Sports Illustrated just came out with an updated mock draft and I know you guys are always interested in that kind of info to quench your thirst during the offseason. They have the Pittsburgh Steelers taking Alabama OLB Tim Williams in the first round.
Here’s author Vinnie Iyer’s explanation for the pick.
“Pittsburgh can keep adding to its young, swarming defense with yet another first round-worthy Crimson Tide stud. Williams’ quickness and explosiveness matches what the Steelers have piled up at the position.”
An outside linebacker is a logical and common choice for the Steelers. This year’s draft is full of edge rushers in the back end of the first round, giving Pittsburgh a ton of options when the time comes. In the SI mock, edge rushers go in four straight picks around the Steelers, from 28 to 31.
Ahead of Williams went Missouri’s Charles Harris and UCLA’s Takk McKinley while Carl Lawson went one pick after Pittsburgh to the Atlanta Falcons.
Our Daniel Valente wrote up Williams’ scouting report early this month. Check out his whole profile at this link but here is how he summed Williams up.
“Overall, Williams’ is an extremely talented outside linebacker with many great skills and tools. Williams’ possesses a great swim move fueled by great speed and explosiveness, while also being on his way to being a capable run defender. Williams’ size and athleticism will leave him heavily sought on draft day. The only reason why Williams would not be pursued early would be his off-field issues, which are hopefully a thing of the past.”
Those off the field issues include an arrest for illegally having a handgun and possessing a small amount of marijuana. There are rumors and reports about a more serious drug history. You can bet he’ll have to answer those questions when he interviews with teams at the Combine.
Last season, he racked up 16 TFL and nine sacks to be apart of one of the NCAA’s best defenses.
