2009 Steelers Draft and Mel Kiper Sucks Thread

• Iowa WR Marvin McNutt had an excellent day and was arguably the most impressive performer offensively. McNutt caught everything, snatching balls away from his body and even adjusting to poor throws. McNutt didn’t get a ton of separation but was able to make plays due to quality ball skills. At one point McNutt and Leonard Johnson got a bit chippy in 1-on-1’s.
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Great stuff on McNutt - He also did not drop a pass on Tuesday and I learned he was recruited out of High School as a QB...  hmmmm think of the possibilities....  The little I have seen of this kid - I really like...  second day in a row they throw the slant to him and he looked impressive...  then again - with Benny Boy looking long ball...  kid might be a waste on the Steelers.. 

enjoy,

bb

BB. McNutt is moving up the boards, as is Kendall Reyes. See my half-assed mock on previous page. The new OC needs to do three things with #7. first off, he needs to play more like he did vs. NE. Quick rhythm passing, THEN go deep when the safeties move up. Second, throw the effin ball away, avoid the unnecessary hits. Finally, improve play action and pump fakes. He forgets to do this and gets complacent, looks for Wallace as his first read, & telegraphs his intentions. Why does be do this at points and not others. I am not high on Finscher, need someone more like R Lee Emery to get in his face. Arians was his friend, he needs a coach or coordinator who can kick hiss ass now and then and make him better. The Steelers have a top ten TE Why do they suck in the red zone? Arians was too predictable and the OL needs more push when they need TD's not FG's!!!

NY,

Do I need to correct you already on the QB coach and spelling his last name? 

I thought it was spelled......  Finkster....


enjoy,

bb

The new OC needs to do three things with #7. first off, he needs to play more like he did vs. NE. Quick rhythm passing, THEN go deep when the safeties move up. Second, throw the effin ball away, avoid the unnecessary hits. Finally, improve play action and pump fakes. He forgets to do this and gets complacent, looks for Wallace as his first read, & telegraphs his intentions. Why does be do this at points and not others.

It's funny that we can see these things as fans but Arians and Ben either didn't recognize it or refused to acknowledge that what they wanted to do and what worked were two different things.  Rooney Jr. and others in the organization must have recognized it or Arians would be back.  I don't think Rooney or anybody else care if the Steelers are run heavy or pass heavy as long as they best utilize the talent they have and score. 

 

Hey guys I have a new site I'm into not sure if anyone else has been on there or not.

www.nationalfootballpost.com

here is his take on the South's day 2 practice:

Vanderbilt corner Casey Hayward made himself some money with his performance Tuesday. He’s a nice sized defensive back with balanced footwork, a good feel in coverage and can cleanly turn to track the football. He’s a tough guy to separate from, exhibits “plus” ball skills and possesses an ideal skill set of a cover two type corner in the NFL.

Another corner who impressed today was Georgia’s Brandon Boykin. The undersized defensive back competed all practice long, showcasing a burst out of his breaks and good speed vertically down the field. He does have a tendency to get a bit grabby at times when asked to re-direct. However, he did a nice job staying in receivers back pockets throughout and looks like a “plus” slot guy at the next level.

I have to admit, I came away unimpressed with the performance of North Carolina wide out Dwight Jones. Jones was simply unable to get off press coverage throughout the day. He didn’t look real sudden off the line and had a tough time getting up to speed through contact. Jones didn’t see a ton of press-man this past year, but because of his skill set I thought it was a nuance of the game he likely couple develop in. However, watching him get re-routed with ease off the line Tuesday was a real downer for him.

On the other hand, UNC DE Quinton Coples not only looks the part, but was physical on contact as a pass rusher, used his length well to fend off blocks and could either overpower on contact or cleanly slide step blocks inside. Plus, because of his lower body length he has deceptive speed when asked to run the corner. And despite getting a bit upright, he was still able to fend off blockers on contact off the edge routinely. Overall, there’s simply too much talent for this guy not to go in the top 10/15 picks.

South Carolina pass rusher Melvin Ingram was also a bear to block off the edge today. He flashed natural change of direction skills on his spin move, was sudden on his inside club and even dropped his pad level down around the edge. He can reach the pass rusher in a number of ways and because of the lacking talent in this year’s class; he should be a first round selection.

Anchor strength is a must at the offensive tackle position, because if you can’t hold up on contact you’ll make every linemen you go against look like a good pass rusher. And that has been the case for Florida State OT Zebrie Sanders. He’s a long kid with solid athleticism, but was routinely overwhelmed today and would get overextend into contact in order to try to make up for his lacking base, causing him to whiff into blocks. Needs to continue to get stronger to have a chance at starting in the NFL.

