Steel Balls

Pick 1 (33 overall) Texans — QB Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
2 (34) Redskins — OT Morgan Moses, Virginia
3 (35) Browns — WR Marqise Lee, USC
4 (36) Raiders — QB Derek Carr, Fresno State
5 (37) Falcons — DE Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State
6 (38) Buccaneers — OG Xavier Su’a-Filo, UCLA
7 (39) Jaguars — WR Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt
8 (40) Seahawks (from Vikings)– OLB Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech
9 (41) Bills — OT Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
10 (42) Titans — RB Carlos Hyde, Ohio State
11 (43) Giants — OT Joel Bitonio, Nevada
12 (44) Rams — FS Terrence Brooks, Florida State
13 (45) Lions — DE Kony Ealy, Missouri
14 (46) Steelers — DE Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame
15 (47) Cowboys — DT Ra’Shede Hageman, Minnesota
16 (48) Ravens — CB Stan Jean-Baptiste, Nebraska
17 (49) Jets — WR Cody Latimer, Indiana
18 (50) Dolphins — WR Davante Adams, Fresno State
19 (51) Bears — DT Timmy Jernigan, Florida State
20 (52) Cardinals — QB AJ McCarron, Alabama
21 (53) Packers — TE Jace Amaro, Texas Tech
22 (54) Eagles — WR Allen Robinson, Penn State
23 (55) Bengals — OC Marcus Martin, USC
24 (56) 49ers (from Chiefs) — DE Brent Urban, Virginia
25 (57) Chargers — NT Louis Nix III, Notre Dame
26 (58) Saints — DE Scott Crichton, Oregon State
27 (59) Colts — OC Weston Richburg, Colorado State
28 (60) Panthers — DS Lamrcus Joyner, Florida State
29 (61) 49ers — WR Martavis Bryant, Clemson
30 (62) Patriots — RB Bishop Sankey, Washington
31 (63) Broncos — WR Jarvis Landry, LSU
32 (64) Seahawks — DC Keith McGill, Utah

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I did not spend as much time on this as I did in past drafts. I placed players where I thought teams should take them, and that messed up the team that was looking at that player. Oh well, here goes!

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Place your bets:

The annual odds for the Steelers’ first-round pick this year from Scouts.com:

* Louis Nix 20-1: I only listed him in case he’s the last option of a trade-down group. The Steelers certainly wouldn’t draft a NT and suddenly move Steve McLendon to end. That would be a great big-picture option, but I can’t see the Steelers running with that plan right now.

* Stephon Tuitt 18-1: This guy just bores the bejeebus out of me. Yes, the Steelers need a defensive end, and yes boring is what they seem to like from their DEs in their scheme, but not with another first-round pick. That should be reserved for a guy who blows things up, like …

* Ra’shede Hageman 15-1: This is the guy I would consider as my heavy strong-side anchor with mashing potential opposite weak-side playmaker Cameron Heyward. But only if the team psychologist says Hageman can survive the horrifying upbringing two losers have bequeathed this poor child. And you see my odds.

* Anthony Barr 13-1: Sure, I complained about his inconsistent season, but that was when people were calling him a top-five talent, not when it was possible he could slide to pick 15. What an athlete! Would the Steelers admit last year’s OLB wasn’t as great a pick as they thought while they were sprinting to the podium? Probably not.

* Brandin Cooks 12-1: If any team should draft Antonio Brown II it would be the team that has Antonio Brown I, no? Well, he’s on this board for his return skills. Of course, the Steelers might already have Antonio Brown III in Markus Wheaton, so enough smurfs already.

* Calvin Pryor 10-1: The Steelers have five safeties, yet still had Pryor in for a visit and not HaHa. That fits right in with Mike Tomlin’s past draft-day desires of “run-and-hit” specialists.

* Ryan Shazier 9-1: Same thing with Pryor, except Shazier — who looks more like a 4-3 will than a mike — plays a position of need here. His instincts seemed off at Ohio State, but his burst on film was supported by a 4.3 40. Yes, it was on the ultra-fast Ohio State track, but 4.3 run-and-hit says Tomlin, and Ohio State says Dick LeBeau, and Shazier’s character says Steelers. The odds seem a little short, but only because I fear someone uses this good logic and takes a big swing at me.

* Justin Gilbert 8-1: Doesn’t tackle like a Steelers DB, but has the size and speed and also returns kicks. Sucker bet, in my opinion.

* Kelvin Benjamin, Eric Ebron 7-1: Both guys would present schematic mismatches and both guys drop the ball too much. Ebron has these long odds because he might not make it to pick 15; Benjamin because he’s not a tight end in a WR-saturated market.

* C.J. Mosley 6-1: This quiet leader could fill a troubled buck LB position for the next decade. He can cover and he can stuff the run and he’s likely to be there. But this team has a bigger need for playmakers, and playmakers need to be picked in the middle of the first round.

* Kyle Fuller 5-1: My favorite cornerback would be your favorite cornerback if you turned on the Virginia Tech-Alabama game. Can cover, WRs don’t separate on him out of breaks, anticipates routes, can tackle, great bloodlines, great character. I would pick him. My perception is the Steelers don’t like him as much as I do.

* Odell Beckham 4-1: The most polished and NFL-ready receiver in the draft has 4.3+ speed, great hands, character, and return skills. I want to see the tape LSU reportedly shows incoming coaches of the endless acrobatic catches made by Beckham and teammate Jarvis Landry during practices and of course games.

