Steelers take another CB in fourth round of draft

[mesaSteeler]

Steelers take another CB in fourth round of draft
Saturday, April 30, 2011
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers drafted a cornerback for the second straight round, taking Cortez Allen of The Citadel with their first pick today at the end of the fourth round.

On Friday, the Steelers used their third-round draft choice on Texas cornerback Curtis Brown.
First published on April 30, 2011 at 1:37 pm

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11120...#ixzz1L1sxJ9WJ

(And the Steelers cattle call for CBs is on. I suppose open tryouts for walk on CB's will be be next. - mesa)

[mesaSteeler]

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/...len?id=2495497

Cortez Allen

Height:
6'1"
Weight:
197 lbs.
Arm Length:
32 1/4 in.
Hand Size:
8 5/8 in.
College:
Citadel
Conference:
Southern
Position:
DB


Allen is blessed with the physical tools (great size) to eventually become a backup corner for a press-heavy team but is a raw prospect lacking the natural coverage instincts to develop into a starter. Very capable of jamming receivers at the line but can struggle to mirror once in a trail position. Utilizes his length and reach to rack up the pass break-ups and extend for difficult INTs but needs to show more aggressiveness on jump balls and when taking on blockers against the run. Instincts and awareness need to be developed. Allen likely will be taken on Day 3.

(Oh goody another backup corner. Well I suppose we need someone to keep the bench warm. - mesa)

[PhantomJB93]

He looks like a good small school sleeper, he has nice size and speed for a pick in this round.

Really hoping we get like Richard Marshall or Carlos Rogers in free agency

[mesaSteeler]

Another Cornerback Into the Pile: Cortez Allen In Round 4
Posted on April 30, 2011 by adam
http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/0...ortez-allen-4/

A raw, talented, physical cornerback from a small school selected near the end of the fourth round. That combination back in 2003 worked out quite well for the Steelers with Ike Taylor, and they picked a player with a similar profile in 2011 with the Citadel’s Cortez Allen with pick No. 130.

Allen is the second defensive back to join the Steelers this weekend, joining Curtis Brown from Texas in Round 3.

Secondary coach Carnell Lake, via Ken Laird on Twitter, said that Allen is “pretty quick, pretty fast, can play both bump and off coverage” and has “a lot of upside.” The Steelers haven’t used high picks on defensive backs in recent years, instead opting to pick them in bunches in the mid-late rounds: William Gay (fifth round in ’07), Ryan Mundy (sixth round in ’08), Keenan Lewis (third round in ’09), Joe Burnett (fifth round in ’09) Crezdon Butler (fifth round round in ’10) and now Brown (third round) and Allen (fourth round) in 2011.

So far, the results have been mixed to put it kindly. If nothing else this is a pretty strong message to Lewis that it’s time to step up or move on, and it’s quite a bit of competition for Butler (and perhaps Bryant McFadden and Gay) as well.

(If this is such a passing league as the passing Nazis of Airhead Arians cult keep insisting, the it stands to reason that you need to have at least three good CB's. Instead all we do is keep using high draft picks on LBs and low round picks on CBs. This strategy does not seem to make a lot of sense. - mesa)

[cloppbeast]

Originally Posted by mesaSteeler

(And the Steelers cattle call for CBs is on. I suppose open tryouts for walk on CB's will be be next. - mesa)

Yes, I suppose we should just take this author's word for it.

[Farrior_roirraW]

Originally Posted by mesaSteeler

Allen is blessed with the physical tools (great size) to eventually become a backup corner for a press-heavy team but is a raw prospect lacking the natural coverage instincts to develop into a starter. Very capable of jamming receivers at the line but can struggle to mirror once in a trail position. Utilizes his length and reach to rack up the pass break-ups and extend for difficult INTs but needs to show more aggressiveness on jump balls and when taking on blockers against the run. Instincts and awareness need to be developed. Allen likely will be taken on Day 3.

Uh... okay...

Doesn't sound great but I think there has to be something KC sees that this guy doesn't. Because, to me anyways, it doesn't sound like Allen is a fourth round pick...

[SH-Rock]

Originally Posted by Farrior_roirraW

Uh... okay...

Doesn't sound great but I think there has to be something KC sees that this guy doesn't. Because, to me anyways, it doesn't sound like Allen is a fourth round pick...

Yeah he is height and speed and intelligence. He's a pure project.

[mesaSteeler]

Originally Posted by SH-Rock

Yeah he is height and speed and intelligence. He's a pure project.

We have a winner!

[mesaSteeler]

Ed: Steelers New CB Similar to Ike
Saturday, 30 April 2011 14:11
Written by Ed Bouchette
http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/i...similar-to-ike

So, Steelers are throwing numbers at the cornerback position after drafting their second one in a row. Kevin Colbert maybe was true to his word that he would operate as if Ike Taylor were not on his team.

Maybe that’s why he drafted perhaps the next Ike Taylor. Cortzez Allen, their selection on the fourth round, may not be as fast as Taylor but there are plenty of other similarities. He’s a relatively raw kid at the position, played just one year in high school and then went to a small football school.

He has good size at 6-1 ¼, 197 pounds. Taylor is 6-1, 195. He played at Louisiana-Lafayette and was even less experienced at the cornerback spot, moving from offense as a tailback to cornerback only for his senior season. Taylor too was drafted on the fourth round.

The problem for Allen in particular is that he may not have much of a chance to hone that raw ability because of the lockout. The first time he hits a football field with the Steelers might not be until August – or later. That means his rookie season could be a wash for him and the team. And he won’t be the only rookie in that spot.

[thumper]

Ummm, yea, they have gone for volume of late CB picks instead of spending some
earlier round love once in a while. And how has it turned out for them?

Secondary coach Carnell Lake, via Ken Laird on Twitter, said that Allen is “pretty quick, pretty fast, can play both bump and off coverage” and has “a lot of upside.” The Steelers haven’t used high picks on defensive backs in recent years, instead opting to pick them in bunches in the mid-late rounds: William Gay (fifth round in ’07), Ryan Mundy (sixth round in ’08), Keenan Lewis (third round in ’09), Joe Burnett (fifth round in ’09) Crezdon Butler (fifth round round in ’10) and now Brown (third round) and Allen (fourth round) in 2011.

Gay, Mundy, Lewis, Burnett - vomit, barf, shit and puke. Great plan. Keep working
that angle. It's really been working out great for the team so far.