Sunday, May 11, 2014

Why I Like the Shazier pick (and my thoughts on the rest of the Steelers draft)

On Thursday night, the Steelers shocked all of Steelers Nation by taking Ohio State Linebacker Ryan Shazier, with the 15th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Most of the Nation wanted a cornerback. I feel we got the best player defensive player available, and I am not just saying that because I am a Buckeye nut.

Most Steelers fans wanted Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard, but I am glad the Steelers didn't bite. I have watched a lot of his play, and he's too physical in my opinion. The way he plays will be drawing penalty flags in the NFL. Some say you can coach it out of him, but I don't fully buy that. He's played that way all through college, probably played that way in high school. That's a long time for habits like that to sink in, and it's easier to coach someone to do something better than to stop doing something that's now natural to them. Can he be good? Yeah. But he could also turn out to be a headache due to penalties. Untimely penalties have killed the Steelers in the past, so I am glad this flag magnet isn't going to be wearing the Black & Gold.

The Steelers won their past two Super Bowls with Ike Taylor as the best corner on both teams. He was a good corner on those teams, but he wasn't anywhere close to the best in the league. If our linebackers are flying around and getting good QB pressure, our corners will be fine. Our entire defense is predicated on linebacker play.

Ryan Shazier is a tackling machine. Here is his career stat line at Ohio State:

317 total tackles (210 solo), 45.5 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks, 1 interception, 9 forced fumbles

Just last season alone he had 23.5 TFL with 7 sacks. He had 102 total tackles.

He was also the fastest linebacker in the draft. Warren Sapp has called the Steelers' defense "old and slow" multiple times, but that's not the case anymore. The defensive line has youth, the linebacker core is all young, and the secondary has some youth too. The two oldest starters for the Steelers will likely be Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu.

Speaking of Polamalu, this draft pick is going to be what extends his career to the end of his new extension. He's too old to be playing the quasi-linebacker role that we have seen in the past. The whole reason he was playing it last season was because we didn't have a second inside linebacker. At this point in his career, he should be playing more of the role Ed Reed played in Baltimore. Center field, breaking up passes and getting picks. Shazier is going to be playing inside 'backer, he's going to be making those plays against the run. He can cover backs and tight ends.

Polamalu is still going to provide run support. I am sure we will see him diving over the line of scrimmage a time or two this season. But he's not going to take the normal pounding because we won't need him to. And because of that, he should be able to play the next three seasons.

 The Steelers also drafted Stephon Tuitt, the DE out of Notre Dame. He's going to be the 5-technique DE we have been looking for. He's going to bookend the defensive line with Cam Heyward...the defense is going to be so much better than it's been the past two plus seasons. It's needed this infusion of youth. Tuitt isn't only going to take up blockers allowing our linebackers to make plays, he's going to also get pressure on the QB.

Dri Archer (RB, Kent State) was the fastest player in the draft, and I expect him to be used as a RB-WR hybrid. He's going to be able to scorch defenses, I just hope he can hold up being smaller. If he can, he can be a fourth receiver and play some RB. He will also return punts and kicks, which is good because it'll save Antonio Brown some unneeded hits.

Martavis Bryant (WR, Clemson) was the less heralded receiver on the Tigers, but he should be very good for the Steelers. At 6'5" and 200 lbs., he will be the biggest receiver on the team. There's rumor that he may start at some point this season. With 800 yards and 7 TD's last season, I expect to get close to that from him once he steps into a full-time starting role.

Shaquille Richardson (CB, Arizona) had only 10 picks in his college career, but from everything I have read he has all the physical tools to play the position in the NFL. The Steelers don't often take corners high, but this kid could end up starting after a season or so of being coached up by Coach Lake. Even if the Steelers take a corner in the first round next season, Richardson could end up a good nickel back at worst.

Wesley Johnson (OL, Vanderbilt) adds depth to the offensive line. I didn't see him play much, but with all the injuries to our line last season, some added depth is always a good thing.

Jordan Zumwalt (LB, UCLA) is a pick that has me a bit confused. He was a good player for the Bruins and racked up 91 tackles last season, but he puts us crowded at linebacker. Maybe he was drafted because the Steelers want to push a couple backups and maybe release them if they can't outperform Zumwalt, or at the least get better on special teams with him.

Daniel McCullers (DL, Tennessee) has monster size at 6'8" and 351 lbs. I think the Steelers want to develop him into a starting nose tackle, and I think this guy can definitely collapse the pocket. If he can become a solid starting NT, then this is damn sure a great pick. Otherwise, it's good depth.

Rob Blanchflower (TE, UMASS) wasn't really a pass catcher. He had 27 catches for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. I would think he's being brought in for depth and help blocking, maybe to develop into a tackle at 6'4" and 350 lbs.

I would give the Steelers a solid B on this draft. Shazier and Tuitt are probably going to start as rookies. Bryant should see a lot of snaps at the least in three receiver sets. Archer is going to be electric on special teams at the least. Got some good depth at the least in the rest of the draft.