Steelers News: Dupree, Tomlin, Jackson
By Kim Myers
The Steelers draft begins tonight and the path that the 2016 season will take all starts here.
While the Steelers coaches and front office guys set up in the war room we’ll be busy looking for mentions of your Black & Gold so we’ve got you covered. Here’s your Steelers Morning Huddle for Thursday, April 28th.
Do you even lift, bro?
Workout time is bonding time for Steelers players. The Phase One of the voluntary offseason workout program involves strength and conditioning as well as injury rehab and entered its second week this week. Teresa Varley describes how different this year is for second-year linebacker Bud Dupree.
This time last year he was waiting to learn his NFL fate and this year he’s working out with teammates and forming the bonds that will carry him through the season. Dupree is getting to spend this time bonding with new teammates Ladarius Green and Ryan Harris.
Tomlinism
The months of planning, evaluating and meetings are all over and the work that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin along with GM Kevin Colbert and their crew have put into the draft will hopefully pay off starting Thursday night.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reminds us that Tomlin and Colbert don’t like to force draft picks into schemes. It’s important to let their talent be utilized properly. The “Tomlinism” from Monday’s pre-draft presser included the line;
"“If you’ve got red paint, paint your barn red. Scheme fit is an element of the discussion, but also just quality players and being flexible to what we do in an effort to bring the game to them is part of the discussion as well. It has to be.” – Mike Tomlin"
The consensus
It seems the signs are pointing to the Steelers selecting Houston cornerback William Jackson III with the 25th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. As Ray Fittipaldo of the PPG reminds us, it will be the first time the Steelers select a corner in the first round since 1997.
Jackson is by far the most popular name associated with the Steelers in the many mock drafts available. But if you’ve watched enough drafts you have to know that everything depends on how the 24 picks before them play out. We’ll have to wait and see.