Steelers: Day 1 draft grades

[Steelerman]

Discuss.........

[Thorndike]

I gave us an A.

We did not reach. We obtained players with EXCELLENT value at each of our pick slots. IMHO we drafted the #1 RB and the #1 WR in the draft. Not bad from the 23rd slot.

[Steelerman]

I also voted A, but I'm still very concerned about our line in 2008.

[SteelerFan448]

We got excellent values at both spots. Mendenhall and Sweed will help us this year and in the future. So far, easy A.

[t-bone]

no one saw Mendenhall falling, and he was just too good to pass up....he'll play for us in his 1st year, not a project or a reach........Sweed is exactly what Ben and a lot of us wanted, if maybe not exactly the one some of us wanted.....no matter, he's just as good as the options at that position and size.

A.

[FlaStGrad]

Both players will come in and play within the role that they will be given... they are not expected to be starters, but will see a lot of action early and will help our offense BIG TIME!

[LetMePlay]

Mendenhall: A
Sweed: A+

Mendenhall should see about 50-100 touches and 5 TDs this year. I'm expecting 20-30rec and 5 TDs from Sweed.

[Steelerman]

If these guys play to their potential then our Red Zone offense should be illegal.

[Cupcrazy38]

Not what I wanted, but given how things shook out, not bad. First time my dad and I have been able to sit down and agree on anything in a good while- we were both pissed watching the run on offensive lineman just before the steelers picked. However, they didn't reach, got two players I'm happy with, and I can always hope that the offensive line will still come together next year through better chemistry, new players, or a miracle. I'd give it an A thus far.


Just hope I can say the same thing three years from now!

[LetMePlay]

Oh yea, I should mention that I think our OL has the potential to suck donkey ass. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, we could have done in this draft would have changed that.

[Crime Fighter]

This draft was all about value, value, and more value, and I give Colbert and company an A. To get these highly touted prospects was awesome. WTG, front office, and I hope tomorrow we land so much more!

[Steelerman]

Two people voted D? Lol...WTF?

[LetMePlay]

Two people voted D? Lol...WTF?

Not everyone has the right number of chromosomes.

[Steelerman]

Steelers are stealing

April 26, 2008 9:10 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

Is anybody watching the Pittsburgh Steelers?

While so many teams are trading back and forth, the Steelers quietly laid in the weeds today and landed Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall and Texas receiver Limas Sweed.

Uh oh.

Running back and receiver weren't necessarily needs for the Steelers, but the talent of these two players were too good to resist. Both received first round grades in most projections, and Pittsburgh landed them with the No. 23 and No. 53 overall picks.

The Steelers still need offensive linemen, particularly at tackle. They continued their trend of skipping linemen in the first and second round for the seventh straight year. Look for them to make a run at linemen tomorrow.

But Pittsburgh's offense should be even more dangerous next season with this pair. Mendenhall will backup tailback Willie Parker and have opportunities to wear down the defense, while Sweed is the big-body third receiver the Steelers are looking for.

[Thorndike]

Bungle fans.

[Steeltime]

our OL has the potential to suck donkey ass. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, we could have done in this draft would have changed that.

True, very true.

Every OL'man worthy of first round consideration - including a guy who really was a second rounder, like Cherilus - was gone before 23. I have no criticism of the Steelers for passing on the O-line players who were still there at 23.

I just thought that some good players at other positions - CB, DE - were still there.

I am being lobbied into getting behind the Mendenhall pick. The history of good draft selections is filled with guys who were top-tier talent and just "slid" for some reason.

[BLITZ 43]

I voted B not because I didn't like the picks I think both picks were great but I give a B because there was so much trading I wished we would have got into the action and gained a pick or two since all the olineman were gone and we still could have gotten great players. However nobody and I mean nobody ever thought Mendenhall would fall to us so it is hard to pass him up and move down for extra picks. I really hope we go oline back to back tomorrow and maybe a cb.

