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 or watch. This weekly feature will be entitled “Steelers’ Seven Shots.”
Shot #1 – We recently had the great Dave-Te’ Thomas on The Terrible Podcast for his annual pre-draft interview and as expected, that show was a huge hit with the listenership. A few days ago, Thomas sent me over a link where you can find several of the scouting reports he and his associates at The NFL Draft Report have compiled this year. After the draft is over, I will see if I can get him to pass along the reports on the players the Steelers selected this year.
Shot #2 – NFL Network‘s 2019 NFL Draft coverage features the return of team war room cameras offering behind-the-scenes video access as team executives make their selections. This year, the NFL Network will provide video access inside 22 team facilities, including the Arizona Cardinals, marking the 10th consecutive year the media outlet has been inside the war room with the number one overall pick. Team war room cameras include:
Arizona Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers
New York Jets
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New York Giants
Detroit Lions
Buffalo Bills
Denver Broncos
Green Bay Packers
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Minnesota Vikings
Tennessee Titans
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Chargers
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Rams
Dallas Cowboys (no First-Round pick)
Cleveland Browns (no First-Round pick)
Shot #3 – Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky is one of the best new analysts on television right now and especially when it comes to breaking down tape. During a recent episode of ESPN’s ‘Get Up!’, former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who figures to be a first-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, was a guest and both he and Orlovsky broke down a few plays together during a segment and it’s a fantastic watch. ESPN should give Orlovsky his own one-hour show that includes him doing nothing but breaking down tape.
Shot #4 – will the Steelers ultimately draft a tight end in the first-round this year? If they do, it will likely be one of the two Iowa tight ends, T.J. Hockenson or Noah Fant. Here is a great read from Bryce Rossler on the Sports Info Solutions blog that includes a closer look at the two Iowa tight ends from a data perspective.
Shot #5 – With the draft now upon us, here are some sobering statistics as it relates to players hoping to have a secure future in the NFL.
Shot #6 – Player tracking data is the next analytics arms race in the NFL and in light of that, here is a great read from Seth Walder of ESPN that was published just ahead of the 2018 regular season getting underway that you may have missed like I did.
Shot #7 – Are you a pre-draft fan of defensive back Darnell Savage Jr. out of Maryland? The Steelers certainly seem to be interested in him. This recently released feature on Savage from NBC Sports is certainly worth watching.
