mesaSteeler
05-03-2009, 12:41 PM
Will 2008 draft class step up?
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/QA/
Posted April 29, 2009 6 :36 PM
Scott Brown
Scott,
We really didn't see Tony Hills, Ryan Mundy, Mike Humpal or Bruce Davis last year. We only saw a little bit of Rashard Mendenhall and perhaps too much of Limas Sweed. Is it too early to call the 2008 draft a bust? With the exception of Mendenhall, I haven't much in the way of expectations for the rest. Could we see more from this group in 2009 or will we see most of them cut?
Ed Hollinger of Minneapolis
Ed,
I do think it is too early to label the 2008 draft as a bust, especially since Mike Tomlin has said numerous times that players make the most improvement from their first year to the second one.
Lawrence Timmons, the team's first-round pick in 2007, made a quantum leap in his second NFL season and the Steelers need most of the players you mentioned to make a similar jump as well, especially Sweed.
The No. 3 wide receiver job is his for the taking. But recent developments such as the drafting of wide receiver Mike Wallace in the third round and the hosting of veteran Ashley Lelie for a visit, make it clear that Sweed won't be handed anything. To Sweed's credit, he has been working hard and is well aware of how critical this season is for him.
I think Mendenhall is really going to help the running game this season provided, of course, he can stay healthy, and the Steelers have not given up on Davis, a third-round pick in 2008. Of course, even if Davis makes significant progress it's hard to see him getting on the field much this season considering starting outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley rarely come off it.
Two players to watch from the 2008 draft class are Hills and Mundy. Left tackle Max Starks is only signed through the 2009 season and the Steelers did not draft a long-term replacement for him. Hills could be that guy though the Steelers better hope that is not by default.
Mundy, meanwhile, could provide some much-needed youth at safety if he makes the kind of improvement Tomlin expects out of second-year players. And remember, starting free safety Ryan Clark is among those players going into the final year of their contract while Tyrone Carter, the backup at both free and strong safety, is 33.
The Steelers did not draft a safety so an opportunity is there for Mundy and Roy Lewis, who signed with the team as an undrafted free agent and spent most of last season on the practice squad.
In short, it is too early to say that the Steelers whiffed on the 2008 draft but this much is certain: the training wheels are officially off for the players in that class.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/QA/
Posted April 29, 2009 6 :36 PM
Scott Brown
Scott,
We really didn't see Tony Hills, Ryan Mundy, Mike Humpal or Bruce Davis last year. We only saw a little bit of Rashard Mendenhall and perhaps too much of Limas Sweed. Is it too early to call the 2008 draft a bust? With the exception of Mendenhall, I haven't much in the way of expectations for the rest. Could we see more from this group in 2009 or will we see most of them cut?
Ed Hollinger of Minneapolis
Ed,
I do think it is too early to label the 2008 draft as a bust, especially since Mike Tomlin has said numerous times that players make the most improvement from their first year to the second one.
Lawrence Timmons, the team's first-round pick in 2007, made a quantum leap in his second NFL season and the Steelers need most of the players you mentioned to make a similar jump as well, especially Sweed.
The No. 3 wide receiver job is his for the taking. But recent developments such as the drafting of wide receiver Mike Wallace in the third round and the hosting of veteran Ashley Lelie for a visit, make it clear that Sweed won't be handed anything. To Sweed's credit, he has been working hard and is well aware of how critical this season is for him.
I think Mendenhall is really going to help the running game this season provided, of course, he can stay healthy, and the Steelers have not given up on Davis, a third-round pick in 2008. Of course, even if Davis makes significant progress it's hard to see him getting on the field much this season considering starting outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley rarely come off it.
Two players to watch from the 2008 draft class are Hills and Mundy. Left tackle Max Starks is only signed through the 2009 season and the Steelers did not draft a long-term replacement for him. Hills could be that guy though the Steelers better hope that is not by default.
Mundy, meanwhile, could provide some much-needed youth at safety if he makes the kind of improvement Tomlin expects out of second-year players. And remember, starting free safety Ryan Clark is among those players going into the final year of their contract while Tyrone Carter, the backup at both free and strong safety, is 33.
The Steelers did not draft a safety so an opportunity is there for Mundy and Roy Lewis, who signed with the team as an undrafted free agent and spent most of last season on the practice squad.
In short, it is too early to say that the Steelers whiffed on the 2008 draft but this much is certain: the training wheels are officially off for the players in that class.