[kurtistb]

Oh yea, I should mention that I think our OL has the potential to suck donkey ass. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, we could have done in this draft would have changed that.

you are money today. Drafting Chilo Rachel or Duane Brown in the first would have done nothing but make us a worse team in the long run than where we stand right now.

[blitz]

i voted a for pretty much the same reasons already stated. 2 best players available. our offense should be great for years to come. all keys skill positions very young and talented. this will also extend parkers and hines careers i think. now onto the lines.......

[Super Dave]

Considering what happened before our picks, they did the best they possibly could have.

We couldn't of traded out of the 1st for 2 reasons.

1) all the RD1! & good RD 2 OL prospects were taken in the 1st.
2) Mendenhall was still, unbelievably, on the Board.

I don't like draft grades, but Colbert did a great job with what he had.

[ItalianPenguin]

Initially I wasn't very happy about the Mendenhall pick. After a while though I realized there was nothing we could of done that would of benefited us in a greater way than picking him. He is a steal, plain and simple. Sweed is an excellent pick. I give it an A.

[Steeltime]

Considering what happened before our picks, they did the best they possibly could have. ... I don't like draft grades, but Colbert did a great job with what he had.

Good point.

I always think it somewhat of a joke for experts to praise the draft of a team like the Chiefs.

Good draft? Of course. Jesus, they have 2 of the top 17 and 3 of the top 35 picks. Given the talent in this draft pool, they could have put the names of the 35 top-rated players in a hat, pulled them out and done well.

[LetMePlay]

you are money today. Drafting Chilo Rachel or Duane Brown in the first would have done nothing but make us a worse team in the long run than where we stand right now.

Taking Brown and Rachal would have been wasted picks. There will be player we can get second day that will be better long term. Brown is a good prospect but I dont think that Rachal is an NFL starter.

[tapeANaspirin2it]

It has to be an A. With the way the draft fell, the only options in RD 1 were to take Mendenhall or to trade back. But trade back for what? The tackles had already been cleaned out and there really aren't any great pass rushers available either. I'd rather have Mendenhall.

Sweed was a no brainer as well. Again, OT was cleaned out. Jax traded in fron of Pitt and took Groves. Maybe Groves would have been a consideration but he's by no means a can't miss prospect. The fact he has heart troubles scares me too. Sweed is a 1st round talent.

I was disappointed when all the tackles were gone, but we knew that was likely to happen. I never would have imagined Mendenhall would be available at the steelers pick.

Let's face it, the Steelers got LUCKY. There's no way in hell either of these players should have ben available. Let's hope the good luck continues.

[scstillerfan]

Great draft so far. I can't believe Mendenhall and Sweed fell to us. If they come away with Bryant in the 3rd, it might be Colbert's best draft yet.

[Doc]

Talent wise, an A no doubt.

as far as addressing our needs...i hope that happens tomorrow.

[warriors42]

voted A, although the first pick had me scratching my head, but over all i am very happy so far. how can you be disappointed with potentialy the 2nd best RB, and best receiver in the draft.....

[DerbyCityBNGfan]

We got a lot better today...The best offensive years in franchise history are ahead of us, ladies and gents. True we need line help, but hopefully that will be addressed in the days and months to come. However, I firmly believe a bruising back and big guy who can pull down 8-15 bullets make the line's job a lot easier. We won't be as predictable, and hopefully our distance to go on third will drop dramatically this year. Have faith, Nation, today was a blessed day.

[tapeANaspirin2it]

It's true the steelers didn't address absolute needs but the way the draft fell, the only way they could have addressed needs (OT, pass rusher), was if they reached or traded up.

Maybe they could have taken a CB but i don't think CB is a bigger need than RB or WR at this point. CB is deep. There's lots of good prospect but not a single great prospect. Mendenhall and Sweed have far fewer holes in their games than any CB the Steelers could have drafted.

You can still draft a CB who may turn out to be just as good as any CB taken in RD 1. Pretty much every CB in the draft looks like a boom or bust type player.

