Popular opinion is that the Cincinnati Bengals stole 1st round pick William Jackson III away from the Steelers moments before Pittsburgh would have chosen him with the #25 overall pick. Most draft sites and the vast majority of writers covering the draft had Jackson penciled in as choice for the secondary-hungry Steelers.
In truth, for weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers made it publicly known that they were enamored with the Houston cornerback. They attended his pro day. They met with him privately. They even publicly gushed over the young prospect after meeting with him over dinner.
It’s no wonder that Bengal fans were elated to hear Jackson’s name called when Cincinnati chose him as their 2016 1st rounder. After all, this was the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. This was the team that has enjoyed so much success while the Bengals wallowed in the mediocrity of not winning a playoff game in this generation. This was the very team that had recently snatched a much anticipated playoff win from them, even as they watched their team implode. It was only right that the Bengals grab THE player that the Steelers truly wanted and needed.
Right?
Wrong.
For those of us who were watching the draft, it was obvious that Tomlin didn’t act like a coach who had settled for the next best cornerback. He was elated. He was sharing broad smiles and handshakes with front office personnel. He had the demeanor of a man who had landed the player he wanted. Now, we find out that Artie Burns was on the phone with Tomlin before the Bengals picked Jackson. In fact, since the Bengals were still on the clock, some members of Artie Burns family thought that it was Cincinnati on the phone.
The Bengals front office fell victim to a Tomlin jedi mind trick. The same one that draftniks, talking heads, and sports writers (myself included) fell for. Publicly it was Jackson who received all the attention and praise while privately the Steelers had Artie Burns ranked above him.
Just prior to the draft, many publications and draft experts had Burns not only breaking into the 1st round, but often ranked ahead of players like Eli Apple, Mackensie Alexander, and William Jackson III, but many teams were still acting on older information that graded Artie Burns as a 2nd round prospect.
So why the smokescreen?
The Bengals needed to strengthen their cornerback corps even though they had invested two first round picks at the position since 2012. Neither Dre Kirkpatrick nor Darqueze Dennard have become the shut down corner that the Bengals envisioned and Leon Hall is looking for employment elsewhere. It was common knowledge that the Bengals were going to spend a high draft pick at cornerback.
The Bengals vetting process was nowhere near as complete as Tomlin’s. The Pittsburgh coach had done his homework. He had thoroughly vetted both Jackson and Burns and believed that Artie Burns was the prospect that best fit team. He attended both players pro day workouts to find out what kind of player they were. He sat down with both over dinner to find out what kind of person they were.
Tomlin wasn’t about to show his hand to the media and ultimately to Cincinnati front office by talking about Burns. As a result, Cincinnati never had Burns on their radar.
It wasn’t that Jackson wasn’t a consideration for the Steelers. He was. But knowing that the Bengals may be in the hunt for a cornerback, led Tomlin to play up the lesser of the two prospects. It was a subtle lesson in gamesmanship.
Ultimately the Bengals ended up with a good player.
But the Steelers ended up with the player they always wanted.