Every Sunday during the offseason I plan on recapping for you seven items related to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the rest of the NFL that may have fallen through the cracks the past week that should be worth your time to read. This weekly feature will be entitled “Steelers’ Seven Shots.”
Shot #1 – Steelers chairman Dan Rooney passed away this past week and in case you’ve never seen it before, here is his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech as part of the class of 2000.
Shot #2 – If you have time to read just one long-form story on this Easter Sunday, make sure it’s this one from Dotun Akintoye of ESPN on UCLA edge-rusher Takkarist McKinley, who has had a pre-draft visit with the Steelers.
Shot #3 – If you have time for another one, make sure it’s this one from Daniel Paulling of The Clarion-Ledger on Jackson State linebacker Javancy Jones. The Steelers have shown interest in Jones during the pre-draft process so don’t be surprised if they select him somewhere during day-three.
Shot #4 – I am a big fan of Auburn edge-rusher Carl Lawson and especially as a second-round prospect. While Lawson certainly has his share of warts, he’s also a gifted pass rusher with some upside to him. If you have 45 minutes, make sure you watch this breakdown of Lawson by Matt Waldman and John Owning in a recent edition of RSP Film Room.
Shot #5 – Three Steelers players, Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger and Le’Veon Bell, finished in the top-25 best-selling jerseys last year, according to NFLShop.com.
.@Millerlite40 had the 11th-best-selling NFL jersey last year, according to https://t.co/Ppcp7vIahN. pic.twitter.com/dWk2JJ3ZbF
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 11, 2017
Shot #6 – 17 years ago today the New England Patriots drafted quarterback Tom Brady and that just happened to be on the 48th birthday of head coach Bill Belichick. That’s a gift that keeps on giving. The Steelers had three selections in that sixth round and two of them were made before Brady was selected. They were quarterback Tee Martin and defensive lineman Chris Combs.
Shot #7 – The 2017 NFL preseason schedule was released this past week and it sounds like the regular season schedule will be released this coming Thursday. You can count on a few days and Steelers opponents will be leaked earlier that day.