[Chicoman]

We got a lot better today...The best offensive years in franchise history are ahead of us, ladies and gents. True we need line help, but hopefully that will be addressed in the days and months to come. However, I firmly believe a bruising back and big guy who can pull down 8-15 bullets make the line's job a lot easier. We won't be as predictable, and hopefully our distance to go on third will drop dramatically this year. Have faith, Nation, today was a blessed day.

Overall Day 1 Draft Grade - A+

Without question since the glory days of Bradshaw, Swann, Stallworth, Harris & Blier.

This offense is going to light up defenses....physically Hines, Holmes & even Sweed are all excellent blocking WR's but Sweed in Round 2 is a steal and so was Mendenhall in Round 1. This is unreal the talent the Steelers added to roster today and although we need O-line and even D-line today those guys we would have taken were already gone and off the board. I hope we have a solid day 2 and get an rock on the O-line.

Cmon Capizzi I know ya got it in ya to be our starting LT! Prove those nay-sayers wrong!!!

[Steeler B]

A

People who dont like the pics AMAZE ME and are draft snobs....drafting for need and reaching rather than taking the best available players is not a good idea....

Was it 1999 when we "needed" a WR and reached for T Edwards instead of taking a better player in Kearse?

[TonyM]

Talent wise, an A no doubt.

as far as addressing our needs...i hope that happens tomorrow.

That's about as accurate as any assessment I've read. Good talent, but didn't really address needs. Ben can't hit the targets downfield when he's laying on his back.

I'm just concerned that they will be spending too much attention on the O in this draft (perhaps 2 OL coming tomorrow?) and don't fill any of the needs on D.

[SteelerAl]

Imagine if two weeks ago some newbie posted a mock draft that was more or less how the real first two rounds ended up...he would have been laughed off the board by our resident mock draft experts.

[shufan.tsz]

I love the value that we got for our picks. I'm very excited to see Parker with Mendenhall to complement him, and with Ward, Holmes, and Sweed our WR corps is quite impressive, in my opinion. I know our offensive line needs improvement. However, I think we can address this enough with the players left on the board. They way I think of it is that even a little improvement on the offensive line will be enough with the talent we have out there in the skill positions.

[JEFFRO]

I voted "B" but I reserve the right to upgrade the grade (huh?) depending how day 2 goes.
They still need to address the O-line and D-line.

Furthermore I have to agree with most here, I would have been dis-appointed had they reached for a need. They upgraded both positions for years to come.
I am happy with both picks!
I will be ecstatic if we can address our other needs!
A good second day and I could easily give them an A+ overall!

[Super Heathen]

Anybody who disagrees with Mendenhall and Sweed at 23 and 53 should just give up on the the sport forever. NOBODY got better value for their picks than the Steelers. The issue for Colbert is thus: Score on us? We'll fucking pick you apart with our powerhouse offense. It's worked for the *Pats* so why not us?

Last draft we built with 2 Lb's that will pay dividends THIS year. We do have holes to be filled but the draft is 2 rounds old. Please wait until all 6 picks are in until you bitch and moan about your fanatsy picks not coming true.

Our D and o-line will be addressed in time but you simply cannot fix everything in 1 draft. And lest we forget, the Steelers did sign a guy who actually know's how to play center. This could have a domino effect on the whole line. It cannot in any way be worse than last year.

Results come to those who are patient enough to understand logic.

[mightyguru]

I'm loving what the Steelers did with the situation. We added studs that will contribute immediately. Let's get a LT and a DE tomorrow.

[Parasite]

It really boggles my mind that Mendenhall was there at 23. There is a good shot he ends up being the best running back from this class. I thought for sure the Cowboys were gonna take him. And Sweed being there at 53 is almost as mind boggling. Especially considering guys like Donnie Avery and Jerome Simpson were taken before him. Oh well, our gain.

[Super Heathen]

As Bill Polian said, grading a draft during the 1st week after the draft is a joke. Talk in 3 years time.

[Sabin]

Imagine if two weeks ago some newbie posted a mock draft that was more or less how the real first two rounds ended up...he would have been laughed off the board by our resident mock draft experts.


