Welcome back to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. As always, we’re here for the next hour to answer whatever is on your mind.
To your questions!
Brian Tollini:
Hope all is well AK-
No podcast yesterday? I had submitted a question but I’ll just bring it here…
You are probably more focused on the combine rather than free agency, but I wanted your thoughts on a player I have circled. I see defensive line as a rather large need for us and I expect we address it in both FA and the draft, but the 49ers Javon Kinlaw is a guy I think could be a good it. Probably should be considered a bust at this point as a top-15 pick, but he has the size, the pedigree, and his best football could still be ahead of him with the right fit. Only 26 years old too. Thoughts?
Alex: Nah, no podcast yesterday. Wasn’t much going on by Wednesday morning. Lot to talk about Friday though.
Yeah, I get that on Kinlaw. Obviously never lived up to his billing but I get the fit you’re talking about. I’ll have to do more homework on their options, though. But adding a vet DL in free agency would be smart knowing the difficulty of finding the right name/fit in the draft and then counting on that guy to play right away. They can’t all be Keeanu Benton.
Dan: What non-QB positions/players could the Steelers be looking at in FA? Historically they tried to cover their needs with depth signings before drafting, but that philosophy seems to be changing.
Alex: Typically where the draft is weaker. Which would include safety and d-line. Now, they will add offensively. A veteran QB if they don’t re-sign Mason Rudolph. A lower-tier center to give them something heading into the draft. Maybe a veteran tackle. But I, big-picture, see defense as being added through FA and offense being added through the draft. Cornerback will probably be a mix of both.
Jeremy:
Who are some prospects that you see as Steelers fits, any round any position?
I would love to read all of the profiles, it just isn’t feasible. I haven’t even been able to keep up with the podcasts, so I apologize for an elementary question that you probably get asked many times. I am always behind on my personal draft prep this time of year. It will get worse for me, March is college basketball month.
Have you called a shot this year yet, similar to Benton last year?
Alex: Hey Jeremy! That’s ok, I know it’s a lot. Always there for you to go back when you have time later. Yeah there’s a lot of names I think fit. Michigan CB Mike Sainristil, Clemson DL Ruke Orhorhoro, West Virginia C Zach Frazier, Colorado State EDGE Mo Kamara, and Minnesota S Tyler Nubin are some that come to mind off the top of my head.
No shot-calling quite like Benton yet, though Frazier has come the closest.
David Rudin:
Hey Alex,
Have you or will you write up an article about your picks for top free agents the Steelers could target?
Thanks,
ColoradoDave
Alex: Hey man! Not yet. My attention will shift there right after the Combine. For the next few days, I’m in draft mode.
Keeg: A name I haven’t seen yet in the Combine meetings is Quinyon Mitchell. Do you have any idea as to what the interest might be there?
Alex: Our Depot crew said he didn’t have a meeting with them. But remember they met with him at the Senior Bowl. With only 45 Combine interviews, it’s smart to talk to guys you haven’t sat down with before, which includes a lot of the top-end prospects who didn’t participate in an All-Star game. If they have learned a good deal of Mitchell’s background and figured an 18-minute interview wouldn’t cover much new ground, it’s smart to use that time on someone the coach/GM is less familiar with. So it’s not necessarily an alarm bell to me.
