Happy Friday and welcome to the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine weekend.
The annual NFL pre-draft event moved to primetime this year and that takes a bit getting used to. I wonder if the players like it. Regardless, Alex Kozora and I are more tied up in the evenings this weekend tracking all of the times and numbers i real-time, which we’ve done for numerous years now.
After the combine ends, the start of the new NFL league year won’t be too far behind. The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t figure to be too busy in free agency at the start of the new league year, however. They’ll be busy the week or so ahead of it, however, making cuts and restructuring a few contracts.
I think I’m caught back up enough now to at least throw together five questions for yinz to answer on this Friday night.
Have a great weekend and thank you for visiting the site this past week and past month. It turned out to be our best February of all-time. I hope yinz enjoy our annual coverage of the NFL scouting combine.
Peace and love, peace and love.
1 – Rank the scouting combine events below from favorite to least favorite:
40-yard dash
Bench press
Vertical jump
Broad jump
3 cone drill
Short Shuttle run
2 – Name from the tight ends listed below the ones that should be off the board at the conclusion of the third-round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Harrison Bryant
Hunter Bryant
Brycen Hopkins
Cole Kmet
Thaddeus Moss
Albert Okwuegbunam
Adam Trautman
3 – True or false: The Steelers will exit this year’s draft without selecting a quarterback AND a running back.
4 – Name your favorite draft eligible wide receiver that likely has a chance to be selected by the Steelers.
5 – What would your 40-yard-dash time be if you ran it on Saturday?
Recap of Pre-2020 Combine Weekend Friday Night 5 Questions
Question 1: Steelers Depot respondents were nearly even in their opinion of the proposed new playoff format. A narrow 52% majority voted against the new format. The majority’s consensus was that the NFL should not reward mediocrity with a playoff spot. The 48% minority opinion saw it as an additional opportunity for the Steelers to gain a playoff spot.
Question 2: Depot respondents are fairly confident that the Steelers will draft a tight end prior to the fifth round. Steelers 2019 tight ends underperformed and Vance McDonald’s injury history spur interest in upgrading the position
Question 3: However, an overwhelming 83.3% of respondents believe Vance McDonald still is on the roster at the start of the 2020 NFL league year on March 18. The draft takes place a month later so regardless of any advantages of cutting the Vanimal loose sooner, respondents are hedging their bets.
Question 4: Surprisingly, JT Barrett received one vote over either Devlin Hodges or Paxton Lynch as the number three quarterback in 2020. Depot respondents favored Lynch to win the roster battle based on his pedigree and potential upside. Yet, 42% still liked the Duck’s chances.
Question 5:  We liked the hiring of Ike Hilliard as the Steelers wide receivers’ coach. The median response was four on a five-point scale. A former player who coached a solid wide receiver unit for the decidedly bad Washington Redskins have us salivating on the improvements he might bring to the young Steelers receiver corps.
