Draft 2003, Defensive Linemen:

 

This is the second in a series of articles on prospects to be available in the draft this spring.� The unit focus follows from the Overview articles published on site in January 2003.� As mentioned previously, information on every prospect considered in each unit will be updated as the results of the Combine and/or individual workouts become available.� For now though, we�ll rely on that information provided in www.draftbook.com; that is a superb, free site providing a compilation of reports from twelve or so mainline gurus.��

 

The D-side Overview proposed three D-line issues any or all of which the FO may address this spring.� Those were:

 

• 3-4 DE:� the Steelers were fortunate last year in that neither Smith nor KVO missed any time.� Those players are stout against the run but Bailey is not and no other player saw any considerable action at the position.� KVO was more than functional last year but that man is aging and the Steelers will need a replacement shortly.�

 

• Backup NT:� Hampton is a prototypical NT but the Steelers have no one behind him; KVO finished the year as the #1 backup but if he has to do any extended duty at this position in 2003 then the Steelers� DE depth issues may become apparent.

 

• Dime DE:� the Steeler package units suffered from an inability to generate consistent pressure.� While the 3-4 DE (too infrequently augmented by Hampton) functioned acceptably inside as dime DT, neither Gildon nor Haggans brought the kind of heat required, at least not against those teams in the top echelon.

 

Brett Keisel is the wildcard in all this.� If he develops in the Smith mode (and, by frame length, he does fit that model), then the Steelers� need at 3-4 DE goes way down.� This may allow the FO to focus more on a mid-round backup NT Alternatively, Keisel may develop as a dime pack DE with similar consequence for that position; however, while his movement skills are superior to those of Aaron Smith, as we will see in the following, they are not (quite) rush DE worthy.�� My guess is that Keisel will function as a 3-4 DE, or, other than on ST, not at all.

 

3-4 DE:

 

The Steeler 3-4 requires these players be able to play two-gap effectively in the base, keeping the LB clean to make plays.� In the packages though, these players move inside to function as pass-rushing DT.� Those dual roles require size, frame length and some degree of movement skills.� Consider the following Combine/workout results:�

 

Player	Height	Weight	40	Reps	Notes
Aaron Smith	6-4	273	4.89	24	Small school player considered a 4-3 tweener, too slow for LDE but lacking bulk for DT.
Chris Combs	6-5	286	5.21	22	A �tweener similar to Smith but, unlike that player, virtually immobile.
Brett Keisel	6-5	279	4.77	26	Big upside
Cornelius Griffin	6-3	297	4.90	30	Has succeeded as a 4-3 DT for the NYG, in 2000, figured as a possible 3-4 DE.� Included here for range.
Kris Jenkins	6-5	316	5.14	33	Considered as a 3-4 DE in 2001 and had immediate success inside at DT with the Panthers.� Big enough and strong enough, had a bad 40 but above average shuttle.

 

Short area agility (as measured in shuttle and cone) figures more than 40 times; however, that information is less readily available.� No doubt, the Steeler FO has it all but for our purpose here we�ll leave a sub-4.90 40 as the first approximation for success at the 3-4 DE position.� Weight is less a factor immediately but candidates must have the frame to pack on the poundage required to accomplish job #1, the base tasks.� Given that, consider the prospects below; noting that the boldface indicates those players who either have surpassed the measurable minimums posited above or figure to be viable candidates (and on the board) when the Steelers draft.

.

 

Player	School	Height	Weight (Lbs.)	40	Likely slot, remarks
Jimmy Kennedy	Penn State	6-5	338	4.97	Certain top 5
Kevin Williams	Okla. State	6-5	285	4.85	Mid-1st round.
William Joseph	Miami	6-5	295	4.88	Said to be sliding out of top 15 but Marvin Lewis mentioned him as a player the Bengals are considering in the 1st.
Kenny Patterson   Doubtful at 1.27	Ohio State	6-3	293	4.82	15 to 25 overall; of the top 4 here, most likely to be available when the Steelers draft at 1.27
Rein Long       Likely to be available at 1.27.	Wash. State	6-6	288	5.00	Late 1st to mid 2nd.� Highly likely to be available when Steelers draft @ 1.27.� High try guy and was productive in college but plays high and may (or may not) lack functional movement skills.� Still, carries a somewhat better rating than any safety in the draft.
Nick Eason	Clemson	6-4	280	5.00	Mid to late 2nd.
Jarrett Johnson	Alabama	6-3	280	4.84	Late 2nd to mid 3rd.
Kindall Moorehead	Alabama	6-3	290	5.00	As above.
Tyler Brayton	Colorado	6-6	269	4.88	Smith/Keisel-like prospect who will go first day
Osi Umenyiora	Troy State	6-3	279	4.78	Will rise after Combine, 4th or 5th rounds currently.� Interesting 2nd day prospect.
Terrence Martin	NC State	6-3	305	4.88	Big enough now, measurables similar to Aaron Smith.� 5th to early 6th.�� Seems to be a reasonable depth pick.
Matt Leonard	Stanford	6-3	300	4.95	Big enough but speed is marginal.� 5th to 6th round type.
Antonio Garay	Boston College	6-4	295	4.78	Due to injuries, could be anywhere.� Has first round measurables but played only (14) games in (3) years at BC.
Omari Hand	Tennessee	6-4	270	4.93	Smith/Keisel-like prospect who will go late
Charles Alston	Boise State	6-5	264	4.88	Smith/Keisel-like prospect who will go late
LaKendrick Jones	S. Caro. State	6-3	287	4.93	Smith/Keisel-like prospect who will go late, FA type.
James Lee	Oregon State	6-2	320	4.91	Big move at Combine, mid round.

