Mock the Mock....I'm adding a twist.

[TMC]

Here is the mock:
http://www.drafttek.com/round12008pt.php

Now, to get away from the stand pat answers we have been getting and to look at these mocks in a different light, I am going to change it up a little.....hopefully make it a little more fun. I want to shake it up so I am going to have the Steelers trade down twice, once out of the first and the 2nd time they will move in the 3rd. I'll explain the trades.

I am going to have the Steelers trade down with the Falcons as suggested in another thread (by Slaine or Slu....cannot remember who exactly, sorry guys). The Steelers will give up the #23 pick and receive the #38 and #68 in return. Now, they make this trade because Atlanta did not take the QB in the first and because Atlanta wonders if a team like Seattle or Green Bay may just pull the trigger and take Brian Brohm, so they give up their 3rd to secure him.

The 2nd trade will take place because the Steelers have garnered the Falcons high 3rd rounder. See, the top of the 3rd round should become a position of great interest because teams will end the first day, go back to their boards, and realize this or that guy has slipped. Then, they will want to go up and get him and more than likely, they overpay. So, sitting at #68 would be benificial. I can see a team like the Redskins wanting to jump back into the top of the 3rd to grab a guy like Darrell Robertson, so the trade is the Steelers newly acquired 68th selection for the Skins 84th and 96th picks. They overpay some, but I think that teams do that in the 4th in previous drafts and that thinking will move forward since the 3rd round starts the 2nd day. So, here are your selections:

38th-
53rd-
84th-
88th-
96th-
123rd-
156th-
188th-

Same rules apply, just new and more picks to work with. Again, you cannot draft ahead of your pick and since I have done enough trading (as realistic or unrealistic as they may be), no trades.

Have at it.

[TMC]

Here is what I would do:

38th-James Hardy, WR, Indiana-I had actually typed in Sam Baker, because I really like Sam Baker here, but honestly, Hardy is the value at this pick. IMO, the three top guys at this selection are Hardy, Laws, and Jamaal Charles. I take Hardy. I will have to get my tackle later.

53rd-Roy Schuening, OG, Oregon State-I know Rachal is ranked higher and may become a better player, but Schuening is the safer pick. He is more consistent and NFL ready right now.

84th-Bruce Davis, OLB, UCLA-Davis slides some because of his workout numbers. He ran a 4.72 and only benched 225-19 times, but he plays faster and stronger, and I still like what they do on the field over what they do in shorts. Lamar Woodley ran in the same range and he shows plenty of speed when running with backs.

88th-Jeremy Zuttah, OT, Rutgers-while everyone thinks Zuttah will simply move inside, I am beginning to get the feeling that this guy is being looked at as a player that can play ANY offensive line position. I mean, he is powerful (35 reps) and his movement drills were pretty damn impressive as well. He is only 6'3", but Colon is 6'4". The Steelers do not seem to get hung up on size like some other teams.

96th-Kirk Barton, OT, Ohio State-while some may think this is high for Barton, I do not. He is a big, tough, fiery tackle that has played at a high level for a few seasons now. He is not the great athlete, but his understanding of angles and how to use his strength/reach helps him. I think he is going to be a powerful run mauling RT in the NFL.

123rd-Wesley Woodyard, LB, Kentucky-this may be my luxury pick and many may wonder what the hell I am doing, but Woodyard is a tackling machine and he gets all over the field making plays. He is 6007-227 pounds and many think he will move to safety because he ran a 4.51, but this is my guy to replace Farrior.

156th-Frank Okam. DL, Texas-there are a couple positions where I think you will be able to steal talent late. The defensive line, corner, and wide receiver positions just jump out, so I take Okam and HOPEFULLY I can eliminate Kirschke and Eason from our roster.

188th-Terrance Wheatley, CB, Colorado-Wheatley ran a sub 4.4 forty at the combine and performed pretty well. He has played at a high level and has a lot of talent, but is not that big and has some durability issues. He could be a great slot guy though. He is also a gunner on punt coverages.

But, one thing I think everyone should realize, while sitting there at 188, I could have selected another CB with potential (they are there). Adarius Bowman, Adrian Arrington, Corey Boyd, Jacob Hester, Ben Moffit, Andrew Crummey, and a host of other talent is STILL sitting on a draft board into the 7th round. These guys all played and performed well in college at big time programs.

This draft is deep.

[deljzc]

TMC... Washington can't trade us the #96 pick. It's a compensatory pick. But I'm still working on it as you have it presented.

[pete]

38th - Sam Baker, OT (USC) - I'm very tempted to take Hardy but Baker is too good of a value to pass here.
53rd - Cliff Avril, OLB (Purdue)
84th - Chris Ellis, DE (Virginia Tech)
88th - Philip Wheeler, ILB (Georgia Tech)
96th - Dexter Jackson, WR (Coastal Carolina)
123rd - Patrick Lee, CB (Auburn)
156th - Frank Okam, DT (Texas)
188th - Jacob Hester, FB (LSU)

[Thorndike]

Hmmm...very interesting...

