The Monday After: Steelers Draft Reaction

I had Claypool mocked to the Steelers in one of three mocks I conducted prior to the draft. Here is that write-up - https://www.yinzercrazy.com/nicastro-steelers-mock-draft-1-0.

In that piece I mentioned how the team would be looney to pass on one of the top skill players at WR-RB in this draft given the depth at each position. And that they didn’t. Claypool is enormous, checking in around 6’4, 240 pounds - and ran a 4.42 forty yard dash at the combine. He will help the red zone woes almost immediately. He also is a terrific blocker - something I’m sure the Steelers coveted. Adding another tall weapon for Ben was critical, and Claypool and new tight-end Eric Ebron will be entering the Heinz Red Zone a crap ton in 2020. 

This is a really smart pick by Colbert and his team. For starters, the depth behind T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree were worrisome. And there’s also a good chance Bud Dupree will be playing his last year in the black and gold. Highsmith provides depth at the position in 2020, will be a dynamite on special teams, and could possibly be groomed to be Dupree’s replacement should he provide capable. He was very productive his final season at Charlotte and is still raw due to the fact that he was playing with his hand in the ground up until this past season. 

This guy is quickly becoming a fan-favorite already after mentioning that his entire family grew up rooting for the Steelers. You could see him on twitter immediately after the pick decked out in black and gold gear. He’s a Yinzer now, and we’re happy to adopt him as one of ours. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Dotson wasn’t invited to the combine. That was a mistake. On tape he looks every bit the part of an NFL guard who is now going to play with a fire under his ass. When we look back five years from now I have a gut feeling we’re all going to wonder how the Steelers got him this late and why so many teams passed on Dotson. 

Two Maryland Terps in this draft - a place the Steelers are very familiar with. They hired Matt Canada as QB coach, who was previously Maryland’s offensive coordinator. And Mike Tomlin’s son, Dino, is currently on the Maryland squad.

Brooks checks more boxes. He’s more of a Mark Barron replacement at inside linebacker than a Sean Davis replacement at safety. He’s a hard hitter who will play 90 percent of snaps in the box. It was also wise to add another player who can help right away on special teams. 

I think all of these players will get off to slower than normal starts - due to the on-going pandemic and likelihood that training camp is pushed-back or altered in some fashion. As we all know, it’s tough to grade a draft right after it happens. So for that reason I’ll withhold my draft grade, and wait a few years to truly assess this class. On paper, they did well. Like they always do.

Mike Nicastro - Yinzer Crazy Co-Founder and Sad that that draft is over.