Stillers Post-draft
Analysis
I'll offer here a brief
summation and my thoughts on this draft.��
The Stillers seemed to have gotten a couple of football players,
but as I often cite, it takes a couple years to see how many picks pan out, and
it takes the strapping on of pads and competition against NFL players to see
what these young men can really do (or can't do, as often is the case).� And, despite the fawning and gushing over
each & every draft pick by the front office, coaching staff, and a majority
of the fan base, we all can easily hearken back to the same fawning we'd heard
just a few years ago in regard to Jeremy Staat, Scott Shields, Jason Gavazda,
Carlos King, and so on.�
First, I would be remiss if
I did not acknowledge the outstanding analysis and contributions by my esteemed
colleagues Steel Phantom, Steel Haven, and CK Stiller in the weeks and days
leading up to the draft.� Their collective,
astute efforts ensured that Stillers.com once again provided unparalleled analysis
of the Pittsburgh Stillers. On a related note, Haven correctly picked 5 (five)
of the Stiller draftees in his mock draft��in the correct rounds of the draft,
no less.� �Very impressive.�
Steel Haven has already
summarized Day 1 and I'd recommend our readers to read it.��
My brief thoughts --
Round 1 - OLB Larry
Timmons, FSU.� I have various concerns about Timmons.� The biggest, is his overt lack of frame
length.� At 6-1 -- and apparently that
is a bit of a stretch -- Timmons clearly lacks frame length to tangle with the OTs
of the NFL.� We've seen, over recent years,
the likes of Porter, Harrison, and even Kendrell Bell get swallowed up by
6-5" OTs on the outside rush.�
Sure, the Stillers may switch to a 4-3 in '08.� This still would leave Timmons at a frame length disadvantage
when he's asked to rush from the edge.� The
other concern is his extreme greenness, having started just 1 year at FSU and
coming out after his junior campaign.�
It's unlikely that he'll possess the seasoning, on-field awareness, and
"football maturity" that a Roethlisberger or a Casey Hampton
possessed upon arriving to their first training camp.�
����������� Larry's shuttle run was quite solid, and if nothing else,
he possesses strong skills for spec team gunning and kick blocking.�
����������� I hope my concerns are alleviated, but I'm left thinking
that we got average value at the 15th pick in the draft.� Just to put things into perspective, a few short
years ago the Stillers moved up to #16 by shipping their #3 and #6 to the Chefs,
and selected Troy Pola.� Obviously,
Polamalu is considered 1 of the top 2 or 3 safeties in the entire league, which
means the Stillers got pretty good value at that pick.� I have a hard time envisioning a day in 2009
or '10 when we are all universally agreeing that Timmons is one of the top 2
OLBs in the entire NFL.�
��
Round 2 - DE/OLB Lamar
Woodley, Mich.� �Woodie
played both a down DE and an up OLB at Pissagain.� Like Timmons, his overt lack of frame length (6-2) is a grave
concern.� What some folks don't realize
is that a person that is 6-5" tall will typically have an arm length several
inches longer than a guy who is 6-2" tall.� Woodie could very easily spend a lot of his time getting
swallowed up by the huge OTs of the NFL.�
����������� Woodie does have some positives.� He's as strong as an ox, tossing up 29 bench
reps at the combine.� With his size (269
lbs.) and strength, he gives the Stillers a Willie McGinest-like hybrid that
can like up as a down DE on one play, and then as an up OLB the next.� The Stillers have never had any OLB with the
size and brawn of Woodie, which makes him intriguing.�
�
Round 3 - TE Matt Spaeth,
Minn.� �Unquestionably the most
bizarre pick of this Stillers' draft.� ��Yes, Matthew is 6-7" tall and has
some skills.� Problem is, Heath Miller
is already on the roster and is perfectly healthy.� While everyone ogles over Spaeth's size, it was just a few years
