Looking ahead

[mex 65,581]

3 minutes ago, DieHard said:

Yep. DE or LT if we can move up far enough. With all the rookie starters we have, I think we can move up with a package of picks and be fine.

7 games ago I would have never wanted to keep him... those first few games Patrick was running for his life.

[sith13 1,746]

11 hours ago, mex said:

The second half of the season, including twice against that Denver defense, our OL has looked pretty solid. I wouldn't mind if they keep him. But they need to look for a LT in the draft, for damned sure.

Not sure if that tag would be more useful elsewhere. However the FA market is terrible at LT and we likely won't have a day one starter late in 1st so it's a tough situation all together. A stopgap DE is very likely though.

[mex 65,581]

2 hours ago, sith13 said:

Not sure if that tag would be more useful elsewhere. However the FA market is terrible at LT and we likely won't have a day one starter late in 1st so it's a tough situation all together. A stopgap DE is very likely though.

My point exactly. We can always dream of a 2nd round LT who blows up in camp... like Creed. I mean people don’t realize how complicated the job of center is... reading the defense, calling the blocking schemes etc. he was an all pro day one. 
 

Then we move OBJ to the right side. Bam.

But I also believe in the tooth fairy, so... 😄

[artsy 1,137]

13 hours ago, mex said:

7 games ago I would have never wanted to keep him... those first few games Patrick was running for his life.

Maybe his performance has improved because of the "competition"??

I don't trust OBJ. His feet and agility is just too bad. And I don't see those attributes improving with age.....

[SEMO 6,811]

37 minutes ago, artsy said:

Maybe his performance has improved because of the "competition"??

I don't trust OBJ. His feet and agility is just too bad. And I don't see those attributes improving with age.....

Maybe Veach repeats the scenario of drafting Fisher, letting him play his rookie year at RT, while keeping Albert at LT, giving Fish time to adjust to the NFL.

They could tag OBJ again and draft the LT of the future and play them on the right for a year.  They won't get a top flight LT where they pick anyway.

[kkuenn 3,599]

20 minutes ago, SEMO said:

Maybe Veach repeats the scenario of drafting Fisher, letting him play his rookie year at RT, while keeping Albert at LT, giving Fish time to adjust to the NFL.

They could tag OBJ again and draft the LT of the future and play them on the right for a year.  They won't get a top flight LT where they pick anyway.

Been seeing the Ohio St LT picked for us in some mocks. Also edge players of course. Even seen a few that has us taking the Alabam RB. 

[SEMO 6,811]

2 minutes ago, kkuenn said:

Been seeing the Ohio St LT picked for us in some mocks. Also edge players of course. Even seen a few that has us taking the Alabam RB. 

Hopefully Veach has learned his lesson of first round RBs.

[sith13 1,746]

2 minutes ago, kkuenn said:

Been seeing the Ohio St LT picked for us in some mocks. Also edge players of course. Even seen a few that has us taking the Alabam RB. 

He's like the 2nd best OT prospect so I would love that pick but not sure if he would be available so late. RB is likely the worst possible pick for the Chiefs

[kkuenn 3,599]

4 minutes ago, SEMO said:

Hopefully Veach has learned his lesson of first round RBs.

Yes and no. They want that offensive weapon for Mahomes and if they feel it was a rb, they will go for it. They failed on CEH but we can't ignore bpa either. We did this for years at QB until Mahomes pick.

[oldtimer 8,686]

we have Pacheco,  hopefully resign McKinnon, no reason to be stupid with an RB pick unless it's 6 or7th rounder. I think Veach has seen the light

[kkuenn 3,599]

Just now, oldtimer said:

we have Pacheco,  hopefully resign McKinnon, no reason to be stupid with an RB pick unless it's 6 or7th rounder. I think Veach has seen the light

I agree but then again I am not Veach.

[mex 65,581]

1 hour ago, kkuenn said:

Been seeing the Ohio St LT picked for us in some mocks. Also edge players of course. Even seen a few that has us taking the Alabam RB. 

Parris J is a beast...

If we take another 1st rd running back, I'm going full San Fran next time I'm in KC...

including but not limited to taking massive dookies on the sidewalks.

[mex 65,581]

1 hour ago, sith13 said:

He's like the 2nd best OT prospect so I would love that pick but not sure if he would be available so late. RB is likely the worst possible pick for the Chiefs

We would need to trade up... but we have a lot of cards to deal... and veach is the master.