A Newbie? Jesus Himself could have strolled down from above and handed me this as His mock draft yesterday, and I would told him he was Fuckin' Nuts.

Following which I would have then explained that by capitalizing the F & N that I meant said comment only with the utmost respect for His Being.

[Vindrow]

Gave it an "A"...the fact that Mendenhall fell to us at 23 is amazing, and he will be a great compliment to Parker when we go to the 2-back set...and Sweed at 53 was confounding to say the least, but with Ward, Holmes and Sweed on the field I can see Ben lighting it up this year.

Now, hopefully they can address the O-line and Defense with their last 4 picks.

[JEFFRO]

Anybody who disagrees with Mendenhall and Sweed at 23 and 53 should just give up on the the sport forever. NOBODY got better value for their picks than the Steelers. The issue for Colbert is thus: Score on us? We'll ing pick you apart with our powerhouse offense. It's worked for the *Pats* so why not us?

Last draft we built with 2 Lb's that will pay dividends THIS year. We do have holes to be filled but the draft is 2 rounds old. Please wait until all 6 picks are in until you bitch and moan about your fanatsy picks not coming true.

Our D and o-line will be addressed in time but you simply cannot fix everything in 1 draft. And lest we forget, the Steelers did sign a guy who actually know's how to play center. This could have a domino effect on the whole line. It cannot in any way be worse than last year.
Results come to those who are patient enough to understand logic.

I don't disagree with day 1 at all. I do not have a draft board with a wish list. I just hope we address the O and D lines.
As for Hartwig, and bringing in somebody who actually knows how to play center, that is what we thought last year when we brought in Mahan. We also thought we addressed the return game with Rossum. How did those 2 fixes turn out?


True enough but there is a chance that it won't get any better.

[Idioteque]

Sweed did NOT present the value that most here think he did. Tall doesn't equal good.

I didn't like either pick, so I voted D. I may eat my words on Mendenhall, but if Sweed ever catches more than 20 passes in a season I'll be shocked.

[Idioteque]

Two people voted D? Lol...WTF?

Simple. We wasted an extremely valuable 2nd round pick IMO.

[JEFFRO]

Sweed did NOT present the value that most here think he did. Tall doesn't equal good.

I didn't like either pick, so I voted D. I may eat my words on Mendenhall, but if Sweed ever catches more than 20 passes in a season I'll be shocked.

Prepare for a taser then! Maybe not this season but probably by 2009 I would anticipate Sweed being a go to guy!

[Idioteque]

Why? Because he's tall?

[JEFFRO]

Why? Because he's tall?

No not because he is tall. Because he has all the skills to become/develop into a big time WR.

He can run inside or out, he doesn't fear contact, he can make adjustments to his route and adjust to the ball, he fights for the ball, doesn't give up and looks to have soft hands.

And unlike 3 Tall WR's currently in the league he has no apparent character flaws!

It is just my opinion, as much as I wanted to work on the trenches, any pick on either side of the ball would have been a reach.

I believe the Steelers did the best they could have given the circumstances.

[Steelerman58]

I'll give an A for yesterday easily.

Mendenhall was a no-brainer when he fell to 23 & Sweed was like getting a second 1st rounder. We'll deal with that O-Line thing on day 2. Still plenty of good O-lineman left on the board.

[TDX27]

I gave us a B. We did get too very good football players but we did not address our two biggest needs. Ben will still be running for his life unless we change to quick drops on pass plays. Our RB's will have guys in the backfield on the majority of their runs. And, our D will not be able to put consistent pressure on the QB unless they rush 5 or 6 guys. Now, there is hope that the back ups we had riding the pine step up and suprise us all but we will have to wait and see.

[BLITZ 43]

I gave us a B. We did get too very good football players but we did not address our two biggest needs. Ben will still be running for his life unless we change to quick drops on pass plays. Our RB's will have guys in the backfield on the majority of their runs. And, our D will not be able to put consistent pressure on the QB unless they rush 5 or 6 guys. Now, there is hope that the back ups we had riding the pine step up and suprise us all but we will have to wait and see.

