With the 2016 NFL draft just days away, its time to look past the smoke screens and the team deflections and take a real look at who might actually be wearing the black and gold next season.
The NFL draft fluid by nature. It’s the most inexact of sciences. Making a correct prediction is a combination of diligent research, well-informed guesswork, and ….well….outright luck.
We here at Still Curtain will be posting our final personal drafts throughout this week. Drafts based on prospect visits, invites, and interviews and our own understanding of team needs.
Here is how I think the draft may pan out.
1st round: 25th overall selection: Houston cornerback, William Jackson III
I have wrestled with taking Ohio States Eli Apple with this pick but the amount of attention that the Steelers have paid to the Houston prospect tips the scale to his favor. Jackson is everything that the Steelers are looking for. He is tall, fast, and productive. With experience in both man and zone coverage, WJIII will see the field early and often. Steelers fans will need to be a little patient as he gets acclimated to the pro game but should take comfort in knowing that they are looking at a future pro-bowler.
2nd round: 58th overall selection: South Carolina State defensive tackle, Javon Hargrave
Hargrave garnered a great deal of attention his senior year but I don’t think most people realize just how good the young man could be. In the last two years he racked up a mind-blowing 46 tackles for loss and 29.5 sacks, even as opponents game planned against him. He received an invitation to the Shrine Game and showed scouts that he belonged there. Some sites have Hargrave as a 3rd round prospect but I have him in my top 50. He would be a great fit as both a defensive tackle and as a rotational defensive end.
3rd round: 89th overall selection: Duke safety, Jeremy Cash
Versatile safety who can line up close to the line in pass coverage and excels at run support. Has played cornerback, safety and used as a hybrid-linebacker in different schemes. Cash racked up accolades as the team MVP, an AP All-America selection, and the Atlantic Coast Conference’s defensive player of the year. Great value in the 3rd round and a potential day one starter. The strong safety from Duke did have surgery on his right wrist but all reports point towards it not being an issue.
4th round: 123rd overall selection: Mississippi State quarterback, Dak Prescott
Steelers fans have routinely suffered through the angst of Ben Roethlisberger going down with an injury. It’s not just their devotion for the franchise quarterback, but also an acute awareness that there is no legitimate backup behind him. Prescott is a cerebral prospect who goes through his receiver progressions as well as any quarterback in this draft. He is not a finished product but should end up providing dependable depth.
6th round: 220th overall pick (compensatory): Temple cornerback, Tavon Young
Drastic times call for drastic measures. Tomlin has a propensity for doubling up at positions of weakness and I don’t expect this year to be any different. Young is only 5’9 but ran a blazing 4.38 at his pro day. More importantly, he has great cover skills and instincts, especially in zone coverage. His nitch would probably be special teams and a solid backup.
7th round: 229th overall pick: Maryland defensive end, Quinton Jefferson
Jefferson has been quietly productive for Maryland and has flown under the draft radar for most fans. Came back from 2014 ACL tore to have a solid red-shirt junior season. Will need to add some power to his base to handle NFL caliber offensive tackles. A year in the Steelers weight room would do him well.
7th round: 246th overall pick: Baylor wide receiver, Jay Lee
Tall receiver with good frame and long arms. Not a speedster but runs pretty crisp routes and has exceptionally soft hands. Lee played in the shadow of his teammates and may just need a chance to prove himself. The Steelers are experts at finding late round talent when it comes to wide receivers and the Baylor prospect may be the next late round diamond in the rough.
Rounds 1 through 3 are a bit easier to gauge then the latter rounds, simply due the progressive effect of other teams picks. I am almost sure we will focus on cornerback, safety and defensive tackle early in the draft.
It’s on the third day that makes picks incredibly complicated. Should I have thrown an edge rusher/outside linebacker into the mix? Will we draft a second safety?
All these questions will be answered within the week as we move pass the draft process and into spring training.