I certainly hope CBS Sports draft analyst Dane Brugler received extra pay this week as he has now attempted to mock every pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. Personally, I wouldn’t force such a task on anyone.
In the first round of his latest huge undertaking, Brugler has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting Baylor defensive tackle Andrew Billings with the 25th overall selection and he writes:
With Steve McLendon leaving via free agency, Pittsburgh needs to address the nose tackle position at some point in the draft and Billings might be too appealing to pass up for Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert.
As many of you should know by now, I can certainly get on-board with Brugler’s first round choice for the Steelers as not only should Billings be able to take over immediately as the team’s base nose tackle, he should also be able to provide some additional snaps in the team’s sub-package defense throughout his rookie season.
As for the Steelers second-round pick, Brugler has them selecting Clemson defensive back T.J. Green, who was brought in for a pre-draft visit a few weeks ago. Brugler writes:
A former wide receiver, Green lined up at safety, but his size/speed combo might push him to corner.
Green, who Brugler put a fifth-round grade on in his annual draft publication, recorded 121 total tackles and one interception during his 16 starts while at Clemson. He enters the 2016 NFL Draft with great measurables. With that said, him being selected in the second round seems like quite a reach.
In the third round, Brugler has the Steelers selecting Arizona State guard Christian Westerman and he writes:
Pro Bowler David DeCastro is entering a contract year and Westerman could be the long-term answer.
In my opinion, this is not a great choice for the Steelers for several reasons. For starters, DeCastro will undoubtedly receive a contract extension later on this offseason. Additionally, the Steelers re-signed starting left guard Ramon Foster to a three-year contract extension just prior to the start of the new league year. While the Steelers could ultimately address their offensive line in this year’s draft, one would think it would happen in the later-rounds and include a player who is position flexible.
In the fourth-round of his mock, Brugler has the Steelers selecting Southern Utah safety Miles Killebrew, who has yet to be brought to Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit. The 6017, 217-pound Killebrew recorded 356 total tackles and 3 interceptions in the 45 games that he started in college.
In the sixth-round, Brugler really has a surprise pick for the Steelers as he has them selecting Utah punter Tom Hackett.
In the seventh and final round of his mock draft, Brugler has the Steelers going offense with their two final selections as he has Pittsburgh picking Georgia running back Keith Marshall and Bowling Green wide receiver Roger Lewis.
After starting off his seven-round offering very strong with Billings, Brugler lost me very quick with his remaining selections for the Steelers. In lieu of just ripping him, let’s use his full mock as an exercise. I want you to mock players based on his order and here are the rules.
First, you can only select players still on the board come time for each Steelers. However, you can only choose from the list of players still on the board between each Steelers selection. Hopefully that makes sense.