Well I also went B but not for the same reasons as you. I think we got grade A talent and am not upset with the picks and I know it would have been hard to trade down with Mendenhall sitting but I felt/wished we could have got into the trading action and gain very valuable picks in a draft so loaded in talent. I think before you have Ben running for his life you better see what they do on day 2 cause there are still guys that could help our oline a ton. And if we don't get any olinemen then Arians better know what a quick slant is.

[TDX27]

Well I also went B but not for the same reasons as you. I think we got grade A talent and am not upset with the picks and I know it would have been hard to trade down with Mendenhall sitting but I felt/wished we could have got into the trading action and gain very valuable picks in a draft so loaded in talent. I think before you have Ben running for his life you better see what they do on day 2 cause there are still guys that could help our oline a ton. And if we don't get any olinemen then Arians better know what a quick slant is.
I agree. The talent we got was a grade A but it didn't address our immediate needs. Day 2 will probably be a different story but I doubt they get anyone that will be able to make an impact for at least a year or two. The Ol and DL talent on day 1 wasn't there for us. We did the right thing by taking the talent that was available. I have no problem at all with our picks. And A grade for the Steelers would have been getting two potential starters on the OL and DL. Instead, they got potential year one starters at RB and WR. Not too bad.

[toledosteel7]

I think before you have Ben running for his life

Also, just start throwing Mendenhall out in the flat like LT, either as a diversion or a threat, and see how many defenders he takes away from Ben... Just like Tomlin said...

[BLITZ 43]

I agree. The talent we got was a grade A but it didn't address our immediate needs. Day 2 will probably be a different story but I doubt they get anyone that will be able to make an impact for at least a year or two. The Ol and DL talent on day 1 wasn't there for us. We did the right thing by taking the talent that was available. I have no problem at all with our picks. And A grade for the Steelers would have been getting two potential starters on the OL and DL. Instead, they got potential year one starters at RB and WR. Not too bad.


Along with others here I have been screaming oline but the way the draft went the Steelers could not have done any better as far as talent goes. The thing with these picks is the "what if" factors. What if WP would have gotten hurt week 2 do we have enough faith in our backups to carry the load, I bet we do now! The same can be said with the Sweed pick. I for one like Davenport but to carry the load I am not to sure, and after Ward and Holmes I have no confidence. I know Colbert and Co. will do a great job today to make our run thru the strongest schedule a whole lot easier.

[TDX27]

Along with others here I have been screaming oline but the way the draft went the Steelers could not have done any better as far as talent goes. The thing with these picks is the "what if" factors. What if WP would have gotten hurt week 2 do we have enough faith in our backups to carry the load, I bet we do now! The same can be said with the Sweed pick. I for one like Davenport but to carry the load I am not to sure, and after Ward and Holmes I have no confidence. I know Colbert and Co. will do a great job today to make our run thru the strongest schedule a whole lot easier.
I think with the Mendenhall pick, Najeh might be gone. He will compete for a spot but he won't start (Parker), he won't be the 2nd guy (Mendehall) and he definitely isn't a 3rd down guy. Mendenhall may even fill the 3rd down back hole. If Najeh stays on the team, he will be in sweats most weekends.

Now, let's get some future prospects on both lines today and the overall draft will be an A.

[Hallmarky]

I graded this draft an A, so far.

I don't think there were anymore teams who wanted to trade up into the first after the Jags did it. Also, there were no OL's or DL's worth taking in the 1st rd. Therefore I think the FO did an excellent job drafting Mendenhall.

Then in the second, If we didn't grab Sweed when we did, we would have missed out on the tall receiver we want.

Today we need an OL and a DL. There is no one who can help our offensive line this year, so we need someone we can develop hopefully for next year. If they want Zuttah, they will have to trade up. We can't get lucky today like we did yesterday, expecting good picks to fall to us.

[BulldogMilenko]

Mendenhall was a great pick for still being available that late in the first...

but

SWEED is a fuckin' BEAST! I can't believe we actually got him! I never would've thought we'd be able to land a WR of his caliber so late. Lucky for us, shitty for everyone else.