 

Any of the top four shown above would figure to start immediately but none figure to be available at 1.27.� Kennedy, Joseph, Williams and Patterson form, with Robertson and Sullivan (shown below), the top six at the DT position.� Only once before, in 2001, have (6) DT been taken in the 1^st round.� On the chalk, we�d expect the Steelers to have shot at, say, Patterson, but in fact it is highly likely that 2001 mark will be met or exceeded this April.�

 

If any of the top six are on the board, they�d be the guy.� �Size first� argues for that selection and so would BPA, at least with respect to DB.� However, if all six are off then the situation becomes obscure.� Rien Long is the next player and, while Long is ranked ahead of all but (3-4) DB at the moment, IMO that won�t hold up.� Long is, well, long; tall, thin, not especially mobile.� IMO, he has bust potential.� 1.17 is early for Nick Eason, a player ranked with the top safeties; the other option, Ty Warren (shown below) seems to be more a stuffer than a pass rusher.�

 

Of the mid-round options highlighted, Umenyiora and Garay have the most potential.� While the 1^st round players would be expected to move in ahead of KVO immediately (perhaps freeing that man for duty behind Hampton), the mid-round men should be evaluated against the upside potential of Bailey and Keisel; that is, they�d be the 4^th or 5^th DE this year with a chance to replace KVO in 2004.� Garay has the size and speed but he also has had a knee injury, a neck injury and, last year, broke his ankle.� Umenyiora is an athlete who produced at Troy State but that is a long way from the NFL.� Another late round possibility is Matt Walter of Miami; Walter measured at 6-4, 272# and did 30 reps at the Combine.

 

Nose Tackle:

 

The NT spearheads the Steeler run defense.� Job #1 is to scrum an opponent�s interior O-line; in general, success here is measured by the stats of others.� A 40 of +5.0 makes a NT candidate by default; however, bulk counts and there the number is 314#.� Here are some past Combine results:

 

 

Player	Height	Weight	40	Reps	Notes
Kendrick Clancy	6-1	283	5.26	25	10 of 22 DT lifted more, 20/21 DT ran faster, 23/25 DT weighed more.
Casey Hampton	6-1	314	DNP	34	Prototype.
Steve Warren	6-1	307	5.06	29	Often-injured since but did measure up in Indy.

 

The players shown in boldface may be reasonable options this spring.

 

Player	School	Height	Weight (Lbs.)	40	Likely slot, remarks
Bernard Robertson	Kentucky	6-2	316	5.11	Top 10, is pushing Kennedy for #1 DT.
Jonathan Sullivan	Georgia	6-3	303	5.02	Top 15
Ty Warren	Texas A&M	6-4	290	5.07	May be too slow to play DE but may play too high to function at NT.
Colin Cole	Iowa	6-1	315	5.00	3rd- 4th round, may be a good prospect but on BPA basis.
Ian Scott	Florida	6-2	315	5.18	4th � 5th round, as above but later.
Langston Moore	SC State	6-1	303	?	29 reps
Aubrayo Franklin	Tennessee	6-2	307	?	29 reps
Tim Love	Harding	6-2	323	5.14	6th and beyond, seems like a late round option.
Floyd Black	Harding	6-4	325	5.50	FA
Rashad Moore	Tennessee	6-4	295	5.10	Chronic underachiever, DND.
Cedric Harden	Murray State	6-3	305	5.21	6th round or later, DND.

