As the NFL combine approaches, the Steelers need to take it with a ‘grain of salt’
Yet another NFL combine will soon be upon us. For football fans and Steelers fans, in particular, the combine represents the unofficial start to a new NFL season. It’s a time when hundreds of NFL prospects will display their abilities during a veritable cornucopia of drills presumably designed to mimic how they might play in the NFL.
I, however, have a different view of the combine, thus my stating that the Steelers need to take the combine with a ‘grain of salt’. So, what does that mean exactly? The term ‘grain of salt’ means to view something with skepticism. Honestly, I think that perfectly describes how I believe the Steelers should view the combine.
The list of prospects who excelled at the combine and made an impact in the NFL is probably as long as the list of prospects who excelled the combine and made no impact in the NFL. The combine, to me, represents an opportunity for team executives to conduct business, to re-connect with friends from other organizations and to watch what is essentially a ‘watered-down’ minicamp, less the pads of course.
I am not suggesting that the Steelers would not be able to find a ‘gem’ in the draft based on a prospect’s combine performance, but I think it would behoove not only us but all teams to rely more on a prospect’s game tape and less on a prospect’s 40-yard dash time, considering the latter is performed with no pads. How can you accurately measure ‘football’ speed if you’re running in a straight line without pads?
Let’s take a look at some of the positions the Steelers may be targeting while attending the combine.
The Steelers have some decisions to make at certain positions. Will the combine offer some help?
The Steelers, like every team, have decisions to make at certain positions. While we will discuss those positions, we will not necessarily discuss individual players. Here’s why: We do not have a first-round pick or a fifth-round pick in the upcoming draft because of the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade.
I am not complaining, by the way, as I believe Fitzpatrick’s play in 2019 was worth the picks, but the fact remains we do not currently have the aforementioned picks. We also do not currently have a third-round pick as that was part of the 2019 draft-day trade for Devin Bush.
Again, I am not complaining as Bush played well in his rookie season, but, again, the fact remains that the Steelers do not currently have a third-round pick. So without a first-round pick and third-round pick, talking about specific players who probably will not be available when we pick is an exercise in futility, in my opinion.
One of the positions the Steelers have to make a decision about is QB, the most important position on the team. Hopefully, ‘Big Ben’ will fully recover from the injury that derailed his 2019 campaign, but we still need to figure out if we have an heir apparent currently on the roster. Honestly, I do not see us taking a QB with our first pick, which will not come until the second round.
If the Steelers truly believe that Mason Rudolph is the heir apparent to ‘Big Ben’, there’s no need to reach for a QB in this draft. If; however, the Steelers believe Rudolph could use some competition or is not the heir apparent, the only QB I would draft, if he’s there in the later rounds, is Nate Stanley, QB out of Iowa.
Why? Well, for me, it’s very simple: Stanley is about the only QB who played in a pro-style offense who might drop to us in the later rounds. This is where the ‘grain of salt’ comes into play. The combine will allow the draft-eligible QB’s to throw passes unencumbered to receivers who will also be unencumbered.
If the Steelers are thinking about drafting a QB, they have to draft a QB who can fit the system. A QB who never took a snap from center, for example, may not be the best fit. Some QB needy teams will mortgage the future to trade up to draft a QB just because he had a good showing at the combine. The Steelers need to avoid that and look at the tape on Stanley or any other QB they may have the radar.
Let’s continue looking at some positions the Steelers may be targeting.
The Steelers may want to add to the stable of running backs
The Steeler’s run game in 2019 was atrocious. According to NFL.com, the rushing attack was more like a rushing retreat, averaging 90.4 yards per game, which ranked us 29th in that category. James Conner, our ‘number one’ back missed quite a bit of time during the 2019 season and managed only 464 yards on the ground.
As I have stated many, many times in previous articles, I grew up watching the Steelers of the 1970s. I realize that the Steelers offense has evolved since then, but I think the one element that has remained a priority is the ability to run the ball effectively. That did not happen in 2019.
Now, I don’t think we will draft a running back in the second round, but I can see us taking one in the later rounds. With that said, if the best player available in the second round is a running back, I think we need to at least entertain the possibility.
Given the fact that Conner did miss some time last season and given the fact that Benny Snell Jr, the Steelers fourth-round pick in 2019, is more of a ‘thunder’ type of back, we most definitely need a ‘lightning’ type pf back. Neither Conner nor Snell fits the bill in that department, so to speak.
Another position on the offensive side of the ball the Steelers may be scouting at the combine is Wide Receiver. Although I think we have the makings of better than average receiving corp, it certainly would not hurt to add a receiver who can stretch the field, something that was glaringly absent in the offense in 2019.
So, again, do the Steelers draft another receiver in 2020? Do we place emphasis on combine results to determine what wide receiver would be a good fit for the offense? I hope not. Like I stated previously when you’re running routes and running in a straight line for 40 yards unencumbered and without pads, you’re going to look fast, but is that a true measure of football speed?
Let’s take a look at some positions on the defensive side of the ball the Steelers may be scouting.
The Steelers may have to replace both an outside and an inside linebacker in 2020
The Steelers approach not only to the combine but to the 2020 NFL draft may hinge on either our ability or our desire to re-sign Bud Dupree. If we can not or do not re-sign Dupree, that second-round pick may very well be an OLB. Someone like Zack Baun, OLB out of Wisconsin, may be an option for us.
Listed at 6′ 3″ and 240 LBS, Baun may be a bit slight to be an every-down OLB, but the fact that he played at Wisconsin, which runs a base 3-4 defense, tells me that he would probably be a good ‘scheme’ fit for our defense. For me, one of many tell-tale signs of whether or not Baun or any other OLB prospect might be able to play OLB for the Steelers is this: How many reps does the prospect put up during the bench press segment?
Here’s why I say that: I am a semi-retired competitive powerlifter. The ability to bench press 225 LBS for as many reps as possible is indicative of both strength and endurance. This measure really applies to any position, but for linebackers who generally have to go up against offensive linemen, the ability to get off a block is crucial.
Again, the only true measure of said ability is the game tape, not the combine results. If Baun, for example, puts up 25 reps on the bench and his game tape shows that he can get off a block and he’s there in the second round, we may very well end up with book-end OLBs from Wisconsin.
Another position the Steelers may be scouting is inside linebacker. Here’s why I say that: I believe that Mark Barron will not be a member of the Steelers in 2020. For a team that runs a base 3-4 defense, it is imperative that the Steelers have four quality starters and four quality back-ups at the linebacker position. I think our LB depth is very suspect at the moment.
The Steelers need to see the combine for what it is and what it represents
Honestly, I think this particular discussion could linger in perpetuity as there are innumerable opinions and positions about what the combine really is. For me, the combine showcases the skills of draft-eligible NFL prospects. Teams often become enamored with speed and size, for example, but fail to rely on a prospect’s game tape for an evaluation as to whether or not that prospect is worthy of being drafted.
Just because a prospect can run fast in a straight line does not mean that prospect has ‘football’ speed. Just because a prospect can catch a ball with no one covering him does not mean that prospect can duplicate that effort when being covered. Just because a prospect can jump high does not mean that prospect will be able to do that against an NFL defender.
The Steelers will most likely be scouting every position at the combine. Good teams do that. My only hope is that we are open to drafting the best player available when our turn comes around. What I do not want is for the Steelers to reach for a prospect solely based on combine results as I think that would foolish.
If we watch game tape and evaluate a prospect based on what we see on said game tape, the Steelers will draft well. The reality is this: The Steelers need to draft well to get back to the business of winning Super Bowls.