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Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has previously lobbied the team to keep guard Alan Faneca and to get a tall receiver (to the chagrin of Hines Ward), is happy with the team’s 2008 draft.
“I like the draft,” Roethlisberger said on Wednesday. “We did a good job all around.”
But what about the failure of the team to take an offensive linemen? With many solid tackles in this draft, players who might have been gone in the top ten in other drafts lingered deep into the teens.
Sure, the Steelers at No. 23 weren’t on the clock when any of the big names — Jake Long, Ryan Clady, Chris Williams, Brendan Albert, Gosder Cherilus, Jeff Otah, Sam Baker — were available. But the Steelers have shown in the past a willingness to trade up to get the guy they want (e.g., Troy Polamalu, Santonio Holmes). This time around, moving up a few spots might have allowed them to get a key contributor to a wall of blockers that has been greatly diminished by Faneca’s departure.
And with so many running backs available this year, the Steelers could have waited to address this need in a later round.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:42 am
It takes two to tango… Whose to say they didn’t try?
Also, if memory serves, they didn’t have a whole bunch of picks this draft, so they needed all the help they could.
And the Cowboys might have been stupid enough to take a running back that wasn’t Mendenhall, but no other team is that dumb. Pick BPA, not for need…
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Rating: 4.2 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 10:45 am
I’m not a Steelers fan but I think they had a good draft, especially getting good playmaker value in the top 2 rounds.
It is a shame that OTs went so quickly this year, but they got at least +10 value on Mendenhall, who is also perfect for their system.
Then with Sweed, a tall receiver who I think is the best in this draft and the most pro ready (hook ‘em!) in the 2nd round was excellent value as well.
Sucks they couldn’t get line help, though. Fortunately for them Big Ben is hard to take down.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 10:47 am
The Steelers didn’t have to reach in the draft for an OL. The addition of Hartwig and the subtraction of Mahan will improve things 100 percent. Faneca had a mediocre season last year and was on the decline anyway. He never was a top-notch pass blocker — watch the monster, Kemoeatu, come in and kick major fanny. The question mark is Kendoll Simmons — if he can even be decent, the Steelers line will be fine. And Cleveland will still stink.
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Rating: 4.2 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 10:47 am
They only had 6 picks to work with and going with the best available was the best route to go. If they would have reached for a tackle at that spot or traded a few picks to move up you’d be commenting on that too. They did a really good job of acquiring depth this year. I would have loved to have gotten a premier tackle or D-lineman but it just didn’t fall that way. There will be more veteran cuts soon and I’m sure they’ll look at their options for lineman when that time comes.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 11:00 am
What? A QB who only cares about more offensive skill players and a target that’s harder to overthrow? SHOCKING!
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May 1st, 2008 at 11:02 am
So, the Steelers should have traded UP with only 6 picks? What, and end up with like 3 draft choices total? This would be better how? In the draft, if value falls to you, you take the valued player if you have a need at the position. The Steelers were going to draft a RB and WR anyway, so why not take the ones that were more highly valued. Dallas passing on Mendenhall and reaching for Felix made the pick a no brainer. And Sweed being available in the second round was a gift. Then they steal Hills, OT, Texas in the fourth! Find someone else’s picks to pick on, Florio. Or pick on the Steelers third round pick which was more questionable.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 11:04 am
Thanks for the insight GM Florio.
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May 1st, 2008 at 11:06 am
All the commentary is moot. Big Ben liked the draft. The galaxy is at peace.
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May 1st, 2008 at 11:10 am
My biggest beef is with your comment that states, “And with so many running backs available this year, the Steelers could have waited to address this need in a later round.” The problem here is they would have taken a second round tackle in the first round and only got a second round running back (or later) in the second round. Instead they got a first round running back in the first and a first round receiver in the second. A lot of people had Sweed rated as a first round pick. As a Steelers fan I am very happy with what the Steelers accomplished since that first round loss to end last season.
I see some truth in what you have stated Mike; however, the Steelers Organization said all along they were going to take the best athlete per their board and not reach for a player based on position. This information can be found quoted all through the online articles at the Steelers, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette websites.