 

Players who don�t fit the system include Anthony Adams, PSU who at 6-0, 299# and 5.08 is Clancy-esque; the same is true for Eric Banning of Oregon State.

 

Rush DE, dime candidates:

 

The Steeler 3-4 forces LB into duty as rush DE and IMO, that puts the PS at a disadvantage since, for the most part, those men lack the frame length to deal hand-to-hand with the gargantuan OT fielded by most high caliber squads.� It is worth noting that nearly every big time rusher is a DE at 6-4 and above.� The exceptions to that include Hugh Douglas, John Abraham and Dwight Freeney; leaving Douglas, it�s fair to say that no Steeler has the freakish speed and acceleration of either Abraham or Freeney.

 

The others range from Strahan, at 6-4 to Peppers and Rice at 6-6 with Kearse, Carter and the rest somewhere in the middle.� Those players were all top picks, elite first to mid-second; the Steelers have just (1) pick in that full range.� Beyond that, given the Steeler system, we can expect they�ll be looking in the mid-rounds (if at all) for players with rush DE measurables.� For that reason, I�m going to skip over Terrell Suggs, Michael Haynes, Jerome McDougle, Cory Redding, Dewayne White and Chad�s little brother Chris Kelsay to begin from the mid-3^rd or so.� But first, some results from previous Combines:

 

Player	School	Height	Weight (Lbs.)	40	Likely slot, remarks
Eric Flowers	ASU	6-4	271	4.79	Impressed Buffalo at the 2000 Combine, drafted in the 1st, busted and then exposed in the Texan expansion pool. �Backup OLB last year.
Clark Haggans	Colorado St.	6-4	253	5.04	Colorado State career sack leader, lacked all measurables.
Kabeer Obaja-Biamila	San Diego State	6-4	243	4.67	So unimpressive in rookie year (2000) that the Pack moved up to draft Jamal Reynolds in 2001.� Since then, KGB has developed as a double-digit sack master while Reynolds rides the pine.
Jamal Reynolds	Florida State	6-3	267	4.70	Fast @ 250, bulked up and slowed down.�� Can�t get on the field.
Carlos Hall	Arkansas	6-4	259	4.67	(8) sacks for the Titans in 2002, drafted in the 7th round that spring.

 

The numbers are: 4.67, 6-4 (75.5� and rounded up).� Turning to those players who may be available from 92 overall downward:

 

Player	School	Height	Weight (Lbs.)	40	Likely slot, remarks
Calvin Pace	Wake Forest	6-4	264	4.82	Will probably go 2nd or 3rd round, Steelers have more pressing needs.
Clint Mitchell	Florida	6-6	255	4.80	Worth a look, has to get quicker. Ran 4.88 and 4.93 at Combine.� Would have to gain 50# to function as 3-4 DE.� DND.
Alonzo Jackson	FSU	6-4	256	4.77	14 reps.
Jimmy Wilkerson	Oklahoma	6-3	260	4.69	Rumored to be just a little slower and shorter than the minimum; actually ran 4.90 at Combine.� Also, disappointing production last year. �DND.
Bryant McNeil	Clemson	6-4	237	4.60	Rumored to have the prime measurables, lacks bulk.�
Tully Banta-Cain	Cal	6-2	261	4.75
Aaron Hunt	Texas Tech	6-3	266	4.58	Played DT at TT but is mentioned as a 3-4 OLB.� Ran 4.73 at Combine
Nick Burley	Fresno State	6-4	230	4.77	Slight and slow, perfect from the school that provided Chris Conrad and Jahine Arnold.
Brandon Green	Rice	6-2	267	4.74
Andrew Tippins	Mankato State	6-3	267	4.7x

 

After Pace, these players constellate between 95 to 130 overall; that�s 3^rd or 4^th round material to the Steelers.� McNeil and Jackson would be my top dime DE candidates; Hunt and Bantu-Cain may figure as OLB or ST players.� Others in that category include Andrew Williams and Jamal Green (DE at Miami but at 6-2 figure as OLB), Antwan Peek and Shurron Pierson.�

 

Summary:

 

Presuming that the Steelers do not get a 3-4 DE in the first round, I think they�ll wait until the second day to fill in some quality depth.� The Front 7 candidates for displacement are: Clancy, Hoke and Kurpeikis.� Pick any two of the following as likely to the bill, add OLB to taste.

 

3-4 DE:

 

Umenyiora

Garay

Lee

Martin

 

NT:

 

Coles

Scott

Love

Lee

 

Dime DE:

 

Jackson

McNeil

 

OLB:

 

Peek

Pierson

Hunt

Banta-Cain

Chaun Thompson