With a successful season long gone in the rearview mirror, the NFL draft is upon us again! The draft has a cult following and has taken on a life of its own. The NFL now sells tickets and it even has it’s own line of products. I will be attending a baseball game so will miss the beginning (LI DUCKS) and then will be headed home for the Steelers pick.
That being said, I am very excited for this year’s draft. What’s on the menu, for Beer We Go Steelers, first and foremost we are not doing a mock draft. Both the Captain and I HATE mock drafts. So forget that! However, we have some analysis.
The Steelers: First Pick (25), Total Picks (7), Roughly 47 years ago the Steelers made the draft the center piece of their talent building…they have never looked back, whether it was drafting four Hall Of Famers in the 1974 draft or stealing Antonio Brown in the 6th round, the Steelers have built a foundation through the draft and this year will be no different. The glaring needs are help in the defensive backfield, a “clogger” in the defensive line, Offensive tackle depth and a young QB and then depth all over.
Biggest Needs: Is either a Safety or a Cornerback and that has to be the number one pick. The Steelers have had very few misses in the draft, however the defensive backfield has been one of them. Several CB’s have washed out and the Steelers haven’t done much better on safety. They need an impact player, preferably two or three in the first five picks.
The front seven is still one of the best in football, however the depth was seriously drained. The Steelers need a BIG, BIG man in the middle to backup Mt. McCullers and they need some outside linebacker help.
As for offense, depth at the tackle spot is a serious concern. Lastly, if the right steal is sitting there, they need to look at a Quarterback. While Ben has plenty of tread left on the tires, it would be prudent to look at a “project” guy to develop.
Steelers Draft Capsule:
Best 1st rounder of the last ten years: Cam Heyward, DE, 20011 Draft, (31st Overall)
Biggest Draft Bust: Jamian Stephens, T, 1996 Draft, (29th Overall)
Biggest Draft Steal: (TIE) Mike Webster, C, 1974 Draft, (125th Overall) / Antonio Brown, WR, 2010 Draft (195th Overall)
Greatest Draft Pick: Joe Greene, DT, 1969 Draft, (4th Overall)
Beer We Go division analysis:
Baltimore Ravens: First pick (6), Total Picks (9), The Ratbirds are in a strange position for them of picking in the top ten after a terrible season. Ozzie Newsome in this spot scares me, they rarely miss in the first round and they should make a significant impact in this spot. They also stockpiled fourth round picks, so look for some movement. There biggest need is a playmaker outside, a WR, but they have several holes including O-Line, and the defense which has been there calling card, is very leaky.
The Ravens Draft Capsule:
Best 1st rounder of the last ten years: Joe Flacco, QB, 2008 Draft, (18th Overall)
Biggest Draft Bust: Kyle Boller, QB, 2003 Draft, (19th Overall)
Biggest Draft Steal: Adalius Thomas, LB, 2000 Draft, (186th Overall)
Greatest Draft Pick: Ray Lewis, LB, 1996 Draft, (26th Overall)
Cincinnati Bengals: First pick (24), Total Picks (6), The Bengals have become perennial contenders after being the laughing stock of football for nearly 20 years. What they need is coaching and better discipline, but that isn’t something that will be on their board. This should be a minimum impact draft and they will draft for depth. Historically, they have done a good job getting value picks….albeit with questionable smarts. (Vontaze that’s for you.) They need help up front in the NFL’s toughest division. Look for the Defensive line and Linebacker, to be the target. Also don’t be surprised if you see a QB get snatched if it falls in their lap.
The Bengals Draft Capsule:
Best 1st rounder of the last ten years: A.J. Green, WR, 20011 Draft, (4th Overall)
Biggest Draft Bust: Akili Smith, QB, 1999 Draft, (3rd Overall)
Biggest Draft Steal: Lemur Parrish, CB, 1970 Draft, (163rd Overall)
Greatest Draft Pick: Anthony Munoz, LT, 1986 Draft, (3rd Overall)
Cleveland Browns: First pick (8), Total Picks (a whopping 12), The Browns are in the enviable position, that they are ALWAYS in this time of year, plenty of early quality picks. The draft should be named, Cleveland Browns Day!!! They traded with the Eagles and still stayed in the top 10. Sonny Weaver Jr. pulled off a stunner…wait that was only a movie, but none the less here we are!
The Browns front office is now trying a more scientific approach, having recruited Paul DePodesta away from the Mets. DePodesta was one of the central figures in “Moneyball”. That move was panned by many people, I am not one of them. The Browns will be using actual analytics and real life statistics compared to using the Twister Wheel and Ouija Board to make their picks. Whatever his shortcomings DePodesta is a Harvard Graduate with a football background and this might be the beginning of something for the Browns as well as the NFL, AKA read money ball!
Giving the Browns first round picks is very similar to giving monkeys fire, while it is a great tool, it is wasted and pretty damn dangerous if you don’t know how to use it. As for needs, well I can copy last year’s blog post verbatim, they need a QB more than just about anyone in the world. RGIII was a great pickup but he is not who they will build around, they also need playmakers, so look for an impact WR right away. After that they need EVERYTHING else. I am very interested to see the Ricciardi experiment!
The Browns Draft Capsule:
Best 1st rounder of the last ten years: Joe Haden, CB, 2010 Draft, (7th Overall)
Biggest Draft Bust: Seriously? Pick ‘em! Although the Johnny Manziel stink must seem like Chernobyl.
Biggest Draft Steal: Leroy Kelly, RB, 1964 Draft, (110th Overall)
Greatest Draft Pick: Jim Brown, RB, 1957 Draft, (6th Overall)