mesaSteeler
04-23-2009, 11:57 PM
(Mods not sure if this should go in the War Room or not since it talks about both draft picks and current players. Feel free to move it if you wish. - mesa)
Cornerback in their draft pockets?
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_622058.html#
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, April 24, 2009
Eight of the 30 college prospects who visited the Steelers this month were cornerbacks.
Such attention to one position is not the only reason to think the Steelers may use their top draft pick on a cornerback for the first time in over a decade.
The Steelers also lost cornerback Bryant McFadden to free agency - he is the only starter from the Super Bowl-winning team that won't return at this point - and this is shaping up as a good year for teams with a need at corner.
Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said the draft, which will be held Saturday and Sunday, is deep in cornerbacks.
"Maybe not (for) the top-end, glitzy kind of guys," Colbert said, "but there's more corners that are going to be able to be contributors."
The possibility that no cornerbacks will be taken in the top half of the first round means there should be plenty of quality ones available when the Steelers make the 32nd overall pick.
It seems like a foregone conclusion that the Steelers will take at least one cornerback in the draft.
They have high hopes for William Gay, who will get the first crack at replacing McFadden in the starting lineup. But even if the third-year man makes a successful jump from part-time starter to full-time regular, the Steelers could use depth at the position.
And they may need a replacement soon for nickel back Deshea Townsend, who is 33 and heading into his 12th NFL season.
Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has said the proliferation of pass-happy offenses in college football has better prepared cornerbacks for the NFL. That is not to say the transition to the NFL is an easy one since the position can be so emotionally taxing.
"Sometimes a talented young guy can come in, and inevitably they're going to get beat by the really good ones," New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "They're going to have to come back and play the next play. Sometimes emotionally they're not as prepared for that."
Cornerbacks need skin as thick as a phone book since their mistakes are evident even to those with only a basic knowledge of football.
"What have you done for me lately?" Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor said. "That's what cornerback is all about."
The Steelers, who haven't drafted a cornerback in the first round since 1997 when they selected Chad Scott, got Taylor (2003) and Townsend (1998) in the fourth round. They picked Gay near the bottom of the fifth round in 2007.
If the Steelers wait until after the first round to take a cornerback, they should be able to find one who can help them.
"There are a number guys who are No. 2 and No. 3 corners in this draft," Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "It's a hefty group as far as numbers go."
Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.
Cornerback in their draft pockets?
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_622058.html#
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, April 24, 2009
Eight of the 30 college prospects who visited the Steelers this month were cornerbacks.
Such attention to one position is not the only reason to think the Steelers may use their top draft pick on a cornerback for the first time in over a decade.
The Steelers also lost cornerback Bryant McFadden to free agency - he is the only starter from the Super Bowl-winning team that won't return at this point - and this is shaping up as a good year for teams with a need at corner.
Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said the draft, which will be held Saturday and Sunday, is deep in cornerbacks.
"Maybe not (for) the top-end, glitzy kind of guys," Colbert said, "but there's more corners that are going to be able to be contributors."
The possibility that no cornerbacks will be taken in the top half of the first round means there should be plenty of quality ones available when the Steelers make the 32nd overall pick.
It seems like a foregone conclusion that the Steelers will take at least one cornerback in the draft.
They have high hopes for William Gay, who will get the first crack at replacing McFadden in the starting lineup. But even if the third-year man makes a successful jump from part-time starter to full-time regular, the Steelers could use depth at the position.
And they may need a replacement soon for nickel back Deshea Townsend, who is 33 and heading into his 12th NFL season.
Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has said the proliferation of pass-happy offenses in college football has better prepared cornerbacks for the NFL. That is not to say the transition to the NFL is an easy one since the position can be so emotionally taxing.
"Sometimes a talented young guy can come in, and inevitably they're going to get beat by the really good ones," New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "They're going to have to come back and play the next play. Sometimes emotionally they're not as prepared for that."
Cornerbacks need skin as thick as a phone book since their mistakes are evident even to those with only a basic knowledge of football.
"What have you done for me lately?" Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor said. "That's what cornerback is all about."
The Steelers, who haven't drafted a cornerback in the first round since 1997 when they selected Chad Scott, got Taylor (2003) and Townsend (1998) in the fourth round. They picked Gay near the bottom of the fifth round in 2007.
If the Steelers wait until after the first round to take a cornerback, they should be able to find one who can help them.
"There are a number guys who are No. 2 and No. 3 corners in this draft," Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "It's a hefty group as far as numbers go."
Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.