I do agree that the offensive line needs to improve. We lost Faneca, but we got another center in FA and Mahan will probably slide to guard, which is his more natural position (if he wins the starting spot). But there are times that Ben held the ball way too long, which helped in obtaining the 40+ sacks given up last year. (Wasn’t Fast Willie Parker leading the league in rushing prior to breaking his leg against the Rams? Oh yeah, he was but lets not give credit to the line for that though.)
Not only that, the Steelers only went into draft day with 6 picks. Yes, they did pick up a seventh pick by swapping a late round pick. The Steelers historically aren’t big draft pick traders. It’s not part of the tradition. You don’t typically see the Steelers paying top dollar to retain players and they don’t leverage picks often either (***Cough*** Big “100+ million $” Ben ***Cough***).
There is no right answer, but be honest in your assessment. You should be able to say, “Damn, they made their team better by drafting the players they took by not reaching.” Okay, I think Dixon might have been a reach in round 5 instead of getting younger on the defensive line, but there is a need to groom a younger QB to eventually replace Batch. Regardless, he was still a good addition and will probably get on the field at some point since he is such a great athlete.
This was one of the better drafts the Steelers have had in years.
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Rating: 4.2 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 11:15 am
So, let me get this straight… The Steelers two most obvious areas of need, are O-Line, and Def. front 7. Neither was addressed in the draft, and its a “good one”, b/c you picked a good complimentary back, and a “big” receiver to make the drama queen happy?
Or, maybe philosophies are changing in Pitt… maybe you dont need lineman to win anymore? Signing veteran free agents after the draft to fill holes? wow!
Bottom line is that any pick is obtainable, if you think its worth the price.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 11:16 am
@kwsbrother:
Dixon was a great pickup — kid was a Heisman contender, and if he gets healthy you might be able to get a trade for far more than a 5th round pick…
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Rating: 4.65 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 11:19 am
Some of Florio’s GM commentary makes Matt Millen look like a genius! I love this site but stock piling a roster isn’t Florio’s strong point.
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May 1st, 2008 at 11:20 am
kwsbrother has it right. It would make no sense to draft a projected later round OL for the sake of drafting an OL. Tomlin was on record before the draft indicating Parker will get less carries to reduce wear and tear. Nobody even came close to matching his carries last year. Parker says he’s fine with the idea of less carries. Mendenhall will be a nice #2 punch. Sweed is the big WR Big Ben wanted. And the Steelers addressed as many other key needs as they could. Of course I was hoping a top OT would slip to #23 but it didn’t happen.
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May 1st, 2008 at 11:24 am
The calling card of the Steelers is don’t panic, be optimistic about how things are now, changes will come at a very slow pace, etc. This is true with the grass at Heinz Field, their head coaches, their approach to free agency, and the draft as well.
They would never panic and give up too much for an overvalued OT/G who barely stands out from the myriad of lineman being taken around him. They’d rather sit back and get a great value like Mendenhall. The Polamalu trade is an exception to how the Steelers do business because of the unique talent he has, not the rule.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 11:24 am
Whatever. Big Ben, bless his heart, has already shown that he is a moron. This makes me even more down on the steelers next year. Good thing for them I’m also down on the Browns next year, and I have no idea what to expect from the Bungles. I’m predicting a resurgence for the Ravens in that division, by process of elimination.
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May 1st, 2008 at 11:27 am
Florio’s reasoning is logical. The Steelers’ O-line wasn’t that good last year. They lost Alan Fanaca, whom many consider to be their best lineman. They need more help and didn’t get anything in the draft.
Here’s the question: Was the Steelers’ need for an O-lineman so great that they would pay too much to draft an O-lineman? If you’re thirsty for some water in the desert, you’ll probably pay anything for a bottle of Fiji water.
The Steelers obviously thought that their O-line situation wasn’t bad enough to warrant overpaying for someone in the draft. It’s possible they might be wrong in their evaluation, but we won’t know that until mid-season.
