Updated: 1850 hrs, June 1st
"We have more numbers there than people realize. We may have great players in building and they haven't had chance to show us."
Those words by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau summed up why the team did not select one of the top-level cornerback in the first round of this year's NFL Draft that many expected them to select. Especially when Darqueze Dennard, about whom we wrote as our favorite going into the draft, was sitting there as a fully-ripened fruit ready to be picked.
The Steelers' coaches, however, simply didn't feel that their secondary was as dire a situation as it seemed on the surface. Defensive backs coach Carnell Lake agreed with LeBeau that CB wasn't as pressing a need as perceived. He specifically said that Brice McCain and Antwon Blake will help Steelers.
Add to that, CB Deion Belue, an undrafted free agent out of Alabama that the Steelers claimed off of waivers (Dolphins), and Devin Smith and Isaiah Green and you have those who will be battling for a backup role.
Blake, a UTEP product, falls into the "he's not small, he's short" category in which head coach Mike Tomlin placed rookie running back Dri Archer. He's 5'9", 198 LBs but did 21 repetitions of the 225-pound bench press at his 2012 Pro Day. He also ran a 4.32/40, and is the gunner on Steelers special teams. Rather than a player expected to get snaps in the Steelers' defense, that's where his greatest value is. As for McCain, we wrote about his potential when he was signed back in April. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2014/04/steelers-sign-brice-mccain-bring-in.html
Belue (5'11", 182 LBs) had a turf toe injury which hindered his senior season, but he played well in the 2012 National Championship game against Notre Dame. He's wiry, strong for his size and has good enough speed (4.47/40). A slot man who can occasionally line up out side, Belue has a chance at the practice squad.
Devin Smith and Isaiah Green should be familiar to Steelers fan as the two CBs who were on and off of the practice squad all of last season.
The Steelers finally did address the need for depth at cornerback, though, by selecting Arizona's Shaquille Richardson (6'0", 194 LBs) in the fifth round.
The former Wildcat has versatility, length and a good frame. He looks mainly to be a right CB, but also played a safety/rover position and in the slot in some subpackages. He's also fast (4.43/40), quick and agile, but not physical. He'd rather cut a runner rather than wrap him up, and also tends to squat to much which can affect his backpedal.
Lake's familiarity with Richardson, having helped recruit Richardson to UCLA, is intriguing and he could very well be a diamond in the rough with Lake's guidance.
“I remember Coach Lake being someone I can look up to,” said Richardson, who was also a teammate of Robert Golden at Arizona. “I'm happy to be learning from him and being a Pittsburgh Steeler. It's crazy.”
Lake praised Richardson as well.
“He's a smart, young corner who can come in and contribute,” said Lake. “He gives us good size out there and somebody that has the ability to put a lot of pressure on tall receivers that have been drafted in the last few years.”
Then there are your starters and main substitute, Cortez Allen, Ike Taylor and William Gay, with Gay receiving praise for his play last season. - http://tinyurl.com/kst23t3
Taylor's play was the expect opposite last season, rated by PFF as 107th out of 111 CBs. Something of which is keenly aware.
“I feel after these last two years,” Taylor said, “especially after last year, that I have lot to prove. I feel like I have more to prove than ever.”
Tez Allen had a similar season to his 2012 campaign. He didn't play much of the first half of the season due to injuries, but made his presence felt late in the season. Starting the final seven games, he finished the year with 51 tackles, two interceptions and a touchdown.
Also, one of the most important things to remember is that Taylor isn't following the opponent's best receiver. That responsibility has fallen more to Tez. That disallowed the top WRs from having career days on Taylor and saw a slight increase in coverage, causing the Steelers' pass defense to finish 9th in the NFL giving up 222.1 yards per game.
Free agent acquisition Mike Mitchell will help complement the rest of the safeties, plus an expected improved pass rush from the front seven, as pressure on the quarterback throws off timing (routes) and helps create turnovers, will lead to improving the pass defense.
