dolphins will pick him, or someone
will trade up to get him, possibly Buffalo. If that’s the case, then it falls
to what the preference is, the second or third best back, or one of the linemen
that’s there. I like Williams, he’s a better fit than Etienne is for the
Steelers as he can grind it between the tackles, but would they pick him ahead
of Jenkins or Radunz? That’s the question. To summarise, I think it’s Harris if
he’s there, if not, then trade down in round one, get an extra pick and take a
lineman or Williams if he’s still there at the end of round one.
And, as always, round one will not determine the success or failure of this
draft, in fact, if they get Harris, it just heightens the urgency to fix the OL
even more in rounds two and three, because he won’t have any more success
behind the OL as it stands today than any of the backs they ran out there last
year had.
Could they surprise and go a completely different direction in round one? Sure,
remember, it has been 9 years since they went offense in round one. So, if
there’s a LB like Zaven Collins or Owusu-Koramoah or Parsons if he were to fall
for some reason that were to make it to 24 and they really liked them more than
they like Highsmith or the mess at ILB behind the starters, or if they think
that Asante Samuel or Farley is worth a shot at corner, then I wouldn’t be
surprised. Keep an eye on Collins, especially. It would mean that there won’t
be much of a running game again next year, but it wouldn’t be a surprise and
remember, there is another ticking time bomb in the secondary with Hilton and
Nelson gone, questions about Layne, Haden getting up in years, and Edmunds
entering the last year of his deal so a DB pick would be plausible, if not a
critical need for this coming season.
Elsewhere, DL depth, a mid-tier TE would help and you just know that they will
be tempted by another WR despite last year’s group returning, in a normal year
I’d be begging for them to take a shot at a Rondale Moore or an Elijah Moore in
round two, but needs must. Unless something bizarre happens, they should pass
on the entire QB class and deal with it next year. But overall, adding quality
depth across the board is a must this year.
I’ll be here all weekend, I’ll send any updates if I get any additional
knowledge, let’s do this…...