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May 1st, 2008 at 11:38 am
I am a Raven fan, and I am a little jealous of the Steeler draft. I do think they got the best RB and Wr in the draft and the most NFL ready. The Steelers almost never draft a RB in round 1, but with Parker coming off a broken leg it makes even more sense to nab a guy that can come in and start.
Sweed was the guy I was targeting for the Ravens at 38. He is not an over the middle guy, but you still have Hines and a TE for that. He can stretch the D and win the jump balls that Ben throws very well.
He is (Ben) going to be running for his life though. Bart Scott has something extra hott and saucy to apply to the back of his neck. Hines Ward was smart to fake an injury week 17 last year, but Bart has not forgotten about the shot he owes him either.
I don’t know how any Steelier fan can say Al Fanneca was washed up or “in decline” or will not be severely missed. The dude is one of the very best O linemen in NFL history and he is still playing at a high level. Parker is crazy fast, but needs an escort, he does not make his own holes.
Mendenhall has some tackle breaking ability, but the Steeler line is going to get a whole lot of Nagta up the middle with out Fanecca there. Parker only averaged about 2 YPC against us with him anyway, but without him, it was a good idea to draft a good back up. Who is going to step in and win when Ben gets his block knocked off again though? The concussions are going to catch up with him fast if you don’t get some linemen who can pass block.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 11:51 am
Listen, the last couple times I remember the Steelers reaching for a position of need in the first round the ended up with Jermain Stephens at tackle one year, and Troy Edwards(in the top 15 picks if I remember!) at WR.
The line will be fine. Marvel Smith’s surgery went well they expect him back in top form. The coaches really like Kemoeatu, and between him, Simmons, and Mahan probably moving back to guard the will be fine. Also, Starks played very well last year before he got hurt, so he can compete at RT again. If he wins the job, Colon can probably compete at RG too. They have lots of guys on the OL who can play multiple positions. Also, Thunderlipps, Hartwig wasn’t signed after the draft, he’s been on the roster for over a month. If he can make proper line calls that Mahan couldn’t do, the line will improve.
The real concern is DL. The 3 starters are good, but there is absolutely no depth. If anyone gets hurt, like Aaron Smith did last year, they will have problems. Also, Dixon was great value in the 5th, and they have a great young QB, and a great vet behind him. Why not try to steal an undervalued QB and develope him. He’ll be cheap to sign, and if he looks good, they can trade him for more than a 5th, as JagsFan85 said.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 12:02 pm
@ Thunderlipps
Hmmm…if you are a fan of any other AFC North team I could understand your comments. The Browns had 3 picks? They have a 1st round QB picking pine next to Anderson, an aging RB, an under achieving product at DT they traded for, and a “f*cking soldier” at TE that wasted 2 yrs of his career and probably cut the backside short. The Ravens…yeah they have an aging defensive, no QB, retired LT hall of famer and a new coach. The Bungles…do I even need to address them? Who Dey?
Oh, okay maybe you’re a fan of another team or even the Steelers. Regardless, you seem pissy about the Steelers picks.
Yes, the obvious areas of need, as you stated, were the O-line and the defensive front 7. (Actually, the front 3 are the biggest concern of the 7). It’s was a “good one”, the draft that is, because we didn’t reach for something that wasn’t a good value for the team regardless of the most pressing needs. The Steelers build through the draft and not FA like say the Redskins. It’s hard to build a better team by taking lower slotted players at higher picks to just fill a need. I do believe the line play will be improved because the “Drama Queen” will have matured more and understand that it is okay to dump the ball to the side lines and have 3rd and 6 instead of 3rd and 11.
Also, I guess you didn’t notice the offensive team rank vs. the rest of the league. The Steelers had the 4th best offense. How the hell do you get that kind of production with a crap line? Like I said, Ben held the ball too long many of times and that lead to sacks. Could the O-line be deeper and better? Hell yeah they can. To expect less you should be playing Pop Warner ball. As for the defense…the Steelers had the 2nd rated defense even after Smith was lost at DE for the season in Denver. If Smith gets hurt again, we might regret not having drafted a DE since the backups are aging too. However, I think a rookie DE that isn’t named Peppers that would play due to injury wouldn’t perform any better than the backups. Hell, at least the Steelers are set at the skill positions on Offense for the foreseeable future. You can’t address every need during the draft especially when players don’t drop to you that you have rated as worth taking a particular slot.
