4/18/18-What The Steelers Will Do In The First Two Rounds
By: Mike Pelaia
It’s that time of year, when the Super Bowl contenders bolster their roster and the non-contenders build for the future. Draft season is upon us and as usual, the Steelers will be looking to add critical pieces to a lineup that is poised to make a run at the Super Bowl.
This off season, the Steelers have signed a couple of players to fill key positions. Inside Linebacker Jon Bostic was signed away from Indianapolis and safety Morgan Burnett was swayed away from Green Bay.
Burnett will have a far bigger impact than Bostic will as he can play both safety positions and corner.
Bostic is a nice addition to an inside linebacker corps that suffered greatly after the devastating injury to Ryan Shazier but he does not possess the skills to be the full time answer.
The Steelers will look to fill the huge void Shazier’s injury left via the draft in the first round and then they’ll look to add another talented safety to the mix in round number two.
There are solid inside linebackers available in this years class but the top couple will be gone before the Steelers pick. Some say the team will trade up to grab one of the top two guys, I don’t think they have the assets to do it and will stand pat. Either way, I think they’ll be happy with whoever they end up with.
Here are the candidates and my rankings for each:
- Roquan Smith – Georgia: Smith is the clear number one ILB prospect. He’s fast and has the ability to go sideline to sideline. He’s a very solid run stopper and can be a strong contributor in pass coverage as well. He’d be the ideal replacement for Shazier but he will be long gone before the Steelers ever sniff him.
- Leighton Vander-Esch – Boise State: Vander Esch has climbed up the draft boards with a solid off-season. I rank him higher than others but he possesses all of the fundamentals you want at inside linebacker and can play vs. the run and the pass.
- Rashaan Evans – Alabama: Evans possesses both size and speed and is a very solid player who has done a lot for Nick Saban at Alabama. I believe he is a mid to late first round guy and the Steelers may have an opportunity to snag him at 28.
- Malik Jefferson – Texas: The drop off begins with Jefferson. He’s my fourth best prospect but there is a big difference between him and the first three guys. He’s solid against the run but he’s not a good pass coverage guy and is a second day selection.
- Josey Jewell – Iowa: Jewell amassed over 100 tackles last season and penetrates the backfield with power. He can be an impact player but he’s not an every down player.
I think the Steelers will end up faring well and be able to grab Evans from Alabama in the first round with their 28th pick. It’s a pick that will begin the replacement of Ryan Shazier and Evans may find himself on the field in 2018 early and often.
The Steelers will also need to take a look at the class of safeties coming out this year and they may even consider one of them at pick 28 instead of the linebackers if the first three guys are gone though I suspect they’ll grab one of these guys in round two.
Here are the top safeties based on my rankings:
- Minkah Fitzpatrick – Alabama: Fitzpatrick is the cream of the crop in this years’ safety class. He can cover receivers, tight ends, play corner, play at the line or drop back in deep center field. He’s a game changing safety that if he’s still available at pick 28, the Steelers will take. Unfortunately I don’t see him being there.
- Derwin James – Florida State: James is another game changing safety with skills. He can play man against the tight ends and may not cover center field like Fitzpatrick but is still an impact guy that would be an upgrade on most teams. He’s another guy the Steelers would take in round one but he won’t be available.
- Ronnie Harrison – Alabama: Harrison is a physical safety who can play on the line and stuff the run but has some issues when he needs to play man to man. He won’t be a first round pick but he’ll be gone by the time the Steelers draft in the second round.
- Terell Edmunds – Virginia Tech: This is a guy who I think the Steelers could land in the second round. He’s physical and can play vs. the run and the pass.
- Jessie Bates – Wake Forest: Bates is another candidate for the Steelers on day two. He’s very smart and makes good decisions on the field.
The Steelers will most certainly fill these two holes in the first two rounds and I believe it will be Evans of Alabama in round one and Edmunds of Virginia Tech in round two.
4/9/18-It’s Time For The Steelers To Rescind Bell’s Tag
By: Mike Pelaia
Le’Veon Bell is the best running back in the NFL, hands down, in my opinion. He runs well, he catches the ball out of the backfield and he’s a very good blocker. Bell is an every down back. He’s a rare entity in today’s NFL.
He knows this and so do the Steelers. The problem is, they have a very different opinion on what that rarity is worth.
I have been a proponent of paying Bell fifteen million a year for the next four years. I felt like he should be locked to the team for at least that long. He’s just been that valuable. Or so I thought.
But, I’m changing my mind. At the price Bell is costing the Steelers, $14.5 million dollars this year, if he signs the tag, isn’t worth it. He’s beginning to decline.
His yards per carry dropped by a full yard in rushing and a half a yard in receiving. That tends to happen for running backs after four or five years in the league. Bell is only 25, which many of us wish we could still be, but in the NFL, as a running back, especially one who plays every down, he’s aging quickly. Statistics say he’s got three good years left in him and maybe two average years after that, before he’s done. Will he be worth fourteen million or more on annual basis in a couple of years? Is he even worth that now?
Bell will tell you he is worth seventeen million annually and word is, that’s what he wants in order to sign a long term contract. He wants Antonio Brown money. Unfortunately for Bell, that won’t happen, nor should it.
That is a complete reversal of what I thought at the end of the season. But then I looked at DeVonta Freeman of the Atlanta Falcons, the second highest paid running back, behind Bell, who makes eight million dollars annually. Freeman, while I’ll admit is not as good as Bell and doesn’t produce quite as much as Bell, does average a half yard more per carry and over a yard more per reception. And by the way, he’s also 25 years old.
How can Bell justify a payment of six to nine million more on an annual basis than the next best guy, who is very comparable to Bell?
But it doesn’t stop at production. Bell is becoming a distraction. It began with his holdout last offseason. Then, stupidly, he threatened to retire this offseason if he doesn’t get the right deal, in the middle of the playoffs! The talking didn’t stop there though. Talking about facing the Patriots before even playing the Jaguars in the playoffs was ignorant. Essentially missing the team walk through before the Jaguars game and showing up late for the game the next was unacceptable and selfish. And now, the coup de ta, saying he’s being made out as a villain by the fans of Pittsburgh. He’s digging his own grave.
The fans want Bell to stay, they adore him for what he brings to the field on Sundays but they do expect a little bit of humility. You’re not going to get a whole lot of sympathy in this town when you’re debating over making seventeen million dollars instead of twelve to fifteen million. You’ve made your bed Le’Veon, now you must lay in it.
If Bell and the Steelers do come to a long term agreement, he will certainly be welcomed by all with open arms. But if the Steelers give in to his demands, or even continue to pay him what the franchise tag costs, Bell is hindering this team from winning. The amount of money he’s taking up is preventing the team from filling areas of need.
Look at New England and Philadelphia. They both made it to the big game by using a running back by committee. Not having a feature back, worked.
The Steelers have enough playmakers to do the same. They don’t need Bell to win. They can plug in a back they draft in the third round, pay him a rookie salary, and get close to the same output on the ground. They can make up the reception yards elsewhere, it’s not difficult.
As I write this, I feel even more so that the Steelers should rescind the tag now, draft the back of the next four years and move on. Their success does not rely as heavily on Bell as he might think.