[arthur75 415]

I wish I knew more about the upcoming draft. Is it loaded with certain posotopns or is this a weak draft?

[kkuenn 3,599]

2 hours ago, arthur75 said:

I wish I knew more about the upcoming draft. Is it loaded with certain posotopns or is this a weak draft?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/platform/amp/2022/12/23/23518060/ranking-every-position-2023-nfl-draft-qb-bryce-young-cj-stroud-will-levis-olb-anderson-steelers-news

 

 

1. Cornerback

We may not see any corners selected inside the Top 5, and depending on team needs, we mat even see one selected in the top 10. However, the depth is incredible. Joey Porter, Jr., Cam Smith, Christian Gonzalez, DJ Turner, Kelee Ringo, Clark Phillips III, Deonte Banks, and Devon Witherspoon could all be in the first-round conversation.

 

2. EDGE rusher

Will Anderson, Jr. is arguably the best player in the draft, but there are plenty of guys to keep an eye on for both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes. Tyree Johnson has the size, speed, and production to warrant a top-ten selection, and other talents like Myles Murphy, BJ Ojulari, Isaiah Foskey, and Andre Carter will garner interest in the mid to late first round.

 

3. Running Back

This position is almost perennially deep. Like every year, there will be prospects who fall to day three that can be quality backs for years to come. While I do not support taking any running back in the first round, Bijan Robinson may be the best back to come out of college since Saquon Barkley. He is the only running back I have a first-round grade on, but there are a slew of names who will come off the board quickly on Day 2. There is quality depth once again.

 

 

4. Center

It has been a couple years since we have had multiple premier prospects at this position, but I think we might just get that this year. Sedrick Van Pran could still opt to return to school, but initially, he will be my number one center if he declares. John Michael Schmitz and my Michigan man Olusegun Oluwatimi will be up there as well. Another underclassman to keep an eye on is Ohio State’s Luke Wypler. He could really make this a special class if he declares.

 

5. Offensive Tackle

Arguably the Steelers’ biggest need, offensive tackle is a position that lacks an elite prospect but possesses some solid developmental prospects. Peter Skoronski is my top tackle currently, although his lack of length limits his overall upside. Paris Johnson, Jr. from Ohio State became more comfortable at left tackle as the season progressed, but he was not that impressive as a run-blocker. Keep an eye on Anton Harrison, Jr. and Jaelyn Duncan during the draft process. If they rise, we could easily see five tackles go in Round 1.

 

6. Interior Defensive Line

Jalen Carter will get most of the attention along the interior of the defensive line, but athletic freaks Bryan Bresee and Mazi Smith provide value in the right scheme as well. One of my favorite prospects is Siaki Ika from Baylor, and he is just one of several starting-caliber nose tackles in this class. The big guys may be coming back in style!

 

 

7. Quarterback

Some analysts have quarterback as one of the biggest strengths of this draft, but I am not one of them. The depth is solid overall, but there are concerns with each of the top quarterbacks. Bryce Young and Will Levis both have long-term durability concerns, but for different reasons. C.J. Stroud struggles when under duress, and Anthony Richardson is incredibly raw and will need at least one season on the bench. This class is not as good as it is made out to be, although there is potential.

 

8. Wide Receiver

This receiver class is not bad, per se, but it is not the level of the receiver classes in recent memory. The combine will have a huge impact on who the top receiver is. Quentin Johnson from TCU is my favorite as of now, but Jordan Addison and Jaxson Smith-Njigba will both have an opportunity to dethrone him. I will reserve judgment on the class as a whole until after the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine.

 

9. Safety

I think we will see at least one safety selected before Round 1 concludes, but it is no guarantee. This is another position which, like receiver, will be shaken up in terms of rankings after the combine. Brian Branch provides great value as a slot corner as well as a high safety, while Antonio Johnson is a long, athletic safety with good awareness. Ji’Ayir Brown could rise into the late first-round range with solid testing as well. There are also several intriguing mid-rounders, including one of own early favorites, Sydney Brown.

 

 

10. Tight End

Michael Mayer may not be the most athletic tight end in the world, but he has a well-rounded game and displays outstanding toughness before and after the catch. I expect him to be the only first-round tight end, but I could see as many as five or six additional tight ends on Day 2. Darnell Washington is an intriguing guy to watch. He was the backup to Brock Bowers at Georgia, but he is a big, athletic tight end who can both block and catch at a high level. He could become a top-50 pick despite production that does not jump off the page.