You stated, ”Bottom line is that any pick is obtainable, if you think its worth the price”. That’s the kind of thinking that leads to a team taking a 2nd round OT in the first round. I have to agree with the draft. From 1972 to 2007 (35 years) how many of those have the Steelers made the playoffs? They have made the playoffs 25 years of the 35 years. I think the Cowboys are about the only other team that could exceed that. How did they manage this? They did it through the draft and by the way, ownership is still they same. I think they have an inkling on how do run this team. I’m just sayin’…
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 12:05 pm
The Steelers O-line will be fine in 2008, not the best, but good enough. The real problem is depth on their D-line, and looming Free Agency issues in 2009. For this year, however, the Steelers offense should be scary good.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 12:58 pm
So instead of gawking over this years draft for a month, how about we grade and review last year’s rookies and who among them is most likely to make an impact year 2?
Last season the Ravens picked up a lot of potential starters from the 4th round on. Laron McClain started all year and had a lot of great blocks. He also displayed soft hands and enough speed to get to the edge off play action.
Barnes saw a lot of snaps as a rookie rush end/ olb. He has incredible burst off the line and agility and cut back moves to go with it.
Somehow the rest of the NFL was not interested in Jared Gaither and the Ravens picked him up with a supplemental 5th round pick in the 08 draft. The guy dominated Mario Williams as a freshman starting at LT for the Terps. After that game, he got a little full of himself and lazy, and the coach moved him to RT and benched him when he complained about it. He has since matured, and at 6′9″ 350 pounds with incredible agility, he has some pro reps and film where he is tossing around NFL defensive ends, and driving them 10 yards down.
Gaither is a huge part of our 08 draft class, and if he had stayed in school and entered this draft, how man of the LT prospects would have been picked ahead of a 6-8 350 pound guy with a 5.1 40 and a solid hoops back round, not to mention the solid outings vs ACC linemen draft already starting for NFL teams.
Troy Smith was the other 5th round selection. He just wins. He may be short, but he is stout and shifty and has NFL arm strength. There is a good chance he will be our starting QB, but at the very least he is a great backup who will be always pushing the starter.
So basically I would have to give the Ravens draft an A+ already because of the value Gaither was and the starters landed on the second day, but they also picked up 3 starters with the first 3 rounds even picking at the bottom.
Ben Grubbs was regarded as the best G in the draft and played like it.
They traded out of round 2, but picked up a starting RT Marshal Yanda in round 3 along with the fastest man at the combine Yamon Figurs who found the end zone and a great average as a return man.
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May 1st, 2008 at 1:16 pm
To reiterate, the Steelers picked up a good complimentary back and a big receiver to satisfy “big” ben…. thats grrreat! the point I’m trying to make is that regardless of how good the RB’s are, or how many you have, they need blocking. Last years stats were good, but dont underestimate the affect of losing quality lineman… the list is long (I.E. Alexander, James, Johnson etc.) The Steelers did nothing to improve this area of need, that is why I’m having a big problem with calling their draft a “good one”… Same thing on the defensive side of the ball… the game is won upfront.
You can use that rubber arm of yours, to pat yourself on the back all you want with the “history”. Although, while your doing that, the team right in your backyard is putting the pieces together to take the division… and yes, I think they have a “soldier” on their team.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 1st, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Show me an offensive line that is really that much better than the Steelers OL. There were maybe 2 offensive linemen in FA this year that I would have gone after and the Steelers got one of them and let the other one go.
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May 1st, 2008 at 1:45 pm
On behalf of Brown’s fans, thanks for not addressing to O-line. Now if we can just sign the old lady in the Chrysler New Yorker to play LB.
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May 1st, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Show you an offensive line that is that much better?
How about 25 of them??? thats how many teams gave up less sacks than the Steelers… now take away Faneca… that should do the trick!
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 2 rating(s)