Now let's FIX THIS LINE!

[TWEEK1106]

gave the draft a A.


still give our line a F-.

HERE'S TO ANOTHER 40+ SACK YEAR FOR BIG BEN WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

hope he can throw to Sweeney Todd (sweed) while he's on his back.

[Chicoman]

Simple. We wasted an extremely valuable 2nd round pick IMO.

One of the problems was we couldn't stretch the field last season. Sweed will change all that. Ben is going to have so many weapons we will be the most explosive offense in the NFL.

Your crazy! Sweed in alot of experts opinions was the WR of the Draft! We stole this kid at 53. Athletically he has all the intangibles you can't teach a WR. His work ethic is better than all the WR's taken before him. He doesn't has many chinks in his armor at all. He's the most complete WR in the draft.

[south dakota STEEL]

Talent wise, an A no doubt.

as far as addressing our needs...i hope that happens tomorrow.

QB?.......

[south dakota STEEL]

Oh, I gave the draft an A...hoping to get a OL and a DL today...

[LuaW]

The only knock I had on the Steelers draft is that Mendenhall has much of the same problem as Parker. Neither is a good blocker, which will only highlight the weakness the Steelers seemed to have on the OL.

Both were amazing value picks though. Steelers are having likely the second best draft, which is saying something considering where they were picking. Still I'd only give it a B+ because Mendenhall doesn't fill a need at all really.

[SteelerFan448]

Both were amazing value picks though. Steelers are having likely the second best draft, which is saying something considering where they were picking. Still I'd only give it a B+ because Mendenhall doesn't fill a need at all really.

While the Steelers are weak on the OL and have an aging DL, the Steelers didn't have a true need to start anywhere this year. They could actually get deeper at every position. We just happened to get two top 25 players who are at the offensive skill positions.

[Stlrs4Life]

I went A, good on both picks.

[Jer]

I voted "D"

We have a Probowl RB in his third season who was the NFL's leading rusher up to the point that he broke his leg. Now, you bring in someone to split his carries? What THE fuck. BAD, BAD, BAD move. It's no different than the Steelers drafting Matt Ryan and telling Ben, No worries, he'll be a situational QB. It's going to affect Willie in more ways than one.

I liked the Sweed pick, but I question his speed. I whatched his highlight reel on youtube, and there was a corner in good position on him CONSISTANTLY. He used his size and athletic ability to get to teh ball, BUT, can he do that to NFL corners? We'll see.

One last note, There is a video on youtube where Justin King flat out out runs Mendenhall and tackles him.from behind. I don't care what anyone says about King as a corner....I'd love to see King picked up for punt and KO returns, and would be an excellent Nickle back.

[Steelerman]

I voted "D"

We have a Probowl RB in his third season who was the NFL's leading rusher up to the point that he broke his leg. Now, you bring in someone to split his carries? What THE fuck. BAD, BAD, BAD move.

I don't think "split" is the correct word. More like 2/3rds for Parker and 1/3rd for Meldenhall. It seems to work well for Jacksonville, particularly when they stomped our asses for 200+ rushing yards back in December.

[DaSwitz]

I voted "D"

We have a Probowl RB in his third season who was the NFL's leading rusher up to the point that he broke his leg. Now, you bring in someone to split his carries? What THE fuck. BAD, BAD, BAD move. It's no different than the Steelers drafting Matt Ryan and telling Ben, No worries, he'll be a situational QB. It's going to affect Willie in more ways than one.

I agree. I mean just look at the teams that ended up using a 2 back systems--Jacksonville, San Diego, Minnesota, New York, Tennessee. Oh wait, all those teams had good running attacks. As a matter of fact the 2 teams with better ground games than the Steelers were the Vikings and the Jaguars--both who use 2 back systems.

Having 2 starting caliber backs will only help Parker. Cut Parker's carries down to around 220 carries (instead of 300+) and you not only lengthen his playing career, you also make him more effective.