Arizona WR Juron Criner made a pair of impressive catches Tuesday, plucking the football with one hand even on one occasion with a corner draped all over him. However, the big thing with Criner is that he’s a guy who doesn’t have much burst to his game, isn’t clean out of his breaks and isn’t ever going to separate a ton vs. man coverage in the NFL. Looks more like a big inside guy to me.

Finally, I’m starting to warm up on Georgia OL Cordy Glenn. He played inside at guard today and showcased some natural footwork through contact and used his long arms and strong hands to stick. He still got himself into some trouble on the edge when trying to anchor, as he would get his weight out over his knees and fall off the block. However, looks like a guard capable of starting at the next level early on.

Here is their take on day 2 of the Unions practice.


There are some concerns with the game of Oklahoma CB Jamell Fleming, especially when asked to vertically turn and run. However, he plays with good balance in his drop, is clean to re-direct and fluidly can transition out of his back-pedal. In my view he’s been the most impressive defensive back on the North roster so far this week and looks like a potential top-60 pick.

ICONMcNutt has been solid this week.

Iowa State cornerback Leonard Johnson on the other hand has not really found his groove yet this week. He showcased the ability at times to be physical of the line and shoot the proper hand into contact in press coverage. However, he hasn’t looked comfortable at all in off-man this week, as he gets upright when asked to drive on the football and fidgety when trying to read and react to routes.

One of the receivers Johnson had trouble with off the line was Iowa’s Marvin McNutt. McNutt isn’t a real dynamic athlete and isn’t a guy who is ever going to be explosive on sharply breaking routes. However, he does a nice job in the three step game, he can adjust well to the football down the field and was able to quickly get off press man today. He has a sneaky quickness to his game off the line and uses his long arms to fend off contact. He’s limited, but looks like a potential “X” receiver in the NFL who could hold his own on the strong side.

There has certainly been some improvement to the game of Penn State DE Jack Crawford since the end of the season. He’s done a much better job keeping his pad level lower as a pass rusher, extending his arms and playing with better balance. The improved balance has allowed him to be more sudden on contact and more violent with his hands, hence disengaging far better than I thought he would as a pass rusher this week.

Running backs in my view are the toughest players to evaluate during a week of practice at any all-star game. However, even with that being said Washington RB Chris Polk hasn’t been real impressive up to this point. He doesn’t display much of a first step, there is no real explosive quality to his game and he struggled in pass protection. Overall, he doesn’t look like a top three running back prospect to me in the class.

On the other hand, Boise State RB Doug Martin showcased a good first step; natural forward lean and can quickly decipher information at the line of scrimmage and change directions. He’s a fluid kid with a thick build and his initial quickness really stood out for a back his size. Looks like a future starting caliber running back at the next level. 

Cal OT Mitchell Schwartz did exhibit some natural balance initially in pass protection today. However, he routinely gets too upright which limits his power into contact as well as his balance laterally when trying to mirror. Looks more like a swing offensive tackle at the next level than eventual NFL starter.

Finally, Arkansas State LB Demario Davis did a nice job during 1v1 pass rushing drills Tuesday. He showcased some power when trying to work the bull rush, could dip his pad level around the edge and had some “know how” working his hands in order to shed. He’s one of the NFP’s favorites and is off to a solid start so far this week.

Roc,

Thanks for the report - the more reports the better..    I watched alittle of the South Practice last night - they had Philip Blake plaing guard most of the practice - look pretty good after coming off a year of center..  The South's DL is very very good and will be interesting to see them matched up against the North's Oline - I'm betting the South's Dline win that battle..

enjoy,

bb

BB,

My joke cable system doesn't have NFL Network yet so I can only go by what I read but I keep hearing great things about Bobby Wagner / Utah State. Check him out if you get a chance.

Beach,

Will do - There several reports that Bobby Wagner is doing very well this week - I will get a chance to watch the South Practice today - now if the NFL Network shows anything besides guys standing around for the most part is another question...

What's the deal?   Delaware - First state - Last for NFL Network?

enjoy,

bb

Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia
Cam Johnson has enjoyed some very good Senior Bowl practices. Mike Mayock took note of this.

"Cam Johnson is interesting," Mayock said. "I don't know where you line him up, but he's had a really good week."
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Here's a kid a mentioned in the Fall after watching UVA play....  He was playing DE in a 4-3 there..  hmmmm  O'Brien Schofield?  maybe stand him up in a 3-4?


enjoy,

bb

FS George Iloka, Boise State: At nearly 6-4 and 222 pounds, Iloka looks more like a potential linebacker than a free safety, but his athleticism and instincts have been on display all week long. He intercepted a pass during Tuesday's practice, making an impressive diving pick-off of Michigan State's Kirk Cousins in front of Massachusetts' H-back Emil Igwenagu. Iloka is not surprisingly a bit high in his back pedal but he showed surprising agility and burst when asked to drop down and cover receivers when the offense switched to a three receiver set. In a relatively weak year for safeties (outside of Alabama's Mark Barron), Iloka's size, athleticism and experience (40 consecutive starts) stand out.
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enjoy,

bb

there should be a freaking practice on right now!instead im watching irvin drop balls...