 

11. Guard

I think there will be a couple guys in the late Day-2, early Day-3 range that could fly under the radar, but the top of the class is not excellent. O’Cyrus Torrence is the clear-cut number one guy for me, and after him there is quite a drop-off. Andrew Vorhees dealt with injuries down the stretch this season, but he has a well-rounded game when fully healthy. He checks in at number two for me.

 

12. Inside Linebacker

I just do not find anything amusing about this class. Trenton Simpson and Drew Sanders could become first-round picks, but as of now, I am not impressed with the depth. Neither Jack Campbell nor Noah Sewell have impressed me in what I have seen of them, and many of the top talents either lack size or speed. There are very few in this class with a combination of both. There always seems to be a couple guys who come out of nowhere at the combine and burst onto the scene, but as of right now, this is an incredibly weak linebacker class.

[jetlord 10,209]

Best hope for OT is that someone drops to around 20 and Veach can trade up.  Not much chance of an instant starter at 30.

[mex 65,581]

8 minutes ago, jetlord said:

Best hope for OT is that someone drops to around 20 and Veach can trade up.  Not much chance of an instant starter at 30.

The good news is, most teams are looking for the specialty talent like QB, Edge, CB, WR, DL... I bet Veach has the ability to get us in position for a quality LT.

The only question is, does he WANT a LT.

Or will he be slobbering over more offensive weapons... like a WR or RB.

[kkuenn 3,599]

What if we go Dawand Jones from OSU and maybe move Niang or someone at LT? Jones is a big man at RT.

[KC Warpaint 3,234]

4 hours ago, SEMO said:

Hopefully Veach has learned his lesson of first round RBs.

i have seen a few mocks that have us drafting the Texas RB....

[kkuenn 3,599]

9 minutes ago, KC Warpaint said:

i have seen a few mocks that have us drafting the Texas RB....

Same and/or the Alabama one.

[jetlord 10,209]

No way does Veach draft a RB after the CEH fiasco, iMHO.  The thing keeping Veach from moving up if an OT drops is the priority for an EDGE or even DT.  Without #55 and #8, there's some urgent holes to fill.  George, Dana, Kaindoh, and Henning is a pretty weak group.  Maybe a splash will be made in FA, but the draft is where it's at. 

[mex 65,581]

16 minutes ago, jetlord said:

No way does Veach draft a RB after the CEH fiasco, iMHO.  The thing keeping Veach from moving up if an OT drops is the priority for an EDGE or even DT.  Without #55 and #8, there's some urgent holes to fill.  George, Dana, Kaindoh, and Henning is a pretty weak group.  Maybe a splash will be made in FA, but the draft is where it's at. 

Dunlap has been an awesome FA pickup for us. What makes you think they won't resign him? Seems like he loves being a chief and might want to play for a SB contender. I don't follow salary cap data much, so I couldn't say if he's expensive or not... but dang I'd like to keep him.

[Iluvhouse24 1,808]

10 hours ago, SEMO said:

Maybe Veach repeats the scenario of drafting Fisher, letting him play his rookie year at RT, while keeping Albert at LT, giving Fish time to adjust to the NFL.

They could tag OBJ again and draft the LT of the future and play them on the right for a year.  They won't get a top flight LT where they pick anyway.

This is exactly what I think they are going to do. 

[jetlord 10,209]

Veach drafted exactly like many of us had in order of need without reaching.  It netted four starters (McDuffie, Karlaftis, Williams/Watson, and Pacheco) and four part timers who could become starters (Cook, Crennal, Moore, Williams/Watson).  If he does as well this winter with DE, OT, S, and a DT or WR, he should be executive of the decade   I don't care if he goes DE or OT first as long as those two areas are addressed. 

[moons314 2,463]

1 hour ago, Iluvhouse24 said:

This is exactly what I think they are going to do. 

Lord I hope not.   I don’t want to see Brown with an enormous cap hit giving up speed rushes while we play a rookie on the right.  If we’re gonna draft a tackle to play the left side, let him play the left side from day 1. You want your young tackle playing next to Thuney bc eventually Thuney is gonna be a cap casualty. Brown wants too much to play the right and isn’t worth the franchise tag.  Just let him walk and move on.