Another issue is that Parker has struggled against the better Run Defenses. Now granted, everyone struggles against good Run D's (that's why they're good,) but that's when it's extra important to be able to keep fresh legs on the field. One of the reason the Jags running game gave us fits is because they had RBs with fresh legs in the 4th quarter.

[Jer]

I don't think "split" is the correct word. More like 2/3rds for Parker and 1/3rd for Meldenhall. It seems to work well for Jacksonville, particularly when they stomped our asses for 200+ rushing yards back in December.

Do you think Wilie can compete for a rushing title with one third of his carries being taken from him? I wonder how obtainable his incentive bonuses are with one third of his carries going to another back?

[Steelerman]

Do you think Wilie can compete for a rushing title with one third of his carries being taken from him? I wonder how obtainable his incentive bonuses are with one third of his carries going to another back?

You do realize that this pick is pretty much a replacement for Davenport, right?

[Idioteque]

I truly don't know where most of these glowing opinions on Sweed are coming from.

[Idioteque]

I don't think "split" is the correct word. More like 2/3rds for Parker and 1/3rd for Meldenhall. It seems to work well for Jacksonville, particularly when they stomped our asses for 200+ rushing yards back in December.

Sure, but Jacksonville had filled out the rest of their roster before taking MJD in the SECOND round. Curious as to how Mendenhall is going to plod through our joke of a line.

Bottom line, we enter a rebuilding year by drafting three backups, with several starting spots (at key, key positions) unsettled. We enter the year with Max Starks as our second-best tackle, no real competition for Hartwig at center, and a still-aging and decreasingly effective d-line. But hey, 2 years from now, we'll have a better backup RB!!!!!

I have loved the tops of the last 5 drafts, but this one does nothing for me.

[Steelerman]

Sure, but Jacksonville had filled out the rest of their roster before taking MJD in the SECOND round. Curious as to how Mendenhall is going to plod through our joke of a line.

Bottom line, we enter a rebuilding year by drafting three backups, with several starting spots (at key, key positions) unsettled. We enter the year with Max Starks as our second-best tackle, no real competition for Hartwig at center, and a still-aging and decreasingly effective d-line. But hey, we have a backup RB!!!!!

I have loved the tops of the last 5 drafts, but this one does nothing for me.

So who did YOU want us to pick. Explain.

[Idioteque]

A trade down if possible, to take someone, anyone, who could contribute something no one on our roster can.

I had wanted Carl Nicks early in the 2nd, but the fact that he's STILL plummetting tells me there's something about him we don't know. Duane Brown would have worked nicely even if we hadn't moved down.

Cason, Phillips, Balmer and Rachal sitting there, too. And we ignore our clear deficiencies to dip into an astoundingly deep RB class.

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

anyone can do well in the draft if they take the best player available. While others gobbled up the top o-linemen. We stood still.

I like the picks made. They are great players. But to give colbert accolades for taking a running back that everyone knows is very good, while your offensive line is a freaking shambles. Doesnt make you some kind of genius. On the contrary IMO.

A for the first day top quality picks
F for addressing what we need most.

Grade C.

[JEFFRO]

Do you think Wilie can compete for a rushing title with one third of his carries being taken from him? I wonder how obtainable his incentive bonuses are with one third of his carries going to another back?

That is a selfish question to ask. But I don't think you would hear Willie Parker ask it.

If you asked him what was more important the rushing title or winning a SB, I am sure he would gladly trade the rushing title for the SB victory.

The goal of the team and its players is to win a Championship!

Individual stats, accolades and awards is the icing on the cake should they achieve them.

[Max Power]

Mendenhall falling to 23 and Sweed into the second round added up to a no-brainer Day 1 draft. It was hard to imagine this happening. That said, each and every year, something unforeseen occurred and this run was no exception. I'm always happy to have draft picks this late in the draft, as it means we were in the playoffs. To have as much success was a bonus and was completely surprising.

At this point we are done and the real surprise was one OL draft pick. Guess where the FA parade begins?