38th- Sam Baker OT USC
*I just can't pass up a guy who actually MIGHT be able to play LT in the NFL here.

53rd- Mario Manningham WR Michigan
*Ben gets his big target. I know it won't happen with Mario's character concerns, but this is just a mock.

84th- Jonathan Goff ILB Vanderbilt
*The poor man's Dan Conner. With Timmons, we're set at ILB for the next 6/7 years.

88th- John Sullivan OC Notre Dame
*Hadnot's understudy for two seasons.

96th- DeMario Pressley DT NC State
*I still like Pressley in the 3rd. I think he would thrive in our system.

123rd- Eric Young OG Tennessee
*This kid is massive...a truck. I know we have about 27 guards, but I like him.

156th- Ali Highsmith OLB LSU
*Good value here. Interesting guy.

188th- Adarius Bowman WR Oklahoma St
*I know he smokes the ganja...so did Marvel Smith. Still a gifted WR who could make our team. Can't say that about many other guys still on the board here.

[TMC]

TMC... Washington can't trade us the #96 pick. It's a compensatory pick. But I'm still working on it as you have it presented.

Ahhh, thats right.


But, I am already halfway across the stream, ain't swimming back now.

[Slaine]

#38 - Sam Baker, OT, USC
#53 - Dre Moore, DT, Maryland
#84 - Shawn Crable, OLB, Michigan
#88 - Antwaun Molden, CB, Eastern Kentucky
#96 - Will Franklin, WR, Missouri
#123 - Eric Young, OG/OT Tennessee
#156 - Thomas Brown, RB, Georgia
#188 - Adarius Bowman, WR, Oklahoma St

The extra picks would be a real luxury for us and would allow us to address a bunch of positions.

I'm gutted that Dan Connor went the pick or two before us as he would have been my primary target. I thought hard about Jamaal Charles, Curtis Lofton and Lawrence Jackson and ended up going with the big program tackle.

The rest of the draft addresses needs, hopefully at value times. I really like the Crable and Molden picks. Molden will be another Ike given a year or two. We get two big WR in an effort to get rid of Willie Reid from the roster and a decent third down back in Thomas Brown.

Dre Moore will get rid of Eason from the roster and will help to extend the career of Smith at DE, or better still replace Keisel at RDE. Crable will back up Harrison and can be used situationally as a pass rusher in the first year.

Eric Young was just too good value at that point. I would have loved to add a FS at that point but the FS class pretty much sucks this year so I thought that I'd wait a year and see if the Steelers plan on continuing the Anthony Smith experience any longer. Plus Molden has the size and aggression to play FS if need be and might be worth a look there.

[ekeicher16]

38-James Hardy
53-Chilo Rachal
84-Bruce Davis
88-DeMario Pressley
96-Wesley Woodyard
123-Eric Young
156-Frank Okam
188-Jacob Hester

[leftcoaststeelerfan]

38th-Baker
53rd-Dre Moore
84th-Pressley
88th-Zuttah
96th-Sullivan
123rd-Craig Steltz
156th-Highsmith
188th-Bowman

[stevew]

Buffalo, holding 42/71/72, is hopefully someone who will be aggressive in trying to move up for a QB as well.

[Superman]

38th- James Hardy, WR
53rd- Red Bryant, DT
84th- John Greco, OT
88th- Jeremy Zuttah, OL
96th- Phillip Wheeler, LB
123rd- Frank Okam, DT
156th- Marcus Monk, WR
188th- Cory Boyd, RB

[Mike64]

With the way Trent Edwards played last year, I can't really see Buffalo moving up to get a QB. They might try to move up for a WR like Hardy, however.

[Tres Rios]

38th- James Hardy, WR
53rd- Chilo Rachal, OG
84th- Shawn Crable, OLB
88th- Jonathan Goff, ILB
96th- Jeremy Zuttah, OT/OG
123rd- Chris Harrington, DE
156th- Jack Ikeguonu, CB - Oops, injured - Terrance Wheatley, CB
188th- Dennis Dixon, QB

[Tres Rios]

Once again I must say, my mock is perfect.

I love this TMC scenario. Not only do I still get the 4 core guys I really want this year - Hardy, Rachal, Zuttah & Harrington, but now I get even more depth at other spots.

Rachal & Zuttah can be day one starters on the OL and with the signing of Hartwig we would be back to where we were before last year's crap.

Hardy is the gamebreaking deep/jump ball threat we need to scare opposing DBs.