2k 

2K,

Starts here at 5:30pm EST - on NFL Network - then a recap show at 10:30pm EST..  not on right now here in the east..

Audie Cole is having a fantastic week.... push him into round 2..


enjoy,

bb

the schedule on nfl game pass said 3:30 so thats when i tuned it...damn them...damn them all.

2k 

2K,

Yeah the web site has 3:30 - its really at 5:30pm EST today..  about 40 minutes...

Hope you can check it out...  the telecasts have not been too good -they dont show enough action.

enjoy,

bb

Oh i have been watching them bb, they are a far cry from last year, which was already veering off what i wanted.

2k 

92 and 98 look interesting on the D side of the ball for the south....really likeing 92.

oh and their is a gid out of georgia i think, on the O line, made some nice blocks. cordy glenn i think

coples is an enigma for me, he looks good but he lacks traits that really will make you suck at the NFL i.e. gets of the ball slow i feel, and then stands up far to quickly if his initial move fails.

2k 

Number one, db, south teams..wow...very fluid hips.

2k 

Greg Robinson was a guest on NFL radio tonight and he couldn't say enough good things about Cordy Glenn. Said he stoned everyone today - including Coples and the kid from South Carolina who is having a good week. Most impressed with his hands - when he got ahold of the pass rusher it was over. Wexell called this guy a waist-bender about a month ago. Robinson said the exact opposite.

And i still like sean spence, oh good god that was nice by55 i think acho.- great swim.

44 nice hands. ok fuck**** this broadcast, i make a statement and its like they are reading my minds, mayock just spoke to this hands 10 mins later...damn this shit****.

some of them are trying to hard as db's...and use their hands down field way way too much.

 I think the guard i was talking about was ben george or something, he looked scrappy in the trenches. or maybe it wasnt either way 60, gets low and sits in to his block well, bends the knee and maintains leverage. thus far the two georgia looks good, ben and cordy, cordy looks like an afc north type guy.

 The more i see ingram the less im impressed, he seems to have a good first step but then...nothing, his speed is easily countered by good position, a solid kickslide, he just bull rushes and does so way to high. oh and look 92 with another awesome rip., followed by an equally impressive move by 98. where are these guys ranked?

ingram with a good rip, meh. but then follows it up by getting handled by 73.

97-jackson...interesting, plays hard, fast, doesnt stop or give up on the play.

rainey does look interest, i think thats the position drills done.

2k

 

Beach and 2K,

Re Cordy Glenn OG/OT - I have been warming up to him this week...  Especially as a OG or RT..  For the Steelers - If they are going to move Gilbert to LT....  drafting this Glenn kid would be a nice move.. they'd be young at OC,RT, and LT - With Colon back and healthy could kid Glenn inside..  Later in the draft pick up a OG Brandon Brooks or similar and they would be set baring injury for a quite a few years along the Oline...

I also like the Blake kid OC/OG as a mid round pick..   I haven't liked Zeitler as much this week...  also NY kid from UAB is a project needs lower body stength..

enjoy,

bb

One other side note from the broadcast this afternoon.. they had one of the Steeler scouts on the program  - Mark Gorscak- the guy that runs the 40 at the combine..   found out he was the center for Ringgold high school and the center for Joe Montana...  fun stuff..... 

enjoy,

bb

bb,

I was thinking the same thing about Blake. He might be this years John Jerry, also liked Brown OT from Troy I only watched a few plays and I'm going to watch all of the practices to date later today but my first impression of was Brown is very stout ( I guess thats the word for it  ) at the point of attack.

Is it me or does this years crop of players not look as good as last years ?

Rishaw Johnson from UCal of PA is now at the senior bowl...   Yesterday was batism under fire - had Rishaw snapping the ball - one thing I love about these games and practices is how they push the players out of their comfort zone....   Need to see him vs the South Dline - which maybe the best overall group at the senior bowl this year.. 

Rarebreed - agree Brown the OT from Troy - he also played OG quite a bit yesterday.... 

Brandon Brooks, Brown, Rishaw Johnson, or however - would be nice to get a starter along the Oline and pick up one of these kids to develop.

enjoy,

bb

Is Cordy Glenn going to be there at #24 or will someone take him before that?