LLT's Mock Draft and Prospect Breakdown

[lamberts-lost-tooth]

Originally Posted by Texasteel

How far would Kindle have to slide before we start thinking of moving up.

Yikes!!!

The Chiefs have two picks at #36 & #50
The Browns pick at #38
The Dolphins pick at #40
The Ravens pick at #43
The Patriots pick at #44 & #47
The Broncos pick at #45
The 49ers pick at #49

After looking at the board...I think its safe to assume that Kindle won't make it to us at #52.

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by lamberts-lost-tooth

After looking at the board...I think its safe to assume that Kindle won't make it to us at #52.

i agree, but listening to sirius there is speculation that he slipped on so many teams boards due to medical evaluations of his knee. word is he may need micro fracture surgery, but again, i think its all speculation right now.

in the draft of sweed and hills we gambled on alot of guys who fell with past injury questions.

[lamberts-lost-tooth]

Originally Posted by Aussie_steeler

I have been pimping Misi for a good while now, but yesterday I heard reports that he had a major back surgery 2-3 years ago.

It may well be enough to scare teams a little. Otherwise I think he has New England Patriot written all over him.
.

Here is what I found on Misi and the back injury:

The senior suffered a back injury, the extent of which was unknown at the time. "I thought the worst," he recalled. Misi's friends and coaches, however, kept telling him everything would be fine. Turns out they were right.

Although the injury kept him out of Utah's season opener vs. Utah State, Misi more than made up for it. He started the next twelve games and wound up leading all defensive linemen in the Mountain West Conference with 71 tackles (34 solo) that included five sacks, 9.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and three forced fumbles. That performance earned him first-team All-MWC honors and an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/p...;pageContainer

[lamberts-lost-tooth]

Originally Posted by tony hipchest

i agree, but listening to sirius there is speculation that he slipped on so many teams boards due to medical evaluations of his knee. word is he may need micro fracture surgery, but again, i think its all speculation right now.

in the draft of sweed and hills we gambled on alot of guys who fell with past injury questions.

I hadn't hear about the knee...that would make a lot of sense.

[lamberts-lost-tooth]

Quick breakdown of our prospects.

It should be noted that we all talked about getting into that 3-4 round range inn which we saw a great deal of talent. I think that our FO did a pretty good job of that, giving us 5 prospects who fell within NFL.com's final grade for their top 100 players.

OC Maurkice Pouncey #19
WR Emmanuel Sanders #50
OLB Jason Worilds #73
RB Jonathan Dwyer #89
OLB Thaddeus Gibson #95

Now for a breakdown of our draft picks....


1) Maurkice Pouncey - Very Safe Pick. I had him graded out as a late 1st early 2nd rounder. His value was elavated a little due to a pretty serious lack of talent at the position this year. Could we have got him a few picks later by trading down? Probably. Will he be an upgrade at the position and play at a high level for the next several years? Definately. He can play Guard and Center and is one of the few interior lineman in this years draft that has the sand in his pants to stand up to bull rushers.

2) Jason Worilds - I keep hearing that Worilds has one of the fastest first steps in this draft. If he can make the transition from DE to OLB he could be a terror on blitz packages. He had 29.5 tackles for losses over the past two years. Video shows that this guy hits ballcarriers like a truck.

3) Emmanuel Sanders - Sanders didnt get a lot of love yesterday, but as I pointed out, he had climbed the draft boards and was ranked above WR's like Arrelious Benn on NFL.com. Sanders showed progression every year in college and topped off his senior year with a 98 catch 1,339 yard performance. He has ran a 4.40 forty and video highlights shows a reciever with ELITE leaping ability. This time next year we will all be talking about his tendancy to out-jump defenders.

4) Thaddeus Gibson - Another DE who the Steelers hope can make the transition to OLB. Gibson worked out for the Steelers coaches earlier this year and they obviously like what they saw in him. If you check his highlights, watch his backpedal. For a player that played college DE, he has a very smooth backpedal and lowers his hips like a CB when dropping into coverage.

5) Chris Scott - This was a surprise pick for me. I had thought that Scott projected as an mauling OG in the NFL, but Steelers.com has him listed as an OT. He has played every position on the line while in college so he has a little versatility. Scott will have to keep his weight in check and build some stamina but when fresh he looks like he locks on and controls defenders . Give Scott a year in an NFL weight/strength program and he might be a steal.

5) Bryant McFadden - I'm glad I didnt throw out my framed 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers team photo. Someone queue the Welcome Back Kotter theme song.

5) Crezdon Butler - Strickly a project player in the mold of Ike Taylor, good Size/Speed ratio but will need to be coached-up in regards to reading offenses and improving his tackling technique.

5) Stevenson Sylvester - Player who will probably make his mark on special teams initially but may have the range, closing speed and instincts to play both ILB/OLB if he can become more of a wrap up tackler. Might spend a year on the PS.

6) Jonathan Dwyer -One of the biggest steals of the draft, NFL.comranked him as the #89 best player and thought he might be gone in the 2nd round. A slow forty time initiated his slide, but Dwyer is a thick bodied, tackle-breaking power back who shows great forward lean and has a very good stiff arm. He is built to run over you...not around you.

6) Antonio Brown - I have heard alot of complaints about us drafting ANOTHER reciever. Well......Brown had 3,434 yards and five touchdowns returning kicks and punts over the past three years. I think its obvious why we drafted him. It also doesnt hurt that he runs a 4.42 forty and as a reciever he had 1,198 yards and 9 TD's last year.


7) Doug Worthington - Linebackers coach, Keith Butler, was at Worthingtons Pro-day workout and was obviously impressed by the DE's athleticism. Ohio State never really allowed Worthington the time at any one position and played him all over the D-line. He is a try-hard player that might light a fire under Sonny Harris, who could be on the outside looking in if Worthington makes the squad.

[Aussie_steeler]

Thanks LLT

Found a little gem on Sylvester. I like the way he reads the field in this highlight package.

He could well be a special team demon

http://www.nfldraftgeek.com/stevenson.html

[Steel Glory]

Originally Posted by Aussie_steeler

Thanks LLT

Found a little gem on Sylvester. I like the way he reads the field in this highlight package.

He could well be a special team demon

http://www.nfldraftgeek.com/stevenson.html

Nice find on Sylvester. He looks better working in space as an Inside Linebacker. I wouldn't worry about his speed, he is faster than Brandon Spikes

He has good vision and looks like he can fight off blocks pretty well. The video was well put together.