The 2016 season is unfortunately over, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are now embarking upon their latest offseason journey, heading back to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, formerly known and still referred to as the ‘South Side’ facility of Heinz Field. While the postseason is now behind us, there is plenty left to discuss.
And there are plenty of questions left unanswered as well. The offseason is just really the beginning phase of the answer-seeking process, which is lasts all the way through the Super Bowl for teams fortunate enough to reach that far.
You can rest assured that we have the questions, and we will be monitoring the developments in the offseason as they develop, and beyond, looking for the answers as we look to evaluate the makeup of the Steelers as they try to navigate their way back to the Super Bowl, after reaching the AFC Championship game last season for the first time in more than half a decade.
Question: Given the option of one or the other, would you rather see the Steelers draft Takkarist McKinley or Derek Rivers?
A day after the Steelers hosted four offensive players, consisting of a pair of quarterbacks and a corresponding set of wide receivers, the team focused yesterday on the defensive side of the ball with four more visitors, a lineup that was headlined no doubt by a pair of outside linebacker prospects in Takkarist McKinley and Derek Rivers.
Neither are the perfect choice, so the speak, at least in the pre-draft evaluation process. McKinley is coming off of shoulder surgery, and it’s generally not desirable to draft a player who is injured. Rivers played against a lower level of competition and will have to show that he can make the jump to a higher talent base.
But both have quite a bit to like about them, although it’s not quite entirely settled as to where they’re expected to fall in the draft. While there was some early momentum anticipated to see his stock rise toward draft time, for example, it seems as though a good number of outlets view Rivers as more of a second-rounder. Players with injuries are always at a risk to fall as well.
It’s very possible that the Steelers brought in McKinley for a visit to check up on his medical—even if that were not the primary purpose, it would inevitably be a part of it. As for Rivers, he has already gone on record saying that he would love to play for Pittsburgh.
If neither of these options suit you, you can rest assured that there will be several more outside linebacker candidates slowly trickling their way through the doors of the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex over the course of the next couple of weeks leading up to the draft. perhaps we can discuss some other options as we get closer, especially once more take a visit.
