The countdown to the 2017 NFL Draft has begun. In less than 3 days: 4 hours: 30 Minutes: and 15 seconds from now the Cleveland Browns should be on the board. Will they pick Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett as many pundits predict or will they reinforce their reputation by taking quarterback Mitchell Trubisky? Of course, they have another bite at the apple with the number 12 overall pick too.
Everyone has their mock draft; predictions abound on whether the Steelers will take an edge rusher or a defensive back with their 30th overall choice. Maybe they will throw Steelers Nation into a tizzy by drafting a wide receiver. Some folks are analyzing the pre-draft visitor lists and who the Steelers met with at the various pro days. Only problem with that is the Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert tend to meet with as many people as they can. I believe the Steelers will be predictably unpredictable for the simple reason that they will stick to their draft board order. Perhaps they are targeting T.J. Watt at # 30 but if the other teams picking ahead of them ignore a player they have higher on a hypothetical list where the Steelers value safety Jabrill Peppers or tight end David Njoku more than Watt – then guess what? All bets are off as their pick will change just like that.
That said, I will give my right Steeler picks:
Round one: Teams bypass a weak crop of cornerbacks allowing the Steelers to select LSU cornerback Tre’Davious White; the 3rd cornerback to go in the 1st round.
Round two: Everyone expecting an edge rusher to follow; but the Steelers trick us by going with Penn State wide receiver Chris Godwin.
Round three: Steelers shock everyone with a second cornerback and take Minnesota’s Jalen Myrick. Maybe they are not counting on Senquez Golson returning and want additional insurance.
Round three: After just missing out on Pitt quarterback Nathan Peterman; the Steelers have Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine fall into their lap.
Round four: Finally, an outside linebacker. Vince Biegel from Wisconsin. Vince who?
Round five: The Steelers stick to defense and go with Miami safety Rayshawn Jenkins.
Round six: Pittsburgh has been successful before digging deep for offensive lineman and got to the well once more drawing up Arkansas tackle Dan Skipper.
Round seven: Cincinnati outside linebacker Eric Wilson is the caboose.
There you go. Book it.
Hmmm. No quarterbacks in my mock draft. Ben Roethlisberger didn’t make management blink … yet. In my fantasy; Ben is here until 2019. Plenty of time to identify an heir presumptive. No real edge rusher; perhaps other teams will snatch the highly-regarded ones. A flawed draft; but almost any combination is going to leave an area uncovered. Sort of like trying to fit a twin-size sheet onto a king-sized bed. The draft will be fascinating; the upcoming 2017 season will be trending as everyone tries to figure out how the draft pieces will fit into the final roster. Kevin Colbert & Mike Tomlin will be hailed as heroes or jeered as jesters depending on whose favorite prospects were selected or overlooked. For me it’s in Steelers I trust. Not much choice; I don’t think they are following my tweets.
I’ll finish this with.