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Per OverTheCap.com, the Steelers have $357,896 under the Salary Cap as of Sunday, June 1st, a day when there is no loss of compensatory picks for free agents signed. - http://overthecap.com/nfl-rookie-salary-cap-2014.php
As of Monday, June 2nd, the $8 million freed up by the release of LaMarr Woodley will be available. Displacement dictates, though, that his release will be closer to $7.5 million in cap space.
Still, that will be more than enough to sign the remaining four selections from the draft. Sixth-round draft pick DL Daniel McCullers and seventh rounder TE Rob Blanchflower were signed on May 19th, fifth-round draft pick Wesley Johnson and sixth-round pick Jordan Zumwalt on May 27th and fifth-round draft pick CB Shaquille Richardson on May 29th. All were signed to a four-year deals.
None of these picks actually counted against the Cap because of said displacement and the Rule of 51. The top four picks will even displace four players currently counting against the cap out of the top 51.
So, expect the amount used to sign those top four to be less than $3 million (at least $750,000-$1 million less than the amount first reported that we previously covered). That leaves well over $5 million to be spent on another free agent or two with plenty left afterward.
UPDATE: I've since come across more exact numbers brought to light by fellow scribe Neal Coolong of Behind The Steel Curtain. The Cool One wrote that the exact number Woodley's release frees up after displacement is "$7.505" million and that the Steelers' Cap cost for the aforemetioned rookies is "$2,018,643." So, as The Cool One wrote, "let's call it $5.48 million in Cap space after the remainder of the rookie class is signed."
"This time, I think we might...take our chances with the other guy from Clemson. Not Sammy [Watkins], but the other receiver from Clemson [in the second round]," said Taylor," Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor said this past April 22 on his TribLiveRadio show. (brackets ours)Better late than never. It was actually with their fourth pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, that the Pittsburgh Steelers selected wide receiver Martavis Bryant from the University of Clemson. The very wideout that we at If It Ain't Steel had been clamoring for on social media and in a blog article as early as immediately after his performance at the NFL Combine. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2014/03/steelers-post-combine-nfl-draft-look.html?m=1Since then, however, we have done our due diligence with an even deeper research on the man. After watching approximately 30 minutes of highlights with no sound or influence, this is what we saw:He has great straight away speed and break away speed. His route-running ability is still about average, but he got better as the season went on, which is in his favor. He is fairly adept at the fly, drag, 7, 8 and 9 routes. When he runs those curl routes, though, they aren't tight enough. He needs to be taught to make much harder cuts and sell them to keep NFL CBs off of him. Also, as we already knew, he catches too many balls with his body. He needs to be more aggressive at going after the ball, but has a high catch radius and gets the ball at its apex. His blocking ability is also wanting, but his overall ability, upside and potential are very promising. Steelers WR Coach Richard Mann likes him also, saying that they "got a big WR, something different than we have now. A guy I've been hunting. Been wanting a tall WR all draft." Mann also pointed out that if Bryant had stayed in college another year that he "could've been a first-round pick." Bryant gives the Steelers a tall receiving threat who is also a big-play threat. And though he averaged just under 20 yards per catch in his college career, Mann pointed out that "he'll be a great weapon in the red zone for us." There has been a number of articles written that purport that Bryant could start game one next season. Is that true, Mann?"I don't think that it's fair to him to say that he will start. You have to come in and work."That's what we think, too. As do Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton. The next pick that brought the Bizarro World reference in part one of this two-part article was cornerback Shaquille Richardson out of Arizona. The 6'0", 194-pound CB ran a 4.43/40 at his Pro Day and has been clocked as fast as a 4.38/40.Smooth athlete whose skill set -- great size and length, good wingspan, great in zone but can play man and often wins at the line of scrimmage, more consistency is needed in his technique but has good ball skills, has the ability to trigger off of his backpedal, fills the gaps and lanes against the run, and also played on special teams -- reflects head coach Mike Tomlin's words after the draft regarding playmakers. "You covet speed, but it's football not a track meet. If you get a capable football player who happens to be fast, it's an asset.”Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake likes Richardson's size and speed also, mimicking the sentiments of his being good in coverage. He should like him, though, Lake recruited Richardson when Lake was an assistant coach at UCLA. Lake and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau both say that CB wasn't as pressing a need as perceived. "We have more numbers there than people realize," LeBeau said. "We may have great players in building and they haven't had chance to show us." Lake echoed those words saying that Brice McCain and Antwon Blake will help Steelers. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2014/04/steelers-sign-brice-mccain-bring-in.htmlWith their second compensatory pick, the Steelers next took OT/OG Wesley Johnson from Vanderbilt. At 6-5, First Team All-SEC OLineman has nice height and strength, but isn't quite 300 pounds. He'll need to gain more muscle and overall weight to survive in the NFL. His versatility, though, makes him potentially very valuable, much like Kelvin Beachum before him. - http://tinyurl.com/pfkuaakWe had mentioned Jordan Zumwalt as a Steelers possibility in a previous piece written after the NFL Combine because he's a taller, versatile linebacker (6'4") with fairly good length who played multiple linebacker positions in college. He's agile with good laterally movement, acceleration, and the ability to elude blockers in space. He shows good technique keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage and can be disruptive in the backfield in blitzes. Lacks NFL-caliber strength, but loves to hit and can deliver blows harder than his frame would seem to indicate. - http://tinyurl.com/mvhs66kDaniel McCullers, the Steelers 2nd 6th round selection, is a behemoth of a defensive tackle out of Tennessee. He stands nearly 6'7" and tips the scales at 352 pounds. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2014/03/secondary-may-be-key-but-steelers.htmlAfter the selection, Steelers defensive line coach John Mitchell made the understatement of the year: "Daniel is a big kid."In related news, water is wet, fire is hot and Donald Sterling is a bigot. McCullers is so big he's on both sides of the family. McCullers is so big, he uses the Tennessee interstate as a Slip `n Slide when it rains. McCullers is so big that the last time he jumped for joy he got stuck. McCullers projects as a space-eating nose tackle (and eating damn near e'erything else), but is bigger than what the Steelers are used to at the position. Coming out of college, both Casey Hampton (6'1", 320 LBs) and Joel Steed (6'2", 300 LBs) were much shorter and smaller than Mount McCullers. And as far as his space eater attributes, we definitely need a true plug at nose guard, but the Steelers were in their sub packages most of the time last season (60%-65% of the time). That means, on average he'd only be on the field for about one, maybe two, out of three downs. He'd have to be incredibly agile and athletic to warrant staying on the field in those sub packages, something which he is not. As The Sports Xchange said of him, the "Steelers want their nose tackles to eat up blocks and McCullers is big enough to eat up several. He is the biggest man on their roster right now. A little tall for nose tackle, so playing low will be a test for him."He does have good potential and upside, though. McCullers at times would practically bully opponents and it's a $22 cab fare to get around him, slowing down the ball carrier and allowing time for LBs to get to the point of attack. - http://tinyurl.com/lrne4mjRob Blanchflower, a 6'4", 256-pound tight end out of UMass, was the Steelers' final pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. - http://tinyurl.com/n323rauOverall grade for the Steelers' 2014 draft at this point(ITALICS) would have to be a B+ -- still could've and should've gotten another cornerback, but that's probably the worst we can say considering that all other needs were addressed. Good job, Colbert & Co., you definitely improved the team. Now bring on the season. ~TIDBITS: The Steelers minicamp is May 16-18. These are players you will also see there:UDFAs: On offense: QB Brendon Kay (Cincinnati), TE Eric Waters (Missouri), OT Kaycee Ike (UAB), G Will Simmons (East Carolina) and G Chris Elkins (Youngstown State).On defense: DE Josh Mauro (Stanford), DE Ethan Hemer (Wisconsin), LB Howard Jones (Shepherd) and DT Roy Philon (Louisville).S Jake DeMedal (St. Francis) and DB Devon Carrington (Stanford) have tryouts with the Steelers, and Penn State OL Adam Gress will also work out with the Steelers at rookie minicamp this weekend. - http://tinyurl.com/oevq4wv~2014 Steelers Draft Class Twitter handles and what Jersey #'s we Know:Ryan Shazier: #50 @RyanShazierStephon Tuitt: #91 @DOCnation_7Dri Archer: @Dri_Archer1Martavis Bryant: #10 @ThaBestUNOWes Johnson: @wjohnson67Shaq Richardson: @Dr4_RichhJordan Zumalt: Not on TwitterDaniel McCullers: @_BIGDAN98Rob Branchflower: @Rob_BlanchThanks to Matt Vargo for doing the leg work on these.
