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National Football League
Draft King Analysis
August 5, 2007
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: David Emerson
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Aug 4, 2007 11:27 AM
Subject: Steelers pick
First of all thank you I consider your mock drafts to be among the best out
there. Look out Mel Kiper, Lou is hot on your tail.
My next point is on the Steeler 2008 pick. I realize this is extremely early
for mock drafts, but still I doubt the Steelers will take a Running back in
the first round next year. They could potentially 3 out of 5 starters on the
offensive line only a year after losing a pro bowl center. They could also
lose 2 backups who supposedly are pretty good. I know they have Chukky Okobi
at center and Sean Mahan as a potential to fill for either Alan Faneca or
Kendall Simmons, but still I think they need either a Right Tackle or a
Guard pending free agency. I expect Faneca and one other starter will leave,
so they need to reload with at least one offensive lineman. The Secondary
could be a problem as well pending if Ike Taylor can play at 2005 level
where he was almost a shut down corner (check the stats on the opposing
receiver he covered every game. Chad Johnson, Marvin Harrison, Roy Williams,
Andre Johnson) and Deshea Townsend is getting old and Bryant McFadden might
not be ready to take over yet and Ricardo Colclough is a total bust. Running
Back is a need, but it is much lower on the need list and even so I think
the Steelers would more likely go for a big powerful back than a Steve
Slaton. Davenport does not fill that need and Parker doesn't either. Sorry
didn't mean to rip your pick apart that much there. Thanks again your mock
drafts are great.
Lou: Thanks for reading the site, though I highly regard Mel Kiper and don't think of myself as being anywhere close to where he is with the hours and hours of research he puts into his work. There's a reason that ESPN has kept him on board for so long; he's great at what he does.
You may be right about the Steelers not going RB in round one next year. You raise some valid points about concerns related to the offensive line; Chukky Okobi has been part of the team since 2001, but has only started seven games, so it will be interesting to see how he responds to this opportunity. Alan Faneca is clearly not going to return in 2008, and he has been a huge part of that great Steelers o-line. Talk out of Steelers camp has been that the offensive line is coming together well; we'll see how that holds up in the regular season.
I think Bryant McFadden has a bright future, but if corner proves to be an area of deficiency, I'm sure that ther Steelers will address it. I'm not sure if a first round CB is the way to do that, but I wouldn't count it out.
How Willie Parker does this year will have an impact on what Pittsburgh does relative to its RB spot next year, but think of the many situations where a team with a successful RB has taken a first round running back: the Chiefs with Larry Johnson (Priest Holmes), the Rams with Steven Jackson (Marshall Faulk), the Patriots with Lawrence Maroney (Corey Dillon), the Bengals with Chris Perry (Rudi Johnson), etc. You're right that a bigger RB than Slaton makes more sense for the Steelers since they already have a speed guy in Parker, but I just redid the board today and Slaton moved up (with Ray Rice now in the Pittsburgh slot.) Though Rice is 5'9" 195, so it's not like he's a big guy either.
I'm not banking on Pittsburgh going RB in round one (and it's too early now to bank on anything), and really the Steelers are a team that could go in many different directions versus having a big need to fill (save for a replacement for Faneca), and even with Faneca there will be quality talent at guard on the board in rounds two and three.
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