ago that the Stillers drafted 6-6" Matt Krachik and never, ever used the
guy in the RZ or near the GL.� Plus,
this is a team that has treated the idea of getting the ball to the TE as a distasteful
chore, akin to cleaning out the attic on a hot August afternoon.�� Indeed, Billy Cowher is finally gone, and
perhaps the idiocy of ignoring the TE will fade, but it's not very conceivable
that the Stillers can pass a lot out of a 2 TE set, due to a fairly deep WR
corps of Ward, Holmes, Reid, and Nate.� The
idea of the Stillers stockpiling TEs is nearly as asinine as the Pirates'
recent history of stockpiling catchers.�
Unlike CB or even WR, it's a position where you can't get much use past
your top dog.�
����������� Perhaps Spaeth can team with Timmons to give the Stillers
a kick-blocking threat, which is something they've not had -- at all -- in the
past 15 years.�
Round 4a - Punter Dan
Sepulveda, Baylor.� �The
Stillers traded up a few slots to grab the 2-time Ray Guy Award winner.�� It's a bit odd to trade up for a punter,
but with Jax nabbing Adam Podlesh earlier in the 4th round, Veda was the only
quality punter left on the board.� Piss
Gardocki obviously had to be replaced, and Andy Lee and the 49ers spurned the
Stiller offer.�� And let's face it --
Colbert hasn't exactly found too many Barry Foster's or Earl Holmes' on Day 2
lately.��
Round 4b - DE Ryan
McBean, OK St.� �Unlike
previous Stiller DE draftees (Aaron Smith, as a good example) that needed 2-3
years to fill out, The Bean is already physically ready at 6-5", 295.� Could be the best value pick of the draft
for the Stillers.� Has some limitations
in terms of mental aptitude and hustle, which ultimately could hold him
back.� Bean's selection (along with
Woodie) means that Travis Kirshke might as well notify his landlord that he's
moving, as his days in Pgh. are clearly numbered.�
Round 5a - OG Cameron
Stephenson, Rutgers.� �Stillers
needed to draft and groom some youngsters for their transitioning O-line, and
Cam was the lone pick in that regard.�� Appears
to be a solid value for round 5.� Could
perhaps be tried at center down the road.�
Round 5b - CB William
Gay, L-ville.� �Twerpy
CB (5-10, 187) with decent ball skills.��
His 40 time was apparently all over the place, so I'm not sure at this
time if he's fast or bootfooted. �Billy will
have a whale of a challenge just to make the club, with Tay, McFadd, Town, and
Ricardo all ahead of him on the depth chart.�
�
One concern I have, is that
when he's referred to as "Bill Gay", it's likely that fans will think
of Billy Cowher instead of the young CB, which could lead to a lot of confusion.�
Round 6 - none
Round 7 - WR Dallas
Baker, Fla.� �The Stillers had
essentially ignored the offensive skill positions in the draft and then selected
Baker in the last round.� Baker has some
nice size, which would be a plus for the diminutive Stiller WR corps.�� However, he's slow and is said to lack the
courage and toughness to snag balls in a crowd.� Unlikely he'll make the team, but he could make the practice
squad and then chip in if an injury occurs.�
Overall Stiller Draft
Synopsis:� I'll obviously need to see these men perform in preseason to get
a better feel for the overall effectiveness of this draft.� I'm a bit disappointed that RB wasn't
addressed.� Parker needs a stable mate
and the Stillers have a long history of finding quality RBs in Rounds 3-5, such
as Foster and Bam.� Mike Bush and Tony
Hunt were both available in Round 3 when the Stillers drafted, but instead Colbert
got a TE to toy around with.� Let's not
forget those young backups RBs are typically key cogs on STs in terms of
gunning.� Haynes' injury last year
weakened the spec teams considerably.�
��� The Stillers cannot afford to do the Billy Cowher BENCH ROT
routine on both Timmons and Woodley.� If
the team wants to contend, at least one must see significant PT from the get-go
and the other must see, at the very least, situational spot-duty.��