"NFL teams threw for a combined 120,633 yards last season, an average of 471.2 yards passing per game for both teams. That’s way, way up from the combined 109,467 yards in 2003, when teams combined to average 400.8 yards passing per game." - http://t.co/4CPn0Ng9p6
Those words from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Alan Robinson indicate the need to have a strong secondary. The Pittsburgh Steelers recognize this and are still makeover mode.
Tuesday morning, the Steelers announced the signing of former Houston Texans Nickel defensive back Brice McCain.
It was also disseminated Monday night that Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby would be visiting the South Side.
One is a potential upgrade, the other is something that likely just smacks at depth.
Like the Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac tweeted (@gerrydulac), "McCain signed for depth. Started 10 of 72 games in 5 seasons w Houston." So, yes, he undoubtedly will be a backup cornerback and special teams player for the Steelers. In Houston, the 4.33/40 McCain often was the gunner.
At first glance, though, this isn't a good signing. As the aforementioned article states, "the 5-foot-9, 180-pound McCain was the NFL’s worst-rated cornerback last season, according to Pro Football Focus."
But going back a little further reminds us that Brice McCain was once an integral part of the Texans secondary. The very same Pro Football Focus two years earlier wrote of McCain being a "secret superstar." - http://tinyurl.com/7p5ynst
But we had written previously that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin recently said that they would be focusing on the defense's sub packages, as this current NFL showcases more and more three- and four-receiver sets, forcing Nickel and Dime packages. So it is possible that defensive backs coach Carnell Lake feels he has something to work with in McCain.
Regardless, the teams who thrive in that pass-happy environment are obvious. Case in point, the Super Bowl-Champion Seattle Seahawks had 28 interceptions last season.
The Steelers had 31 interceptions. . .over the last three seasons (10 INTs in 2013, 10 in '12 and 11 in '11). That means the secondary, then, is of unique importance in today's game. True to his word, therefore, Tomlin has orchestrated a second defensive back free agent signing.
The other DB who will be in town is draft hopeful Bradley Roby. The Ohio State product was on Sirius XM (@SiriusXMNFL on Twitter) Monday night and announced his plans: "I have 8 visits set up. I will be meeting with the Chargers, Steelers, Titans, Bills and Jets this week."
Roby, who had been considered a top-ten draft prospect going into his junior year, saw his draft stock plummet because of a disappointing 2013 from a personal-play standpoint.
Disappointing in just about every objective measurement - ball awareness, losing track of the receiver, backpedal - as he was torched and torched (and torched) last season. Rotoworld.com breaks down his performance here: http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/46190/349/peshek-cb-metrics-10
However, Roby has definite attributes - speed, explosion, good hands, good hips - and did have a very good showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. He was 4th among DBs with a 4.39/40, T-6th in vertical jump (38.5"), T-11th in broad jump (10'4"), and was one of the more fluid DBs going through the drills overall.
So, while the Combine is no substitute for a season's worth if games, he does have real NFL potential and could be a likely fit if the Steelers decide to address the wide receiver position in the first round and then go cornerback in the second (and third?) round.
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TIDBITS: Per the Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette, the "Steelers get McCain for vet minimum plus $65 K bonus. He will count $635,000 against their cap. That means he adds $215 K to cap as top-51."
Per the Rule of 51 and displacement of higher contract amounts, as Bouchette continued, the "Steelers now have a little less than $400 K in salary cap space."
OverTheCap.com had the Steelers at $712,896 before the previous signing (Blount), so those numbers look to be accurate.
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"@EdBouchette: Veteran WR Darrius Heyward-Bey to visit #Steelers Wed. 7th overall pick in 2009. UFA. Team has just under $400K in cap room" ... Umm...no.