Crable & Goff give us killer young depth at LB. With them two, Woodley, Timmons and James Harrison we could be set with stud for years at LB.

Harrington is an all around star at DE. Reminds me of a young Aaron Smith. Solid tackler, led A&M in tackles, tackles for loss AND sacks. Could replace Keisel day one or maybe just fill in on passing downs til replacing him the following season.

Ikegwuonu I forgot is hurt and missing a year with an ACL problem so I will replace him with Terrance Wheatley an equally gifted CB.

And Dixon will give us a monster backup to Ben for years or excellent trade bait to a team with a floundering QB (I'm looking at you Chicago) since the QB draft in the next 2 years is supposed to be weak.

[Balls&YourWord]

38th- James Hardy, WR, Indiana : A perfect fit for what the Steelers need, Ben can quit whining, he's got himself a damn fine receiving core now.

53rd- Carl Nicks, OT, Nebraska : I know there are some down on him, but I loved everything about him when I watched him at Nebraska, and I think he's got serious potential to be a quality NFL LT. For the meantime, I'd plug him in at RT and let him learn there for awhile.

84th- Bruce Davis, OLB, UCLA : The guy is a very solid football player, that's all there is to it. I don't care about how he times, he knows how to make plays and he's great value here IMO.

88th- Beau Bell, ILB, UNLV : I see this guy as a ILB in the 3-4 for the Steelers. He plays pretty fast for a LB, and makes plays all over the field.

96th: Tyrell Johnson, S, Arkansas St. : I know their last DII secondary prospect didn't work out so well, but I think Johnson is a great athlete who is actually a pretty solid football player as well. I think he could be a steal, and I don't mind taking a chance on him here.

123rd- Marcus Harrison, DT, Arkansas : It's a risky pick given how he's coming off an ACL tear, but he's too talented to pass up here.

156th- Keenan Burton, WR, Kentucky: Another super athlete who would have been a first rounder last year, but was plagued by injuries and some inconsistency his senior year. This might run Willie Reed off the team, but so be it, I think Burton could be a real find.

188th- Jehuu Caulcrick, RB/FB, Michigan St. : I picked him late in a previous mock, but this is a guy who simply doesn't come down from the first defender he meets. 21 rushing TDs this past season shows he's got a nose for the endzone, something the Steelers desperately need. Not very fast, and not very fluid, but he becomes the Steelers new short yardage back.

[BLITZ 43]

38 - Baker USC OT http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=11736
My goal is to fix the oline and like many have said here already is way to good to pass here considering how thin we are at ot. Health does scare me but I feel he is worth the risk.

53 - Manningham Michigan WR http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=12156
I am a little concerned about his character and durability but when they compare him to Tory Holt it caught my eyes.

84 - Cousins UTEP OT http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=12156
Played both RT and LT and is very strong with a mean streak I liked what I seen in him at the senior bowl

88 - Wheeler Georgia Tech ILB http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=11617
Might be a good pick considering we might be looking at some 4-3 and he can play several positions. I like the way he has a nose for the ball.

96 - Smith S. FLA RB http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=12242
I know we have a bunch of guys there already but other then Willie none with this guys talent. I just couldn't pass on this guy here.

123 - Young TENN OG http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=12176
Before the combine was considered one of the top og's and he also has played some lt. A very good pick this late.

156 - Scandrick Boise ST DB http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=12240
The key to this pick is special teams, this guy could be key there for us.

188- Guion FL.ST. DT http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/player?id=12216
All I need to read about him is he's quick, strong, determined and athletic.



In this draft I was looking at fixing the oline which I think I did and finding some help on ST. I drafted several positions of need with quality players. I also feel this draft is deep and all players will make our 53 man roster as we will now be able to cut the dead weight we have, Eason for example. One more thing another great job TMC I really had some fun with this.

[SteelerFan448]

38th- Sam Baker LT - Here is our chance to grab a future LT to take over after Marvel's contract expires.

53rd- Cliff Avril OLB - Another player who can rush the player. He can play in a spot role this year and take over as starter in his second season.

84th- Mike McGlynn OL - I thought about taking Greco here to add a prospect for RT, but I decided to go with McGlynn because he can play any position on the line. That versality with the potential to start is what I want from a mid-round prospect.

88th- Philip Wheeler ILB - I solidified the OL and have also added two future starters at LB.

96th- DeMario Pressley DL - Much needed depth for the DL.

123rd- Patrick Lee CB - Has the skill set to develop into a solid corner.

156th- Marcus Griffin S - I think we need better depth behind our starters.

188th- Jacob Hester FB - Would be an upgrade over Davis and fit the style of FB we are now using.

[pete]

88th- John Sullivan OC Notre Dame
*Hadnot's understudy for two seasons.


Hadnot??????

[smithessmokin]

Hadnot??????

i think he is mistaken for hartwig.