* Darqueze Dennard 3-1: I want to discount him because he lacks off-coverage skills, and the main Steeler dudes don’t abide that in a cornerback. But at Michigan State, Dennnard’s press man skills put the cherry on top of its cover-3 zone. That’s where the Steelers have evolved with Ike Taylor, and Ike turns 34 tomorrow. Happy birthday, Ike. Here’s your replacement.

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• 1) Houston Texans select: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
• 2) St. Louis Rams select: Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
• 3) Jacksonville Jaguars select: Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
• 4) Cleveland Browns select: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
• 5) Oakland Raiders select: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
• 6) Atlanta Falcons select: Kahlil Mack, OLB, Buffalo
• 7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers select: Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
• 8) Minnesota Vikings select: Derek Carr, QB, Fresno St.
• 9) Buffalo Bills select: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
• 10) Detroit Lions select: Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State
• 11) Tennessee Titans select: Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA
• 12) New York Giants select: Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
• 13) St. Louis Rams select: Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
• 14) Chicago Bears select: Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State
• 15) Pittsburgh Steelers select: Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
• 16) Dallas Cowboys select: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama
• 17) Baltimore Ravens select: Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
• 18) New York Jets select: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
• 19) Miami Dolphins select: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU
• 20) Arizona Cardinals select: Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri
• 21) Green Bay Packers select: Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
• 22) Philadelphia Eagles select: Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
• 23) Kansas City Chiefs select: Marqise Lee, WR, USC
• 24) Cincinnati Bengals select: Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio State
• 25) San Diego Charger select: Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
• 26) Cleveland Browns select: C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama
• 27) New Orleans Saints select: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
• 28) Carolina Panthers select: Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame
• 29) New England Patriots select: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
• 30) San Francisco 49’ers select: Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State
• 31) Denver Broncos select: Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
• 32) Seattle Seahawks select: Stephon Tuitt, DT, Notre Dame

Click below to see previous rounds.

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Thursday May 8th begins the NFL Draft. Not Saturday, or Tuesday for that matter. The NFL Draft, where eligible college stars get selected by NFL teams to become pro football stars, used to be held on Tuesdays in April before 1988. During high school on those Tuesdays, knowing I was a huge football fan…and I wasn’t SUCH a bad kid…my Mom would allow me to stay home from school to watch. This was WAY before the Internet, mobile devices and what not…so television was my only option. No one understood my addiction then, Mom, friends and football fanatics alike. I was the original football Draft-Nik…before Mel Kiper Jr. cornered the Aqua Net market.

Cable TV came to Valley Stream, NY in late 1979 and a fledgling sports channel came along with it. ESPN, 24 hour sports…and I was a teenager…and had more than a few hours to kill. I would watch their offerings of Australian Rules Football and Bass Fishing, switching back and forth with MTV (remember when the V meant Videos?). In 1980, this little known sports network asked the NFL if they could broadcast coverage of the NFL Draft live. Although the NFL did not believe it would be entertaining television, I disagreed. Wow, TV and the NFL Draft?!? I was like a kid in a candy store!…well, actually, I was. I had learned about the marriage of TV and the NFL Draft flipping through a copy of The New York Times (the Times? I said I wasn’t SUCH a bad kid).

It was hard to gather information back then. I would pester the candy store clerk, asking when the new football magazines might arrive. He put down his chomped cigar, looked me over and huffed…”It’s April son, don’tcha mean Basssse-ball”. In spite of such obstacles, I hunted and gathered. I would cut out any article relating to the draft from ANY newspaper, ANY magazine. I was the only hormonally challenged teenage boy who actually READ an article in Playboy since the April issue covered the draft…never sneaking a peek once at the centerfold. I was a kid on a mission.

As the draft approached, I would dissect each bit of information…on teams, players, past history, team’s tendencies to do stupid things (I am looking at you Cardinals) and any other anomalies I could find. I would place players to teams in the order they drafted…my own draft board at age 14. Over the next 8 years nobody knew what to make of me. I would even travel home from college for those draft Tuesdays – since backass Philadelphia didn’t get cable until 2002 or something like that. The draft was still a mere sideshow of the NFL season. It was during this time I should have tried harder to make passion my work. In 1984, I did attempt to start a sports show on Drexel University’s radio station…even do the overnight – hell, I was up drinking anyway. No good. Those pot-smoking hippies didn’t see a need…but I digress. I was too easily thwarted in my efforts, and I regret it.

In 1988 the NFL Draft changed forever. The draft was to start on a Saturday…an ALL day event. My narcissistic self originally thought this was done specifically for me. I was no longer in school and out in the working world… asking the boss to take off for draft day wouldn’t go over as easily as it did with Mom. This move boosted ratings beyond belief. Mel Kiper Jr. bought out Aqua Net. The NFL had found a way to make money in April. Every idiot rushed to become a Draft-Nik and they popped up everywhere…magazines, books, TV shows. The market became saturated with a clutter of draft incompetence…and the original Draft-Nik, me, was left behind. Today, there are still a few from 1980 that stand out in this field…and I somehow should have been among them. But that ship has sailed.

In 2010, the draft disappeared altogether for me… off into the horizon. That year the NFL changed to a 3 day draft, a 3 ring circus if you will, starting Thursday in primetime. The NFL Draft is now a billion dollar year round industry.

Gone are my Tuesdays off from school…my articles, my newspapers, my predictions…my being glued to the TV set for hours.

Thursday May 8th, I will be playing hockey instead.

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