View topic - Steelers 1st round pick: OLB Ryan Shazier

[thesteelhammer Profile]

With the 15th pick over all the Steelers took Ohio State OLB Ryan Shazier.

I've had the chance to watch him play many times. He is an awesome athlete. 3 down backer

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/ ... id=2543486

[thesteelhammer Profile]

He has huge upside, but isn't a finished player in my opinion.

I'm a buckeye fan, but am gun shy on them in the pros....I've just seen my Steelers burnt drafting to many of them.....Vrable, Adams, even Holmes off the field.
He's not as big as I'd like, but man is he fast.

on the other hand, he is a great athlete and was productive in college leading the Big 10 in tackles last year and tackles for a loss.

[thesteelhammer Profile]

"Pro Football" had him as their #1 OLB for the 4-3 in their draft rag.
of course the Steelers play a 3-4, so.....

[thesteelhammer Profile]

Not what i would see as a top 3 need, but might well have been best athlete on the board.

Drafting him doesn't bode well for Jarvis Jones.

[Steelers76 Profile]

Don't like the pick, especially not with Denard still on the board.

But maybe will be proven wrong by his play.

[PGHeaven Profile]

Fucking ridiculous pick. Rooney is Gay for Ohio State

[isfry Profile]

Stupid pick. I don't know enough about this guy, but I do know that we have some depth, and some known quantities at LB. Spence comin' back, Jones and Williams looking to step it up in year 2, Timmons, Worilds, et al.
With an aging Ike, and William Gay being our only real cover guys, we are in deep shit in our secondary. Yes, Mike Mitchell (hopefully) will work out opposite Troy, and, yes, maybe Shamarko Thomas can be worked in in some nickel packages and see what he can do. But that's really it. With Denard still on the board this was a waste of a first round pick. Another ILB who won't start for two years? Brilliant. Even Calvin Pryor would have been a better pick.

I am hopeful that these guys know something I don't but the last few years of Colbert brain farts do not give me much confidence. Bunk.

[PGHeaven Profile]

I agree Isfry - Shazier worked in a 4-3 to boot. It will take 3 years to groom him the way Steelers do things.

[Steelers76 Profile]

As Dan Kovacevic put in his opening line of his article questioning this pick, "They better be right."

[isfry Profile]

The more I think about it the more pissed I get. I was watching the first 14 teams pick and wondering where Denard might land, figuring he'd never be around at 15. When it got down to only Chicago and St. Louis ahead of us, I figured Chicago might be in need of some secondary help. When they took Fuller I figured we were golden. Nope. Well, we will get a chance to see if Denard is really any good, as the Bungles picked him up at 24. Sure hope I'm wrong. At least one guy besides Colbert disagrees with me. Take a look at Chis Wesseling's take on Shazier:

"5. Ryan Shazier, OLB, Steelers: We didn't need Warren Sapp to tell us Dick LeBeau's once-vaunted defense had deteriorated to "old and slow." While the offense was picking up steam late in the season, the swiftly declining defense was hemorrhaging big plays and failing to produce turnovers. They are now reversing Father Time by adding the fastest linebacker we have seen on film since Brian Urlacher entered the NFL as a freakishly talented former New Mexico safety, wide receiver and kick returner. Shazier and Lawrence Timmons could rival the 49ers' inside linebacker duo as the NFL's most dynamic. If general manager Kevin Colbert hits on a red-zone threat and a cornerback in the next two rounds, the Steelers might just be the favorite to take the AFC North in 2014."

[Ohio Profile]

The more I think about it the more pissed I get. I was watching the first 14 teams pick and wondering where Denard might land, figuring he'd never be around at 15. When it got down to only Chicago and St. Louis ahead of us, I figured Chicago might be in need of some secondary help. When they took Fuller I figured we were golden. Nope. Well, we will get a chance to see if Denard is really any good, as the Bungles picked him up at 24. Sure hope I'm wrong. At least one guy besides Colbert disagrees with me. Take a look at Chis Wesseling's take on Shazier:

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I didn't follow this Draft much. Why ? Useless hype. We do not know for sure how it will translate. Some extraordinary players turn out to be busts and people nobody expected perform like MVPs.
That being said... The CBs do not need to be extraordinary in our scheme. LBs are much much more important.
On the other side... A CB would have started straight away. A LB is much more likely to sit on the bench a few seasons...

One last thought: Are we sure that Shazier will be converted to ILB ? As far as I have seen last season Jarvis Jones created pressure only inside pressure. He wasn't able to create outside pressure. Isn't it possible that Shazier will be used as OLB and Jones as ILB ?

[thesteelhammer Profile]

I like the player. I'm just not sure he fits our system.

[isfry Profile]

I agree that he doesn't fit our system, nor does he fit our needs. As a result, I don't like the player. Period.

[bubbybrister Profile]

If he plays ILB, I think this is a good pick. Will be a big upgrade over Vince Williams. However, if he's part of the OLB rotation, total shit pick.

[SoCal Stiller Profile]

He will definately be an ILB. He is the same size as Timmons was but much faster. The biggest reason for the shitty pass D was the lack of pressure on the QB. Any LB position is more important than CB in Dick's system. The safety help will also be much improved (and younger) with Mitchell replacing Clark. The NFL short passing game dictates that you better have fast guys capable of containing that area of the field. The core of Steelers football has always been about great linebackers and I believe we will have 4 very good ones.

[Pump-N-Iron Profile]

I actually liked this pick. Did anyone else SEE the revolving door of wretched ilk that we plugged in next to Timmons last season? Larry Foote (who is hopefully done for good), Vince Williams, Kion Wilson???? If you can't stop the run, you won't need to worry about stopping the pass. My biggest concern here is if they bench rot him for 2 years.

[isfry Profile]

I agree, Iron. My concern is that, based on past draft picks' timelines, he WON'T see the field for two years.

[SoCal Stiller Profile]

Is there anybody out there? Just nod if you can hear me!

Seriously though, it looks like Shaz has been mostly working with the first team. I know it's very early, but it's a good sign nonetheless. I'm really looking forward the seeing if Spence can make it all the way back too. I have much more optimism this off season than I have had in quite a while.

Peace out fellows

[isfry Profile]

I, too, am suffering from O.O.D. ("Offeason Optimism Disorder"), SoCal. I have a sneaking suspicion we are going to have a terrific "40th Anniversary" year. I'm looking for flights from Cal to Pitt for the end of the year match up against the Bungles. Enjoy OTA's, boys and girls.

[SoCal Stiller Profile]

I think getting rid of Woodley makes up about 75% of my optimism and about 10% goes to the Munchak and Porter additions to the coaching staff.